Chapter 3

The next day was radiantly beautiful, and Susie started well. Directly after breakfast the four elder ones trooped down to the sands with spades and buckets, whilst Alick, left alone with nurse, waved his good-byes from the balcony. Mrs. Beauchamp looked after them a little anxiously; but Susie in her best mood was so very trustworthy that she smoothed the anxious line out of her forehead, and turned back with a restful sigh to the empty room and the silence.

And out on the beach things went swimmingly. They made sand castles and moats, and the rising tide flowed in just as they wished it to. Like another Canute, Tom flung defiance to the waves, and shouted himself hoarse; and then, to his immense surprise, the little ripples swept smoothly back, and left a crumbled castle, and white foamy ridges that looked like soap.

"Come on, Susie," he said; "it's no fun when there's no water in it. Let's go over to the rocks and look for insects."

"No; let's stay here," said Susie. "I like watching the ships and the steamers."

"Fudge," said Tom.

"The rocks are awfully jolly, Sue," said Dickie.

But Susie shook her shoulders, and gazed straight before her. "I'm not going," she said.

"Very well; we jolly well prefer your room to your company," said Tom.--"Come on, Dick."

Susie was sitting on the ruins of the castle, with her knees drawn up and her elbows planted on them. She really was not listening to Tom a bit, for her fascinated eyes were fixed on the line of silver sea, on which the passing steamers rose and fell. Far away at the back of her mind was the consciousness that Tom was going to be naughty, and that she might prevent it; but she pushed her fingers into her ears, and gazed straight before her.

It was Amy tugging at her dress that made her turn reluctantly at last.

"Tom is calling you, Susie," she said.

"Oh, bother!" said Susie. "You can go and see what he wants."

Amy obediently struggled over the heavy sand to the fine strip of pebbles on which the boys were disporting themselves. Their boots were wet through; their shrill voices pierced Susie's poor defences.

"Susie--Susie--Susie!"

But Susie did not move.

All the same, she knew perfectly well that Amy was struggling back over the shingle and the sand, and had dropped panting at her feet, quite unable to speak for want of breath. Her little delicate face was pink with heat and excitement, and her thin legs trembled.

"They want to get a box and send Dickie out in it, like a boat," she explained.

"They haven't got a box," said Susie.

"But they say they can get one easily. It's father's; and they can tie a string on to it and drag it."

"They can ask mother," said Susie impatiently.

"Yes, I suppose so." Amy had crept nearer, and put a small, unsteady hand on her knee. "Please don't let them do it, Susie," she said; "don't let them be naughty."

"Don't bother," said Susie. "I can't help it."

She shook off Amy's hand impatiently; but she was sorry a moment afterwards. Susie often said things like that, and it was rather a comfort that Amy was always quite ready to be forgiven.

"It is so beautiful here, Amy; and I dare say they are not being naughty really. They only hope we are looking; but I'm not going to."

She resolutely turned her back upon the boys and the strip of pebbles. But Amy could not keep still; her eyes kept turning nervously to the sturdy jersey-clad figures, and presently she nudged Susie again.

"They've got the box, Susie. You can't think how deep the water is, and it looks so horrid; and Dick has a cold."

"Oh, don't bother," said Susie.

"Mother said you were to look after them, because you are the eldest," urged Amy.

"Why weren't one of you the eldest?" said Susie crossly. "I've been the eldest all my life, and I'm tired of it. Mother knows I can't manage them."

Without turning her head she knew that Amy was creeping again across the strip of pebbles. She heard her foot slipping, and the shouts of the boys when she reached them; then Amy's soft little frightened voice--and then silence.

* * * * *

An hour later Mrs. Beauchamp was sitting on the little balcony outside the drawing-room window. The sky was divinely blue, and the sun was dazzling. Close to her feet was a basket of stockings that needed darning, but she felt as if she must lay her needle down every now and then, to look at the gray, glittering sea, and the shifting crowd upon the beach. Her feet ached with perpetual running up and down stairs; but she was glad to think that the children were happy and good. In the room across the passage she could hear nurse singing Alick to sleep, and down in the street below a funny little procession was winding up from the sea. She rose and looked over the balcony on to the tops of two sailor hats, and what looked like two soaking mushrooms. She stared at them stupidly, wondering why the box they dragged behind them was so familiar, and why they left such a long wet trail behind them.

After them sauntered a few idle fishermen; but just for a minute she could not grasp what had happened. Then she pushed the basket on one side and ran to the drawing-room door.

Up the stairs came the hurried rush of feet, with the box bumping from stair to stair. Then the dripping family clung about her with soaked garments, and hair that looked like seaweed.

"Mother, change us, please, before nurse sees us."

"But what is it?" she cried. "How did it happen?"

"It was Tom's fault," said Susie, whimpering. "He sent Dick out to sea in the uniform case, and it has a hole in it, and it went down."

"Oh, run upstairs and change; Dick has a cough."

"He didn't drown," said Tom, "because we had tied a rope to it, and a fisherman pulled it up."

"And where is Dickie?"

"I told him to go up on the roof and dry--he's on the leads by now. It's awfully nice there; we went this morning."

"_On the roof!_--Susie, tell him to come down, whilst I get their clothes.--Tom, how can you do such things?"

"Why, you never told us not to," said Tom, with innocent eyes.

Susie crept upstairs, very white and quiet. She had been really frightened, and she had an uncomfortable feeling at the back of her mind that somehow it was her fault. She found Dick scrambling on to the roof, and hauled him in with unnecessary vigour. When she got downstairs she was sulky because her mother had not time to listen to her eager excuses, but put her hastily on one side.

"Never mind now, Susie. The first thing is to slip off your wet clothes and get dry, and then help me with the others. Give me the big towel, and untie Amy's frock."

"But, mother," argued Susie, "I couldn't guess he was going to be so naughty, could I?"

"You didn't try to guess," said Tom resentfully; "and now you are trying to make mother think you are better than me. You wouldn't hem our sails or dig with us. We had to do something."

"And now you want me to quarrel," said Susie.--"Mother, I want to explain."

"Hush, Susie! there is no time to explain now; you must tell me by-and-by."

Susie flung the towel on to the floor, and felt a great lump in her throat. Dick had to be dried and warmed, in order to stop that horrid little croaking cough; and no one cared for her excuses or explanations.

With angry tears blinding her she ran across to the nursery, and stood looking out at the silver line of sea and the bobbing ships. Alick was stretching in his cradle, and it creaked under his weight. She could see his curly head and his outstretched fat legs. He was so accustomed to having his legs admired that he always pulled up his petticoats solemnly to exhibit them, as though pathetically hoping to get it over and have done with it.

Susie's ill-temper evaporated like smoke. She flung herself beside the cradle, and hugged Alick in her arms, leaning so closely over him that nurse, in hurrying to and fro, paused to expostulate.

"Not so close, Miss Susie, please--the child can't breathe; and I don't want you putting any of your naughtiness into his head."

"How can I, when he can't walk?" said Susie indignantly.

"Well, I wouldn't put it beyond you," said nurse. "I know you've been up to something, or you wouldn't be here now, looking as if butter wouldn't melt in your mouth."

"I'm trying to be good," said Susie, still indignant.

"Well, we shan't see the result yet awhile," said nurse, "for the way you've devil-oped these holidays is past imagining."

She always pronounced it in that way, and the word held a dreary significance for Susie.