"It"s just like you, Cherry, you take up all your odd moments with those poetry books. Mr. Wyndham ain"t a chevalier--he"s just a gentleman, neither more nor less--a real gentleman, oh dear. I call it a cruel disappointment. Cherry," and she heaved a profound sigh.
"What"s a disappointment?" asked unsuspicious Cherry, as she tumbled into bed.
"Why, that he"s married, my dear. He"d have suited me fine. Well, there"s an end of that."
Cherry thought there was sufficiently an end to allow her to drop off to sleep, and Esther, after lying awake for a little, presently followed her example.
The next day she was more restless than ever, once or twice even openly complaining to Cherry of the dullness of her lot, and loudly proclaiming her determination to become a lady in spite of everybody.
"You can"t, Essie," said her father, in his meek, though somewhat high-pitched voice, when he overheard some of her words that evening.
"It ain"t your lot, child--you warn"t born in the genteel line; there"s all lines and all grooves, and yours is the narrowing one of the poverty-struck clerk"s child."
"I think it"s mean of you to talk like that, father," said Esther, her eyes flashing. "It"s mean of you, and unkind to my poor mother, who was a lady born."
"I don"t know much about that," replied Helps, looking more despondent than ever. "She was the best of little wives, and if she was born a lady, which I ain"t going to deny, for I don"t know she warn"t a lady bred, I mind me she thought it a fine bit of a rise to leave off teaching the baker"s children, and come home to me. Poor little Essie--poor, dear little Essie. You don"t take much after her, Esther, my girl."
"If she was spiritless, and had no mind for her duties, which were in my opinion to uphold her station in life, I don"t want to take after her," answered Esther, and she flounced out of the room.
Helps looked round in an appealing way at Cherry.
"I don"t want to part with her," he said, "but it will be a good thing for us all when Essie is wed. I must try and find some decent young fellow who will be likely to take a fancy to her. Her words fret me on account of their ambition. Cherry, child."
"I wouldn"t be put out if I was you, uncle," responded Cherry in her even, matter-of-fact voice. "Esther is took up with a whim, and it will pa.s.s. It"s all on account of the chevalier."
"The what, child?"
"The chevalier. Oh, my sakes alive, there"s the milk boiling all over the place, and my hearth done up so beautiful. Here, catch hold of this saucepan, uncle, while I fetch a cloth to wipe up. My word, ain"t this provoking. I thought to get time to learn a verse or two out of the poetry book to-night; but no such luck--I"ll be brushing and blacking till bed-time."
In the confusion which ensued, Helps forgot to ask Cherry whom she meant by the chevalier.
A few days after this, as Helps was coming home late, he was rather dismayed to find his daughter returning also, accompanied by a young man who was no better dressed than half the young men with whom she walked, but who had a certain air and a certain manner which smote upon the father"s heart with a dull sense of apprehension.
"Essie, my girl," he said, when she had bidden her swain good-bye, and had come into the house, with her eyes sparkling and her whole face looking so bright and beautiful, that even Cherry dropped her poetry book to gaze in admiration. "Essie," said Helps, all the tenderness of the love he bore her trembling in his voice, "come here. Kiss your old father. You love him, don"t you?"
"Why, dad, what a question. I should rather think I did."
"You wouldn"t hurt him now, Essie? You wouldn"t break his heart, for instance?"
"I break your heart, dad? Is it likely? Now, what can the old man be driving at?" she said, looking across at Cherry.
"It"s this," responded Helps, "I want to know the name of the fellow--yes, the--the fellow, who saw you home just now?"
"Now, father, mightn"t he be Mr. Gray, or Mr. Jones, or Mr. Abbott; some of those nice young men you bring up now and then from the city?
Why mightn"t he be one of them, father?"
"But he wasn"t, my dear. The young men you speak of are honest lads, every one of them. I wouldn"t have no sort of objection to your walking with them, Esther. It wasn"t none of my friends from the city I saw you with to-night. Essie."
"And why shouldn"t this be an honest fellow, too?" answered Esther, her eyes sparkling dangerously.
"I don"t know, my dear. I didn"t like the looks of him. What"s his name, Essie, my love?"
"Captain Herriot, of the ---- Hussars."
"There! Esther, you"re not to walk with Captain Herriot any more.
You"re not to know him. I won"t have it--so now."
"Highty-tighty!" said Esther. "There are two to say a word to that bargain, father. And pray, why may I walk with Mr. Jones and not with Captain Herriot? Captain Herriot"s a real gentleman, and Mr. Jones ain"t."
"And that"s the reason, my child. If Jones walked with you, he"d maybe--yes, I"m sure of it--he"d want all his heart and soul to make you his honest wife some day. Do you suppose Captain Herriot wants to make you his wife. Essie?"
"I don"t say. I won"t be questioned like that." Her whole pale face was in a flame. "Maybe we never thought of such a thing, but just to be friends, and to have a pleasant time. It"s cruel of you to talk like that, father."
"Well, then, I won"t, my darling, I won"t. Just promise you"ll have nothing more to say to the fellow. I"d believe your word against the world, Essie."
"Against the world? Would you really, dad? I wouldn"t, though, if I were you. No, I ain"t going to make a promise I might break." She went out of the room, she was crying.
A short time after this, indeed the very day after Lilias Wyndham"s visit to London, Gerald noticed that Helps followed his every movement as he came rather languidly in and out of the office, with dull imploring eyes. The old clerk was particularly busy that morning, he was kept going here, there, and everywhere. Work of all kinds, work of the most unexpected and unlooked for nature seemed to descend to-day with the force of a sledge hammer on his devoted head.
Gerald saw that he was dying to speak to him, and at the first opportunity he took him aside, and asked him if there was anything he could do for him.
"Oh, yes, Mr. Wyndham, you can, you can. Oh, thank the good Lord for bringing you over to speak to me when no one was looking. You can save Esther for me--that"s what you can do, Mr. Wyndham. No one can save her but you. So you will, sir; oh, you will. She"s my only child, Mr.
Wyndham."
CHAPTER XXI.
"I will certainly do what I can," responded Wyndham, in his grave, courteous voice.
He was leaning against the window-ledge in a careless att.i.tude; Helps, looking up at him anxiously, noticed how pale and wan his face was.
"Ah," he responded, rising from his seat, and going up to the younger man. ""Tis them as bears burdens knows how to pity. Thank the Lord there"s compensation in all things. Now look here, Mr. Wyndham, this is how things are. You have seen my Essie, she"s troublesome and spirited--oh, no one more so."
Helps paused.
"Yes," answered Gerald, in a quiet, waiting voice. He was not particularly interested in the discussion of Esther Helps" character.
"And she"s beautiful, Mr. Wyndham. Aye, there"s her curse. Beautiful and hambitious and not a lady, and dying to be one. You understand, Mr.
Wyndham--you must understand."
Wyndham said nothing.
"Well, a month or so ago I found out there was a gentleman--at least a man who called himself a gentleman--walking with her, and filling her head with nonsense. His name was Herriot, a captain in the Hussars. I told her she was to have nought to say to him, but I soon found that she disobeyed me. Then I had to spy on her--you may think how I felt, but it had to be done. I found that she walked with him, and met him at all hours. I made inquiries about his character, and I found he was a scoundrel, a bad fellow out and out. He"d be sure to break my Essie"s heart if he did no worse. Then I was in a taking, for the girl kept everything in, and would scarcely brook me so much as to look at her. I was that upset that I took Cherry into my confidence. She"s a very good girl, is Cherry--the Lord hasn"t cursed her with no beauty. Last week she brought me word that Esther was going to the Gaiety with Captain Herriot, that he had taken two stalls and they were to have a fine time. She said Esther was almost out of her mind with delight, as it was always her dream to be seen at the theatre, beautifully dressed, with a real gentleman. She had shown the tickets to Cherry, and Cherry was smart enough to take the numbers and keep them in the back of her head. She told me, and I can tell you, Mr. Wyndham, I was fit to kill someone. I went straight off to the Gaiety office, and by good luck or the grace of G.o.d, I found there was a vacant stall next to Esther"s--just one, and no more. I paid for that stall, here"s the ticket in my pocket."
"Yes," said Wyndham, "and you mean to go with Esther to-night? A very good idea--excellent. But how will she take it?"