MYSTERY of MANOR HOUSE

Auckland Star, Volume LXVII, Issue 4, 6 January 1937, Page 16

MYSTERY of MANOR HOUSE

f HOLIDAY ADVENTURE

CHAPTER Vl.—(Continued). Whatever Mrs. Drayton was doing— and she was generally busy—Marjory and Lena were always welcome, and they never felt that they were in the way. . "In the way!" Mrs. Dray ton would exclaim smilingly, leaving, her work to greet the girls. "Indeed, you are not. You can command help.if you like." And Marjory, delighted, would stand to Jiave an apron tied round her so that she might cook and bake without getting flour;«tttheffirock. t ' Lena generally went off with on whom she was now entirely depen* dent. She regretted inany a time her previous foolish, behaviour,, and once she tried to apoldfeise,' but Ethel laughed it off and began to' talk about some-' thing else. a They were great friends. Lena* lis-! tened untiringly to Ethel's lively chatter, and gradually her haughtiness disappeared, because she had other things to think ' Here were'-people evidently quite as rich as her father, if not richer, and they thought'nothing of it; That was the most extraordinary part of it. Ethel never for a 'moment deemed to; think that She was, somebody,jwhere - as Lena for 'a moment forgot her own •importance. She was MW .Lester, and it seemed to her that . everybody knew it. • - ' " % ■ It surprised her to see how,, pleased the villagers.-always were to see Ethel. Little smiling children said timidly as she passed them, "Good-morning, miss," a ltd here and there ai. woman's head

poked out from a half-opened door, and Ethel exchanged a. friendly nod with the wife of the baker or the shoemaker.! "Why db, you speak to such people?" Lena asked ?nce. "Do you know them?" "Some I 'do; some I don't." replied Ethel. "Motier knows them. Mother makes a point'of knowing people like that, so that when they fall sick or are in trouble she can help them. She says that she must be of some use in the world; and>'you see, they apeak to me because I am my mother's daughter." Lena made no reply; it was certainly very she thought, to be met witn smiling faces as you came along; And if the good-mornings were ; a trifle familiar, the. respectful curtsies made up for it. f||? . •.' i "But," Ethel went on, "when I'm what jl'm going to be, youfknow, Lena, then F shjill he Adored because I am me, and not- v because,.l. am mother's daughter. Won!fcjJt/3je , jM*t grand, curing people's "deaf little babied? I say, Lena, why don't you be something, too?" Ethel was very .enthusiastic. '"Me!" replied Lena, with a return of haughtiness in her manner. "Whatever for, Ethel ? I'tell you that there is no • "There's no iiee'd for me, for the matter of that,", replied, Ethed. ."I expect -that it would eost a lot of money. It's because ctliere's no need. :thalt I want to ,do something all the. more." The girls walked >on in sjleince for a while, but it was not! ling .Before Ethel i broke out again. vi <«'?* .. "I suppose if you .were. *)boy," she said, "yon wouldn't think ,it ; jsq dreadful -doiijgthinga?" -

"Dreadful! No-, oif cottafee, Work," replied Lena. "And why not girls?" asked Ethel. "I ddai't' know," Lena' said lamely. "I supposeit's because they mostly don't." "Mostly don't," cried Ethel. "They mostly do nowadays. Oh, I wouldn't be idle for anything!" * "Mother • did nothing," said Lena. "Besides, what could I do?" "Well, what shall you do?" replied Ethel quickly. "Stick here for years with- that odious Miss Somebody ?" "I'm sure he is odious, Lena—thinking of the time when you'll be grown up and pretty. It will be horribly stupid. It's nice to be pretty, but that isn't enough. Just sometimes I wish that I could be as beautiful as anyone could be, and then I go and..look at mother. She isn't a little bit pretty, but somehow you don't think of that; and it always cures me, for I'd sooner be like mother than anyone else I know." And so the girls talked. Sometimes Mar jory was with them, bi|t oftener than not she preferred to stky with Mrs. Drayton, to whom she confided that Lena was getting nicer and nicer every day. At last there came a morning in dark November when Lena awoke and remembered that it was her birthday. She was thirteen. As she opened her eyes Marjory, who had been anxiously watching her, sprang from her littlo bed into Lena's and, wishing her a "lovely" birthday, presented her with »' small box, beautifully tied up with gay ribbons. , f "It's only chocolates, Lena," she said shyly, a« she watched Lena untie the ribbons. "Chocolates! Oh? Marjory, I just love chocolates," replied Lena. Inside the box was.., a .round basket tied up with thin green cord. Unfastening this, Lena lifted the lid and displayed rows and rows of chocolates, partially hidden amongst ..white and pink tissue, paper. •' Lena cried out with delight. "Theyfre lovely! They're just lovely!" she said. "Why, they look almost too nice to eat." Marjory's eyes sparkled. She was sure that this was going to be a glorious birthday and, very happy, she returned to her own bed till Jane should come and say that it was time to get up.

Just because they wanted to get up, Jane was late. Marjory was sure she was, but Jane, when she did come, wished Lena 4 very happy birthday, and drew from her pocket a tiny case. "Just to remember the day by, if Miss Lena doesn't mind," said Jane. Inside was a siJver thimble. Lena tried it on. It looked very small, but it fitted teautifully. "Oh, you dear old Jane!" cried Lena, and Jane felt more than satisfied. As soon as the girLs were dressed they hurried downstairs. There would be surely a letter from mother and father. Yes, there it was, with its funny stamp. There was a parcel, too, on the breakfast table, but Lena scarcely noticed that; she was in such a hurry to read her letter. : "My...dear little Lena," it began; "father and I will be thinking of you opening this letter before you begin your breakfast. You will be 13, Lena. I do hope, my dear child, that you will have a happy birthday, happier than last year's, Lena. But there! Of course it will be, for my little girl is a year older, and A hope a year wiser. But I mustn't call you a little girl any longer." The letter was a long one, and Letia read it aloud to Marjory, who stood beside her. It finished with the news that a present, too big to go in any envelope, would arrive some time (that morning, and Mrs. Lester announced that she-and-father might return' any time now/ They no longer meant to stay away until Christmas. ' "What can it be, Marjory?" cried Lena, referring to the present. "It will be something really nice, that I've never had before, I'm sure. And she danced about excitedly. "This is a nice birthday, isn't it? And,, last year Was so horrid." Marjory nodded. Last* year Lena had found fault with all her presents. But they "were not going to think of last year. , "See!" cried Marjory, pointing to the parcel, ''the postman has brought this. This must be mother's present." "Why, how stupid of me!" said Lena, pulling the parcel to the edge of the table. "I. never noticed that. Of course it's from mother, there's nobody else to send, me a parcel. Is it for me, though?" she added. Yes, it was addressed to Miss Lena Lester. (To be continued next Wednesday.)