"Your name, Charles Cole, how well I remember it," she said, reading it on his linen. "My poor dead mistress and friend trusted me--G.o.d help me if I have seemed unfaithful to my trust. Perhaps I should have found out and followed my young mistress, but Silas and I thought I had best watch her interests here. G.o.d pity me," she said tearfully, falling upon her knees. "Good Lord, watch over her, lead my steps to her, for I have failed in preventing their black deeds here; so I shall go to America to try and find you, poor, dear, wronged Miss Pearl."
Here Cole, with a groan of weakness and dizziness, falls half undressed upon the bed, at which Sarah Kane flies to him, takes off his boots, a.s.sisting him to get under the clothes.
"Poor, poor feet, like ice," she says pityingly; "I must do something for him. Heaven help him among such a horde of cruel hearts; I must at any risk go down and get a foot warmer. Poor fellow, so gentle and amiable-like, he deserved a better fate, and should have a physician at once; but the mind, the poor sick mind, as well as body, how will that be calmed? There, there, don"t mind anything; try to sleep. I am going down stairs to get a foot-warmer for you."
"No, no," he said nervously, "you must not leave me."
"I have listened in the hall, and they are all snoring, sleeping heavily after the late supper. I must, indeed, sir, see to the warming of your feet; it will only take me five minutes; please consent, for your own sake."
"Well, go; and I will lock the door after you, lest the wretches come in," and attempting to sit up he feels too weak, falling backwards with a heavy sigh.
Sarah Kane, now really alarmed, slips off her shoes, silently unfastens the door, making a speedy exit; pa.s.sing the doors of the sleepers without detection, not so though on entering the servants" wing--the cook and man-servant seeming both restless, she hesitates, then on with flying feet accomplishes her object, bringing also mustard; up again this time, not risking the back stairs and the servants, the front stairs, which, being thickly padded, cover her footfalls.
Back again, she finds him staring fixedly at the door in terror, lest any but herself should appear. She now applies the foot-warmer, also putting mustard plasters to the nape of the neck and pit of the stomach.
"You look tired," he said languidly, "but I cannot say go and rest, I am not brave enough."
"I am accustomed to do without sleep. I nurse many sick. Since my poor mistress died, and they sent sweet Miss Pearl out to the States, I have no regular duties here, but thought it wise, as they did not bid me go, to stay on and watch them. They often quarrel over my being here, Mr.
Stone wanting to drive me out, Miss--I mean--but no, never mind--there, there," stroking his hands, "the aunt and niece thinking, and true, that I know too much. It"s a fact, sir, but I have not known how to check them for all. G.o.d help me, but when I see you well and away from this home of the Pharisee--this place with a heart of stone and a tongue of oil, or evil, as it suits--I must see what is best, even so late."
And so the poor, half-distracted thing talked on and on, often in a disconnected sort of way, but her tones were soothing.
"Go on," he said, opening his eyes; "what trust have you broken," he repeated, "bringing me to this?" Here he grew excited, but, evidently too weak to talk, said languidly, putting her hand to his brow:
"Feel that, their work," he said feverishly, "and in part yours, as you have not exposed them; why have you not?"
"What would the world heed had I, _in their employ_, lifted up my voice against them? they are all Pharisees, all strict church-goers, and would turn the wrath against myself, for I do not make loud prayers, their hypocrisy driving me to my closet, instead of to the be-seen-of-men sort of religion; no, no one would have believed me, though I think now of one who would, and he is Dr. Annesley, of the city. I have erred in judgment, but never thought they would marry you to Miss Villiers; nay, look at it calmly, if you can, sir, and get well sooner. My father was an attorney, but rogues fleeced him, and I was penniless; my late mistress took me here, and I was her friend and confidant, for they were cruel to her and her child. Silas Jones and I knew of Miss Pearl and yourself, and Silas said----"
CHAPTER XIII.
LUCIFER"S VOTARIES RAMPANT.
"Yes, Silas Jones shall hear of how we found his precious Sarah Kane alone in a man"s bedroom," sneered the coldly cruel voice of Mrs. Cole, entering, and not making a seductive picture in bright green dressing gown, with large purple flowers, her hooked nose as red as her high cheek bones, her awful eyes fixed, staring and stony, her uncle and aunt following.
"Oh dear, oh dear! Heaven help us! I forgot to lock the door when I brought the poor fellow the foot-warmer," thought Sarah Kane, distractedly.
"I thought I heard a jabbering going on before you called me, Margaret,"
said her uncle, savagely.
"How dare you bring disrepute on a virtuous home by coming to a man"s bedroom at night, and alone, Sarah Kane?" asked Miss Stone, quivering with rage at being disturbed after her late supper.
"Sarah Kane, go and pack up, and see that you develop no light-finger tricks; you leave Broadlawns at daybreak," hissed Margaret, between her teeth.
"Please let me stay, ma"am, until Mr. Cole recovers; indeed, indeed he is very, very ill."
"That is _my_ affair--go!" and she points to the now open door.
"She has been kind to me, she must stay; I am too ill for her to leave me; if she goes she must take me," said Cole, sitting upright, his pulse rapidly rising.
"We don"t harbor women of her stamp," said Margaret, beside herself with rage at her having gained the ear of Cole; she would willingly have torn her limb from limb.
"Get out of here, and at _once_, Sarah Kane, unless you would have me use violence," said Stone, savagely; for from the words of Cole he sees she has made a favorable impression.
"I implore you not to go and leave me here," said the sick man, excitedly; "my brain is on fire. I am weak and ill; oh! by everything you hold sacred, stay by me and nurse me; if not, I go too, if I have to crawl to the door;" and he attempted to rise.
"This is nonsense, Cole; she must go; I have wanted to turn her adrift before this. We shall procure you a medical attendant at once; though, I think, did you take a berth in a steamer immediately for America, it would be best, and set you up all right, especially with Margaret as nurse. Sarah Kane, what are you waiting for?"
"For the impetus of someone"s foot, I presume," sneered Margaret.
Sarah Kane, with a pitiful look at Cole, her lip quivering and whole frame trembling, prepared to leave the room, saying, as she smoothed his pillows:
"Try and keep calm, sir, you will get well all the quicker, and I shall go and tell Silas Jones, and see if he can help you."
At a sign from Margaret, her uncle followed her from the room, when she said, hurriedly:
"I am going to give the wretch permission to remain until morning, to prevent an interview with Silas Jones; after breakfast, you say you will drive her in to Mrs. Mansfield"s. We have never let her know she wants her, but now she will be capital bait; Sarah Kane will bite, and so be hooked, when you can lodge her for safe keeping at Tom Lang"s, who, if needs be, may give her the luxury of a straight-jacket."
"I feel inclined to say No, and kick her out at once; otherwise, yours is a good plan."
"It is the only gag to fit the case; but out of that room _she shall go_. She may go and pack up. I"ll show them who is mistress."
"Yes, do; besotted fool, that Cole is, to have turned us against him.
You don"t think that viper will go to Silas Jones at daybreak, do you?"
"No; his shop won"t be open until seven. By that time cook can have an early breakfast for you, and you will then at once drive off to London, and if Silas Jones comes prowling around here after her, leave him to me, that"s all," she said, cruelly, returning to the sick room.
"Go to your room at once, Sarah Kane, pack up your things, and be ready to leave this house at seven sharp; go," she said, stamping her foot.
"Don"t pollute us by your presence any longer."
"I pray of you to let me stay and nurse him; I will do just what you wish, spare you from fatigue, be no trouble, only let me stay," she cried, imploringly.
Margaret turned her stony gaze upon her. "Put her out, Uncle Timothy, or I shall."
"Get out, woman," he said, taking her by the shoulder, Miss Stone shoving her, and saying:
"Be thankful, hussy, you are getting off so well."
"At your peril send her forth; it will be the worse for you all when I recover, if you do," said Cole, with the utmost excitement.
"Keep cool, Cole; you don"t know what a viper we have harbored. I am only going to take her to a Mrs. Mansfield"s, and, if she can speak so much truth, she will tell you she is a friend of hers," said Stone, vengefully.
"You are heaping coals of fire on the viper"s head by taking her there, Timothy," said Miss Stone, wonderingly.
"Is this person a friend of yours, Sarah?" asked Cole, forlornly pressing both hands to his throbbing temples. "How cruel they are to send you from me. Do you know of a good physician, Sarah?"