Monitress Merle | Page 2

tea with him at Grimbal's Farm,
where he had his surgery, and would spend the intervening time on the
seashore or wandering along the cliffs. To-day, tempted by the brilliant
sunshine, they had brought their bathing costumes, towels, and
tea-basket, and meant to secure the last dip of the holidays in case the
weather should change and further mermaiding should prove
impossible. They chatted briskly as they climbed the path up the cliff.
"Too bad Bevis has gone back to school! I thought we should just have
seen him before he went!"
"And Tudor too! I met Babbie, while you were inside Carlyon's shop
buying chocs, and she told me Tudor started yesterday, and Gwen went
last Tuesday to a boarding-school near London. It was decided quite in
a hurry because there happened to be a vacancy for her. It's a very
fashionable school where they take the girls out to theatres and concerts
and all sorts of places. Gwen's fearfully thrilled to go. They wanted to
send her there before, only they couldn't get her in. Somebody else has
left unexpectedly though, so there was a cubicle at liberty for her."
"It will just suit Gwen! But she'll miss her riding. She nearly lived on
Taffy's back as a rule. Won't it be very lonely for Babbie all by herself
with a governess? Will she come to school for French and dancing as
usual?"

"She's coming to 'The Moorings' altogether. They're going to motor her
over every day, and fetch her back at four. She's quite pleased about it.
She always liked 'The Moorings' much better than Gwen did."
"And 'The Moorings,' from all reports, is going to be an utterly
different school this term!"
"So I suppose! Hope it won't be too much changed, that's all! A new
teacher, hot from a High School, means a new broom that will sweep
very clean. It strikes me those nice do-as-you-please lessons with Miss
Fanny will be dreams of the past, and we shall have to set our brains to
work and swat! Ugh! It's not a particularly delirious prospect!"
Mavis laughed.
"Don't wrinkle your forehead into quite so many kinks! You look about
forty!" she objected. "It mayn't turn out as hard as you expect. Anyhow,
don't let us spoil the last Saturday of the holidays with thinking about it.
I want to enjoy this afternoon thoroughly. I feel as if I'd been away
from Chagmouth for years and years. Isn't it priceless to see it again?
Have a chocolate! Or would you rather take a piece of toffee?"
The two girls had been mounting steadily as they talked, and were now
walking along a narrow track which led along the top of the cliffs.
Below them lay the gorgeous-hued crags of the rugged coast and a
great expanse of sea, silver at the horizon, blue at mid-distance, and
deep metallic green where it touched the shore. Innumerable sea-birds
wheeled and screamed below, and the incoming tide lapped with little
white waves over the reefs of rocks, and submerged the pools where
gobies were darting about, and sea-anemones were stretching out
crimson or green tentacles, and scurrying crabs were hiding among
masses of brown oar-weed. Above and beyond was a network of
brambles, where ripe blackberries hung in such tempting clusters that it
was hardly in human nature to resist them, and Merle, with
purple-stained fingers, loitered and lingered to enjoy the feast.
"If you're not quick the tide will have turned and it won't be half so nice
to bathe!" urged Mavis impatiently. "Do hurry up now, and you can

absolutely gorge on blackberries as we come back, if you want to. I'll
promise to wait for you then."
"Right-o! I'm coming! Though I must just get that one big beauty!
There! I won't eat a single one more till I've had my dip. We must be
close to the cove now. I'll run if you like!"
The bathing-place for which the girls were bound was a sandy creek
among the rocks. A hundred years ago it had been a favourite spot for
smugglers to land contraband goods, and a series of steps cut in the
cliff testified to its former use. Nowadays it was commonly deserted,
and in the early part of the summer, when Mavis and Merle had been
wont to visit it, they had had it all to themselves. They had gone there
so often and found it untenanted that they had come to regard it as their
private property, and, in consequence, they were most unreasonably
annoyed, when climbing down the steps, to hear sounds of laughter
rising up from below.
"Who's in our cove?" demanded Merle sharply, somewhat as Father
Bruin asked the immortal question, "Who's sleeping on my bed?"
"All the world, I should