She was destined, however, to obtain the privilege which Mrs. Leighton denied her. Carrie, who had become impatient, came downstairs and burst into the room.
"What keeps you so long, Miss Linden?" she said. "Is mamma keeping you?"
Florence was silent, leaving the explanations to Mrs. Leighton.
"Miss Linden has resigned her position as your governess, Carrie."
"Miss Linden going away! I won"t have her go! What makes you go, Miss Linden?"
"Your mamma thinks it best," answered Florence, with moistened eyes.
"Well, I don"t!" exclaimed Carrie, stamping her foot, angrily. "I won"t have any other governess but you."
"Carrie, you are behaving very unbecomingly," said her mother.
"Will you tell me, mamma, why you are sending Miss Linden away?"
"I will tell you some other time."
"But I want to know now."
"I am very much displeased with you, Carrie."
"And I am very much displeased with you, mamma."
I do not pretend to defend Carrie, whose conduct was hardly respectful enough to her mother; but with all her faults she had a warm heart, while her mother had always been cold and selfish.
"I am getting tired of this," said Mrs. Leighton. "Miss Linden, as you are here to-day, you may give Carrie the usual lessons. As I shall be out when you get through, I bid you good-by now."
"Good-by, Mrs. Leighton."
Carrie and Florence went to the schoolroom for the last time.
Florence gave her young pupil a partial explanation of the cause which had led to her discharge.
"What do I care if you live in a poor house, Miss Linden?" said Carrie, impetuously. "I will make mamma take you back!"
Florence smiled; but she knew that there would be no return for her.
When she reached her humble home she had a severe headache and lay down. Mrs. O"Keefe came in later to see her.
"And what"s the matter with you, Florence?" she asked.
"I have a bad headache, Mrs. O"Keefe."
"You work too hard, Florence, wid your teacher. That is what gives you the headache."
"Then I shan"t have it again, for I have got through with my teaching."
"What"s that you say?"
"I am discharged."
"And what"s it all about?"
Florence explained matters. Mrs. O"Keefe became indignant.
"She"s a mean trollop, that Mrs. Leighton!" she exclaimed, "and I"d like to tell her so to her face. Where does she live?"
"It will do no good to interfere, my good friend. She is not willing to receive a governess from a tenement house."
"Shure you used to live in as grand a house as herself."
"But I don"t now."
"Don"t mind it too much, mavoureen. You"ll soon be gettin" another scholar. Go to sleep now, and you"ll sleep the headache away."
Florence finally succeeded in following the advice of her humble friend.
She resolved to leave till the morrow the cares of the morrow.
She had twelve dollars, and before that was spent she hoped to be in a position to earn some more.
Chapter x.x.xII.
An Exciting Adventure.
Dodger soon became accustomed to his duties at Tucker"s express office, in his new San Francisco home. He found Mr. Tucker an exacting, but not an unreasonable, man. He watched his new a.s.sistant closely for the first few days, and was quietly taking his measure.
At the end of the first week he paid the salary agreed upon--fifteen dollars.
"You have been with me a week, Arthur," he said.
"Yes, sir."
"And I have been making up my mind about you."
"Yes, sir," said Dodger, looking up inquiringly. "I hope you are satisfied with me?"
"Yes, I think I may say that I am. You don"t seem to be afraid of work."
"I have always been accustomed to work."
"That is well. I was once induced to take the son of a rich man in the place you now occupy. He had never done a stroke of work, having always been at school. He didn"t take kindly to work, and seemed afraid that he would be called upon to do more than he had bargained for. One evening I was particularly busy, and asked him to remain an hour overtime.