A Bevy of Girls

A Bevy of Girls by L.T. Meadefiction, novel, Girls, Mother, classic, Sympathy, lifeThe Departure.The girls stood in a cluster round Miss Aldworth. They surrounded her to right and left, both before and behind. She was a tall, dark-eyed, grave looking girl herself; her age was about twenty. The girls were schoolgirls; they were none of them more than fifteen years of age. They adored Marcia Aldworth; she was the favourite teacher in the school. She was going away to England suddenly, her mother was very ill, and she might not return. The girls all spoke to her in her native tongue. They belonged to several nationalities; some German, some French, some Dutch, some Hungarian; there was a sprinkling of Spanish girls and a good many English. The school was supposed to be conducted on English principles, and the head teacher was an Englishwoman.There was a distant sound of music in the concert room not far away, but the girls, the principal girls of the school, took no notice of it.“You will write to us, dear, dear Marcia,” said Gunda Lehman. “I’ll forget all my English and I’ll make all sorts of mistakes. You’ll write to me, and if I send you an English letter you’ll correct it, won’t you, dear, dear Miss?”Miss Aldworth made the necessary promise, which was echoed from one to another amongst the girls. There was an American girl with a head of tousled hair, very bright china-blue eyes, and a sort of mocking face. She had not spoken at all up to the present, but now she came forward, took Miss Aldworth’s hand, and said:“I’ll never forget you, and if ever you come to my country be sure you ask for me, Marie M. Belloc. I won’t forget you, and you won’t forget me, will you?”“No, I won’t forget you, Marie. I’ll ask for you if ever I come to your country.”Miss Aldworth moved off into the hall. Here the head mistress began to speak to her.“Move aside, girls,” she said, “move aside. You have said your good-byes. Oh, here are your flowers—”CONTENTSThe Departure.Share and Share Alike.Taking Mother.A Refreshing Tea.Seeking Sympathy.The Joy of her Life.Shirking Duty.A Feast to Delight the Eyes.The Truth about Mrs Aldworth.An Alarming Attack.Repentance and Afterwards.The New Leaf.A Surprise Visit.The Introduction.An Unwelcome Caller.Troublesome Consequences.Relief Intercepted.Seaside Anticipations.Nesta’s Cunning Scheme.The Missing Sovereign.Nurse Comforter.Wrong Set Right.Nesta Lost Again.An Uneasy Conscience.Nemesis.In Hiding.Unaccustomed Fare.Applying for a Situation.Making Sunshine All Round.Found at last.The Best of them All.