"There'll be eight before long. The Specialities are going to be the most important people this term, that I am quite sure of," said Olive.

"Well, here's Susie's room, and it wants two minutes to eight."

Susie greeted her guests with much cordiality. They all found seats.

Supper was laid on a round table in one corner of the room. Olive, being an old member, was quite at home, and handed round cups of cocoa and delicious cakes to each of the girls. They ate and chatted, and when Martha West made her appearance there was a shout of welcome from every one.

"Hail to the new Speciality!" exclaimed each girl in the room, Betty Vivian alone excepted.

Martha was a heavily made girl, with a big, sallow face; quant.i.ties of black hair, which grew low on her forehead, and which, as no effort on her part would keep it from falling down on one side, gave her a somewhat untidy appearance; she had heavy brows, too, which were in keeping with the general contour of her face, and rather small gray eyes. There was no one, however, in the whole school who was better loved than Martha West. Big and ungainly though she was, her voice was one of the sweetest imaginable. She had also great force of character, and was regarded as one of the strong girls of the school. She was always helping others, was the soul of unselfishness, and although not exactly clever, was plodding and persevering. She was absolutely without self-consciousness; and when her companions welcomed her in this cheery manner she smiled broadly, showing a row of pearly white teeth, and then sat down on the nearest chair.

When supper was over, Margaret Grant came forward and stood by the little center-table, on which lay the vellum-bound book of the rules of the club. Margaret opened it with great solemnity, and called to Betty Vivian to stand up.

"Betty Vivian," she said, "we agreed a week ago to-day to admit you to the full membership of a Speciality. According to our usual custom, we sent you a copy of the rules in order that you might study them in their fullness. We now ask you if you have done so?"

"I have," replied Betty. "I have read them, I should think, thirty or forty times."

"Are you prepared, Betty Vivian, to accept our rules and become a member of the Specialities, or do you prefer your full liberty and to return to the ordinary routine of the school? We, none of us, wish you to adopt the rules as part of your daily life unless you are prepared to keep them in their entirety."

"I wish to be a Speciality," replied Betty. Then she added slowly--and as she spoke she raised her brilliant eyes and fixed them on f.a.n.n.y Crawford's face--"I am prepared to keep the rules."

"Thank you, Betty! Then I think, members, Betty Vivian can be admitted as a member of our little society. Betty, simple as our rules are, they comprise much: openness of heart, sisterly love, converse with great thoughts, pleasure in its truest sense (carrying that pleasure still further by seeing that others enjoy it as well as ourselves), respect to all our teachers, and, above all things, forgetting ourselves and living for others. You see, Betty Vivian, that though the rules are quite simple, they are very comprehensive. You have had a week to study them.

Again I ask, are you prepared to accept them?"

"Yes, I am prepared," said Betty; and again she flashed a glance at f.a.n.n.y Crawford.

"Then I, as head of this little society for the time being, admit you as a member. Please, Betty, accept this little true-lovers' knot, and wear it this evening in your dress. Now, girls, let us every one cheer Betty Vivian, and take her to our hearts as our true sister in the highest sense of the word."

The girls flocked round Betty and shook hands with her. Amongst those who did so was f.a.n.n.y Crawford. She squeezed Betty's hand significantly, and at the same moment put her finger to her lips. This action was so quick that only Betty observed it; but it told the girl that, now that she had "crossed the Rubicon," f.a.n.n.y would not be the one to betray her.

Betty sank down on a chair. She felt excited, elated, pleased, and horrified. The rest of the evening pa.s.sed as a sort of dream. She could scarcely comprehend what she had done. She was a Speciality. She was bound by great and holy rules, and yet in reality she was a far lower girl than she had ever been in all her life before.

The rules were read aloud in their fullness to Martha West, and the usual week's grace was accorded her. Then followed the fun, during the whole of which time Betty was made the heroine of the occasion, as Martha would doubtless be that day week. The girls chatted a great deal to-night, and Betty was told of all the privileges which would now be hers. She had never known until that moment that Mrs. Haddo, when she found what excellent work the Speciality Club did in the school, had fitted up a charming sitting-room for its members. Here, in winter, the fire burned all day. Fresh flowers were always to be seen. Here were to be found such books as those of Ruskin, Tennyson, Browning--in short, a fine collection of the greater writers. Betty was told that she was now free to enter this room; that, being a Speciality, she would be exempt from certain small and irksome duties in order to give her more time to attend to those broad rules of life which she had now adopted as her code.

Betty listened, and all the time, as she listened, her heart sank lower and lower. f.a.n.n.y did not even pretend to watch Betty now. She had, so to speak, done with her. f.a.n.n.y felt as sure as though some angel in the room were recording the fact that Betty was now well started on the downward track. She felt ashamed of her as a cousin. She felt the greatest possible contempt for her. But if she was herself to keep Rule I., she must force these feelings out of sight, and tolerate Betty until she saw the error of her ways.

"The less I have to do with her in the future the better," thought f.a.n.n.y. "It would be exceedingly unpleasant for me if it were known that I had allowed her to be admitted without telling Margaret what I knew.

But, somehow, I couldn't do it. I thought Betty herself would be great enough to withstand a paltry temptation of this sort. How different Martha West is! She will be a famous stand-by for us all."

The evening came to an end. The girls went down to prayers.

Betty was now a Speciality. She wore the beautiful little silver badge shining in the folds of her black evening frock. But she did not enjoy the music in the chapel nor Mr. Fairfax's rendering of the evening prayers as she had done when last she was there. Betty had a curious faculty, however, which she now exercised. Hers was a somewhat complex nature, and she could shut away unpleasant thoughts when she so desired.

She was a Speciality. She might not have become one but for f.a.n.n.y. Mrs.

Haddo's influence, though unspoken, might have held her back. Margaret Grant might have kept her from doing what she herself would have scorned to do. But f.a.n.n.y! f.a.n.n.y had managed to bring out the worst in Betty; and the worst in a character like hers was very vigorous, very strong, very determined while it was in the ascendant. Instead of praying to-night, she turned her thoughts to the various and delightful things which would now be hers in the school. She would be regarded on all hands with added respect. She would have the entree to the Specialities' delightful sitting-room. She would be consulted by the other girls of the upper school, for every one consulted the Specialities on all manner of subjects. People would cease to speak of her as "that new girl Betty Vivian;" but they would say when they saw her approach, "Oh, she is one of the Specialities!" Her position in the school to-night was a.s.sured. She was safe; and f.a.n.n.y, with that swift gesture, had indicated to her that she need not fear anything from her lips. f.a.n.n.y would be silent. No one else knew what f.a.n.n.y knew. And, after all, she had done no wrong, because her secret had nothing whatever to do with the other members of the club. The wrong--the one wrong--which she felt she had committed was in promising to love each member as though she were her sister, especially as she had to include f.a.n.n.y Crawford in that number. But she would be kind to all, and perhaps love might come--she was not sure. f.a.n.n.y would be kind to her, of course. In a sort of way they must be friends in the future. Oh, yes, it was all right.

She was startled when Olive Repton touched her. She rose from her knees with a hot blush on her face. She had forgotten chapel, she had not heard the words of the benediction. The girls streamed out, and went at once to their respective bedrooms.

Betty was glad to find her sisters asleep. After the exciting events of that evening, even Dan and Beersheba had lost their charm. So weary was she at that moment that she dropped her head on her pillow and fell sound asleep.

CHAPTER XI

A SPECIALITY ENTERTAINMENT

Certainly it was nice to be a Speciality. Even f.a.n.n.y Crawford completely altered her manner to Betty Vivian. There were constant and earnest consultations amongst the members of the club in that charming sitting-room. Betty, of course, was eagerly questioned, and Betty was able to give daring and original advice. Whenever Betty spoke some one laughed, or some one looked with admiration at her; and when she was silent one or other of the girls said anxiously, "But do you approve, Betty? If you don't approve we must think out something else."

Betty soon entered into the full spirit of the thing, and one and all of the girls--f.a.n.n.y excepted--said that she was the most delightful Speciality who had ever come to Haddo Court. During this time she was bravely trying to keep her vows. She had bought a little copy of Jeremy Taylor's "Holy Living," and read the required portion every day, but she did not like it; it had to do with a life which at one time she would have adored, but which now did not appeal to her. She liked that part of each day which was given up to fun and frolic, and she dearly loved the respect and consideration and admiration shown her by the other girls of the school.

It was soon decided that the next great entertainment of the Specialities was to be given in Betty Vivian's bedroom. Each girl was to subscribe three shillings, and the supper, in consequence, was to be quite sumptuous. f.a.n.n.y Crawford, as the most practical member, was to provide the viands. She was to go into the village, accompanied by one of the teachers, two days before the date arranged in order to secure the most tempting cakes and pastry, and ginger-beer, and cocoa, and potted meat for sandwiches. Betty wondered how the provisions could be procured for so small a sum; but f.a.n.n.y was by no means doubtful.

Now, Betty had of worldly wealth the exact sum of two pounds ten shillings; and when it is said that Betty possessed two pounds ten shillings, this money was really not Betty's at all, but had to be divided into three portions, for it was equally her sisters'. But as Sylvia and Hester always looked upon Betty as their chief, and as nothing mattered to them provided Betty was pleased, she gave three shillings from this minute fund without even telling them that she had done so. Then the invitations were sent round, and very neatly were they penned by Susie Rushworth and Olive Repton. It was impossible to ask all the girls of the school; but a select list from the girls in the upper school was carefully made, each Speciality being consulted on this point.

Martha West, who was now a full-blown member, suggested Sibyl Ray at once.

f.a.n.n.y gave a little frown of disapproval. "Martha," she said, "I must say that I don't care for your Sibyl."

"And I like her," replied Martha. "She is not your style, Fan; but she just needs the sort of little help we can give her. We cannot expect every one to be exactly like every one else, and Sibyl is not half bad.

It would hurt her frightfully if she were not invited to the first entertainment after I have become a Speciality."

"Well, that settles it," said f.a.n.n.y in a cheerful tone; "she gets an invitation of course."

The teachers were never invited to these a.s.semblies, but there was a murmur of antic.i.p.ation in the whole school when the invitations went round. Who were to be the lucky ones? Who was to go? Who was not to go?

As a rule, it was so managed by the Specialities that the whole of the upper school was invited once during the term to a delightful evening in one of the special bedrooms. But the first invitation of the season--the one after the admission of two new members, that extraordinary Betty Vivian and dear, good old Martha West--oh, it was of intense interest to know who were to go and who to stay behind!

"I've got my invitation," said a fat young girl of the name of Sarah b.u.t.t.

"And I," "And I," "And I," said others.

"I am left out," said a fifth.

"Well, Janie, don't fret," said Sarah b.u.t.t; "your turn will come next time."

"But I did so want to see Betty Vivian! They say she is the life of the whole club."

"Silly!" exclaimed Sarah; "why, you see her every day."

"Yes, but not as she is in the club. They all say that she is too wonderful! Sometimes she sits down cross-legged and tells them stories, and they get so excited they can't move. Oh, I say, do--do look! look what is in the corner of your card, Sarah! 'After supper, story-telling by Betty Vivian. Most of the lights down.' There, isn't it maddening! I do call it a shame; they might have asked me!"

"Well, I will tell you all the stories to-morrow," said Sarah.

"You!" The voice was one of scorn. "Why, you can't tell a story to save your life; whereas Betty, she looks a story herself all the time. She has it in her face. I can never take my eyes off her when she is in the room."

"Well, I can't help it," answered Sarah. "I am glad I'm going, that is all. The whole school could not be asked, for the simple reason that the room wouldn't hold us. I shall be as green as gra.s.s when your invitation comes, and now you must bear your present disappointment."

f.a.n.n.y Crawford made successful and admirable purchases. On the nights when the Specialities entertained, unless it was midsummer, the girls met at six-thirty, and the entertainment continued until nine.

On that special evening Mrs. Haddo, for wise reasons all her own, excused the Specialities and their guests from attending prayers in the chapel. She had once made a little speech about this. "You will pray earnestly in your rooms, dears, and thank G.o.d for your happy evening,"

she had said; and from that moment the Specialities knew that they might continue their enjoyment until nine o'clock.