that instant a thrill of fear shot through his rodent heart. Nan, without knowing it, had caused the piece of wood to slip. The very next instant the rat was out of his cage, and was scuttling as fast as ever he could rush across the floor.
Now, this was bad enough – for nothing would induce poor Nan to catch him – but worse was to follow; for Jack, grown a large pup now and full of spirit, had followed his little mistress, unknown to her, into the attic. The next moment there was a cry, a scuffle, and Jack had caught the sick rat by the neck. Nan screamed, rushed at the dog and rat, and tried to separate them. Alack and alas! the spirit of his ancestors was in Jack’s veins at that moment; his hairs bristled in excitement. It did not take him long to shake the life out of poor Pip, who lay dead and torn on the floor of the attic.
Nan’s consternation exceeded all bounds.
“What shall I do? What shall I do?” she exclaimed.
She said the words aloud. A light, low laugh falling on her ears caused her to turn quickly, and she saw, standing in the doorway, a fair-haired girl with large blue eyes and an exceedingly amused expression on her face.
“Oh!” said Nan, giving a jump.
“What is the matter?” said the girl.
“Who are you?” said Nan.
“I am Augusta Duncan. But what have you been doing? You are a funny girl, ratting up here all by yourself.”
“Oh! you don’t know what it means. It is perfectly awful! I came up to see Kitty’s sick rat, Pip. She just worships Pip. She has had him almost since he was born; and he was ill to-day, and she put him into a separate cage, and while I was looking at him he escaped, and my bull-terrier killed him. – Oh Jack! oh Jack! what have you done?”
The smile on the strange girl’s face became a little broader; she slowly crossed the room, looked at the rat, and then going away, came back with a pair of tongs. With the tongs she lifted the rat and laid him on a shelf.
“He does not look bruised,” she said; “at least not much – a little perhaps. His fur is wet, but I do not suppose Kitty will know what has killed him. Have you courage to put him back into his cage?”
“Why should I do that?” asked Nan.
“Well, have you courage? I could not touch the horror.”
The laughing, curious eyes were fixed on Nan’s face. She did not know why – she often wondered afterwards what had ailed her during that miserable day – but the next instant she had slipped the rat back into his cage.
“That is all right,” said the girl. “You need not tell; I will not. Come, let us lock the door. Have you done any further mischief in the room? I see not. Come downstairs to the schoolroom and amuse me.”
Nan followed the girl as though she were mesmerised, Jack trotting behind her heels. They went into the schoolroom; the girl turned full round and looked at Nan.
“Now, who are you?” she said.
“I am Nan Esterleigh.”
“Oh! And has my aunt adopted you?”
“Yes.”
“Do you know that I am tired? I have had a very long journey; I have come all the way from France. Aunt Jessie is very busy, and said that I might come up to the schoolroom and amuse myself. She did not know that you were here; she said nothing about you. Now, what I want to say is this: if I keep your secret, will you make things pleasant to me?”
“But – but,” said Nan, “I don’t know that I want it to be kept a secret.”
“Oh! you would like Kitty to know that you had stolen into her preserves when she was out, and that your dog had killed her pet rat? It would be so pleasant for you, would it not?”
“It would not be pleasant at all,” replied Nan. “Why are you speaking in that tone?”
“I only thought that perhaps you were going to enjoy it. And what good would it do making Kitty unhappy? The rat was ill when she left; she would take its death as a matter of course. She would not know that Jack had killed it.”
“But suppose – oh, suppose she ever finds out!”
“How can she find out if you do not tell and I do not tell?”
“You tempt me,” said Nan; “but it does not seem right.”
“Never mind whether it is right or not; do it.”
“Very well,” said Nan.
She sat down on the hearth-rug and began poking up the fire.
“That is right. If I do it, you must do things for me. Build up that fire to begin.”
Nan looked round at the insolent young figure stretched out in the easiest chair which the room contained. She built up the fire without a word.
“That is right; you can make yourself very useful. Now, run downstairs and ask one of the servants to bring me up some tea and toast, and a new-laid egg, and a little marmalade. Do not forget – toast, butter, tea, new-laid egg, and a little marmalade. I must say I think it was very thoughtless of Aunt Jessie not to order any food for me when I arrived.”
“Oh! did not she? Of course I will go and order the tea,” said Nan in a good-natured voice.
She left the room. Her heart was beating loudly. She did not like the position of things a bit, but she seemed to be whirled along by an influence stronger than her own.
“I am not even trying now to be one of the best girls,” she said under her breath.
When she came back to the schoolroom, Augusta was curled up close to the fire with Jack in her lap.
“What a nice little dog!” she said. “I should rather like to have him for my own.”
“Oh! but you can’t,” said Nan. “He is mine.”
Augusta gave her a quizzical glance.
“You can call him yours,” she said. “While I am here he is to be my dog – hey, you little beauty?” and she caught up Jack and pressed his head against her cheek.
Presently Susan appeared with the tea, which was nicely prepared, Augusta’s instructions being carried out to the letter.
“Here, Jack,” said Augusta; “stand on your hind-legs and beg. You shall have some sugar.”
“Oh! please, sugar is not good for him at all,” said Nan in a tone of entreaty.
Augusta laughed, picked out the largest lump, and presented it to Jack. He crunched it with appetite; when he had finished she gave him another, and another.
“You will ruin him. He will get to be a horrid dog at this rate,” said Nan.
“Well, when I leave here you can do what you like with him. While I am on the spot it is my will and pleasure to treat little Jack exactly as I think best.”
Nan turned away. She felt a strange, sick sensation round her heart.
“I
