Mistress Of Mellyn by Victoria Holt

Author:Victoria Holt
Language: eng
Format: epub

" It will pin your cravat," I said, " and I hope bring you luck."

" It will. Miss. I know it will."

" Well, don't rely on it too much. Remember luck only comes to those who deserve it." I quoted the beginning of an old rhyme which Father used to say to us.

" Your head and your heart keep boldly up, Your chin and your heels keep down." I went on:

" And when you take your jump together ... go with Prince."

" I'll remember."

"Excited?"

" It seems so long in coming."

" It'll come fast enough."

That night when I went in to say good night to her I sat on her bed and we talked about the show.

I was a little anxious about her, because she was too excited, and I tried to calm her down. I told her she must go to sleep for if she did not she would not be fresh for the morning.

" But how does one sleep, Miss," she asked, " when sleep won't come?"

I realised then the magnitude of what I had done. A few months before, when I had come to this house, this girl had been afraid to mount a horse; now she was looking forward to competing at the horse show.

That was all well and good. I would have preferred her interest not to have been centred so wholeheartedly on her father. It was his approval which meant so much to her.

She was not only eager; she was apprehensive, so desperately did she long for his admiration.

I went to my room and came back with a book of Mr. Longfellow's poems.

I sat down by her bed and began to read to her, for I knew of nothing to turn the mind to peace than his narrative poem, " Hiawatha."

I often quoted it when I was trying to sleep and then I would feel myself torn from the events of this world in which I lived and in my imagination I would wander along through the primeval forests with the "rustlings of great rivers ... and their wild reverberations."

The words flowed from my lips. I knew I was conjuring up visions for Alvean. She had forgotten the show . her fears and her hopes. She was with the little Hiawatha sitting at the feet of the good Nokomis and--she slept.

I woke up on the day of the horse show to find the mist had penetrated my room. I got out of bed and went to the window. Little wisps of it encircled the palm trees and the feathery leaves of the evergreen pines were decorated with little drops of moisture.

" I hope the mist lifts before the afternoon," I said to myself.

But all through the morning it persisted, and there were anxious looks and whispers throughout the house where everyone was thinking of the show. Most of the servants were going. They always did. Kitty told me, because the master had special interest in it as one of the judges, and Billy Trehay and some of the stable boys were entrants.

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