'Hollyhock certainly did wrong to allow your girl to impersonate the ghost; but afterwards, in the most noble way, she won the affections of the must difficult girl in the school. Now I fear, I greatly tear, we shall have much trouble with Leucha Villiers; but nothing will induce me to expel Hollyhock.-- No, my dear little girl; you did wrong, of a certainty, but you are too much loved in this school for us to do without you.-- Now, Mrs Drummond, do you wish to remove Margaret from the school? Because, if so, it can easily be done, and I shall send up my maid, Magsie, to pack her clothes.'
'It _might_ be right,' said Mrs Drummond, who was considerably amazed at Mrs Macintyre's manner of taking the whole occurrence, 'but at the same time I have no wish to deprive my daughter of the chance of getting the Ardshiel diamond crest locket. It would be the kind of thing that her father would have taken pride in. I myself have no wish for worldly pride and precious stones and such like. Nevertheless, it would be hard to rob my child of the chance of getting the locket.'
'As you please,' said Mrs Macintyre with great coldness. 'Only I have one thing to insist upon.'
'It is that Margaret Drummond shall have no dealings whatsoever with Leucha Villiers. As to Hollyhock, I can manage her myself. Now perhaps, madam, you will return to Edinburgh and allow the routine of the school to go on under _my_ guidance, I being the head-mistress, _not_ you!'
Mrs Drummond went away in a wild fury. She certainly would have taken Meg with her, but the pride of having her commonplace daughter educated in the Palace of the Kings, joined to her pride in the very great possibility--in fact, the certainty in her imagination--of Meg's winning one of the gold and diamond lockets, made her swallow her indignation as best she could. She kissed Meg after her icy fashion, and said some furious words in a low tone to the young girl.
'You managed things badly, Meg. That dark girl ought to have been expelled.'
'But, mother, I should have loved to see the day,' said Meg. 'I don't seem to have got much good out of my confession after all.'
'Your soul, child, the salvation of your soul, is gained;' and with these last words the self-righteous woman went away.