the warm, mellow september sunshine was streaming over the irregular roofs and twisted chimneys of the little town of chagmouth, and was glinting on the water in the harbour, and sending gleaming, straggling, silver lines over the deep reflections of the shipping moored by the side of the jetty. the rising tide, lapping slowly and gently in from the ocean, was floating the boats beached on the shingle, and was gradually driving back the crowd of barefooted children who had ventured out in search of mussels, and was sending them, shrieking with mirth, scampering up the seaweed-covered steps that led to the fish market. on the crag-top above the town the corn had been cut, and harvesters were busy laying the sheaves together in stooks. the yellow fields shone in the afternoon light as if the hill were crowned with gold.
walking along the narrow cobbled path that led past the harbour and up on to the cliff, mavis and merle looked at the scene around with that sense of rejoicing proprietorship with which we are wont to revisit the pet place of our adoption. it was two whole months since they had been in chagmouth, and as they both considered the little town to be the absolute hub of the universe it was really a great event to find themselves once more in its familiar streets. they had spent the summer holidays with their father and mother in the north, and had come back to durracombe just in time for the reopening of school. on this first saturday after their return to devonshire they had motored with uncle david to his branch surgery at chagmouth, and were looking forward to several hours of amusement while he visited his patients at the sanatorium.
readers who have followed the adventures of mavis and merle ramsay in a fortunate term will remember that the sisters, on account of mavis's health, had come to live with their great-uncle dr. tremayne at durracombe, where they attended school daily at 'the moorings.' dr. ramsay, their father, had decided shortly to leave his practice at whinburn and go into partnership with dr. tremayne, but the removal to devonshire could not take place till nearly christmas, so the girls were to spend another term in sole charge of uncle david, aunt nellie, and jessop the elderly housekeeper, an arrangement which, though they were sorry to be parted from their parents, pleased them uncommonly well. it was a favourite excursion of theirs to accompany their uncle on saturdays when he motored to visit patients at chagmouth. on these occasions they would have lunch and 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 say!" replied the aggrieved voice of mavis, who was in front and had first view of the scene beneath. "the place is an absolute 'seaside resort.' never saw so many people in my life before! where do they all come from?"
the little cove, their cove, which in june had been so delightfully secluded and retired, was undoubtedly invaded by quite a number of visitors. children were paddling or scampering along the sands, wet heads were bobbing in and out of the water, every rocky crevice was in use as a dressing-room, picnic parties were taking tea on the rocks, and a circle of boys and girls were playing a noisy game at the brink of the waves. very ruefully mavis and merle descended to swell the throng. it was not at all the sort of bathe which they had anticipated, and, had there been another available spot within reach, they would have utterly disdained it.
"shall we go on to yellow head?" ventured merle hesitatingly.
"there isn't time. the tide would be out before we got there, and it's a perfect tangle of oar-weed unless the water's high. never mind! there'll be elbow-room in the sea at any rate. there's a corner here where we can undress. come along! o-o-h! there's some one else inside!"
[illustration: "we're just ready! you can come in if you like!"]
"we're just ready! you can come in if you like!" proclaimed a voice, as two girls in navy bathing costumes and rubber caps issued from behind a rock, and running swiftly down the sand plunged into the water.
availing themselves of the opportunity mavis and merle took temporary possession of the naiads' dressing-room, and in the course of a few minutes more were revelling in a swim. the red rubber caps of the girls who preceded them were plainly to be seen some distance from the shore, where their owners were apparently having a race towards a rock that jutted from the waves.
"oh, they mustn't go out there! there's an awful current! bevis warned us about it!" gasped mavis, swimming securely with one foot on the ground. "can't we stop them? shout, merle!"
"hello, there! ahoy! come back!" yelled merle, who possessed stronger lungs than her sister. "they don't hear me! coo-oo-ee! that's done it, thank goodness! come—back—you're—going—to—get—into—a—current!"
the two red caps, warned in time of their danger, turned and swam into safer waters. they did not venture so far again from the shore, but frolicked with some companions, trying to make wheels and to perform various other feats of agility, which were generally failures and ended in a splash. they were so long about it that mavis and merle went from the water first and had time to dress quite leisurely before the others, shaking out wet fair hair, followed to the crevice among the rocks.
the ramsays took their picnic basket, and, climbing a short way up the steps, settled themselves upon a grassy platform which afforded a good view of the cove below. they liked this vantage-ground better than the sands, and began to spread out the cups and saucers and parcels of cakes which jessop had packed for them, congratulating themselves upon having a spot at least fairly apart. but they were not destined to spend that afternoon in solitary state. they had scarcely opened their basket when three heads came bobbing up the steps, shamelessly invaded their platform, and also began to unpack tea-cups.
merle, who did not like other people to trespass upon her rights, frowned and turned her back upon them, and probably each little party would have taken its meal separately had not an unforeseen and utterly untoward accident happened. mavis knocked their thermos flask with her elbow and sent it spinning over the cliff. here was a pretty business! their tea was gone, and the flask, if they found it, would be utterly smashed.
"it's not worth climbing down to pick it up!" lamented mavis contritely.
"i'm so sorry, merle! it was horribly clumsy of me!"
"do have some of ours!" suggested one of the strangers sympathetically.
"we've heaps! two flasks; and that's more than we shall drink ourselves.
you might just as well!"
"i say, it was awfully decent of you to call to us not to go on to those rocks!" put in another. "we didn't know about the current."
the third girl made no remark, but she smiled invitingly and held out one of their flasks.
so it came about that mavis and merle moved nearer and joined the others, so that they formed one party. for a few minutes they sat in polite silence, taking in the items of their neighbours' appearance. when the ramsays compared notes afterwards they decided that they had never before seen three such pretty girls. the two who had worn the red bathing caps were evidently sisters, for they had the same clear-cut features, fair complexions, cupid mouths, and beautiful dark-fringed eyes. their companion, whose brown hair was drying in the breeze, was a complete contrast, with her warm brunette colouring and quick vivacious manner, "like an orchid between two roses," as mavis described her later. it was she who spoke first—quite a conventional inquiry but decidedly to the point.
"are you staying in chagmouth?" she asked.
"we've only come over for the day from durracombe," answered merle.
the three strangers looked immediately interested.
"durracombe! why, we're going to start school there next week!"
"never at 'the moorings'!" gasped merle excitedly.
"that's the place! do you go there too? oh! i say! do tell us all about
it! we've been just crazy to know what it's like. you two look sports!
what are your names? are the rest of the school jolly, and is miss
pollard nice?"
with such a common interest as 'the moorings' to talk about, the ice was completely broken, and the five girls were soon chatting in friendly fashion.
mavis and merle, having given a few details about themselves and how they often motored over to chagmouth with dr. tremayne, drew in turn some information from their new acquaintances. the two fair-haired girls, aged respectively fourteen and thirteen, were beata and romola castleton, and their father, an artist, had lately removed from porthkeverne in cornwall, and had taken a house at chagmouth. their friend fay macleod, a year older than beata, was an american, whose father had come to europe in search of health, and being attracted to chagmouth by his love of sketching, had settled there temporarily for a rest-cure, and was enjoying the quiet and beauty of the quaint place and its surrounding scenery.
"i suppose you'll all be weekly boarders?" ventured mavis, when fay had finished her communications.
"no, we're to be day-girls. six of us from chagmouth are joining in a car and motoring every morning and being fetched back at four—ourselves, nan and lizzie colville, and tattie carew. it will be rather a squash to cram six of us into vicary's car! we've named it 'the sardine-tin' already. i hope nobody else will want to join us!"
"babbie williams is to be a day-girl this term. she lives over there at
the warren."
"we haven't room for her."
"she's going in their own car."
"that's good news for the sardines! i was thinking some of us would have to ride on the footboard or the luggage-carrier. is babbie fair, with bobbed hair? then i've seen her in church. seven of us from chagmouth! we ought to make quite a clique in the school!"
"oh, we don't want any cliques," said merle quickly. "we had enough of that sort of thing when opal was there. miss pollard told mother that the new mistress, miss mitchell, is going to reorganise everything, and bring it up to date, so i expect we shall find a great many changes when we start again. have you been at school before?"
"romola and i went to the gables at porthkeverne," replied beata. "we loved it, and we were dreadfully sorry to leave. fay, of course, has been at school in america."
"and we used to go to a big high school in the north until we came to durracombe. 'the moorings' seemed a tiny place at first, and then we grew to love it. we adore miss pollard and miss fanny. i hope you'll like them too! i'm so glad we've met you, because we'll know you when you arrive at school, and we can show you round. i'm afraid we shall have to be going now, because uncle david will be back from the sanatorium and waiting for us. thanks most immensely for the tea. we'll look out for you on tuesday. good-bye!"
as mavis and merle walked back along the cliffs to chagmouth their tongues wagged fast in discussion of their new acquaintances. mavis was charmed with beata and romola, and merle had utterly lost her heart to fay.
"i feel as if i could like her!" she declared. "she's a sport, and really we want somebody to wake us up a little at 'the moorings.' i believe this term is going to be jolly. my spirits are rising and i see fun ahead. i only wish daddy could go and live at chagmouth and we could go to school every day in 'the sardine-tin.' they'll have the time of their lives, the luckers! don't i envy them, just!"
"i don't think i'd like to be packed quite so tight, thanks!" objected mavis. "on the whole, i much prefer going backwards and forwards to chagmouth in uncle david's car. merle! do you know it's after five! we must simply scoot—oh, i daresay i did promise you might eat blackberries, but you haven't time now. you shouldn't have stayed so long at the cove if you wanted a blackberry feed! if you don't hurry up i shall run off and leave you and go home with uncle david by myself! there! oh, you're coming! good! i thought you'd hardly care to spend the night upon the cliffs with the sea-gulls!"
