Drusilla looked at her inquiringly.
"What did Miss Thornton say your name was?"
"Jeanne, Madame."
"Jeanne. That isn"t Jane, is it?"
"It may be French for Jane; I am French."
"Well, then, I"ll call you Jane. I can"t remember the other. I think I would like to go to bed."
"Then I will prepare the bath."
Soon she returned to the room.
"The bath is ready for Madame," she said; and Drusilla followed her into the bedroom.
There the thoughtfulness of Miss Thornton was again shown. Over a chair hung a warm gray dressing-gown, with slippers to match, and neatly folded on the bed was a soft white nightdress, lace-trimmed, delicate, dainty, the mere touch of which gave delight to the sensitive fingers as they touched its folds.
The bathroom, with its silver fittings, was a revelation to Drusilla; and as she stepped into the warm, slightly perfumed water, it seemed to speak to her more eloquently than all the rest of the seeming miracles that were now coming into her life.
When Drusilla returned to the bedroom she found a shaded light on a table at the head of the bed, and beside the light were her Bible and the life of John Calvin.
She stood a moment looking around the room, and then she knelt beside the bed.
"O G.o.d," she whispered, "I hain"t never had much to thank you for except for strength to work, but now--dear G.o.d, I thank you!"
CHAPTER III
The next morning Drusilla found herself unconsciously waiting for the rising bell that called the inmates of the Doane home from their slumbers, and when she opened her eyes she could not realize for a moment where she was. Instead of the plain white walls of her room, she saw the soft gray tints of silk and the sheen of silver, and her hands touched a silken-covered eiderdown quilt. She closed her eyes in sheer happiness, and then opened them again to be sure that it was not all a mirage. At last, not being used to lying in bed, she arose and, putting on the dressing-gown, went to one of the windows and raised the shade to look out. She stopped with her hand still on the shade, looking in wonder at the beauty just outside her window. A great copper beach was flaunting its gorgeous colors in the clear morning air; beyond it a clump of blue spruce seemed a background for the riotous autumn tints. At one side of the house was an Italian garden, with terrace after terrace falling toward the river. Across the river, the Palisades rose sheer and steep, their reddish-brown rocks covered with the glow of the morning sun.
Drusilla did not know it, but she was looking at one of the most beautiful of the many beautiful places along the Hudson, a place on which hundreds of thousands of dollars had been spent with a lavish hand. Drusilla drew up a chair and sat by the window, watching the changing shades as the sun became brighter. Then she became interested in the life of the place as it gradually awoke to its morning"s work. First a gardener crossed the lawn and began working around the plants; then another came with a rake and commenced raking up the dying leaves; another man wandered down toward the river. A man, evidently a house servant, came across the lawn and, seeing her at the window, went hastily into the house. Soon there was a light knock at the door, and in answer to her "come in," Jeanne, the maid, entered.
"Oh, Madame," she said, "why did, you not ring? I did not know you were up."
She bustled about the room, raising shades, and then rang for a man to come and make the fire in the grate. The house seemed warm to Drusilla.
"Do I need a fire?" she asked. "It"s warm in here."
"Just a little fire, Madame," said Jeanne; "it makes the room more cheerful."
Drusilla laughed. It seemed to her that nothing could make that exquisite room more cheerful.
The maid went to the bedroom and soon returned to announce: "The bath is ready for Madame."
Drusilla wondered why she was expected to take another bath, as she had had one the night before. But evidently it was expected of her, and she went into the bathroom and again reveled in the warm, perfumed water. When she returned to the bedroom her clothing of the night before was arranged ready for her to put on, and as she dressed she felt for the first time the coa.r.s.eness of the linen and the ugliness of the plain black dress.
"Would Madame like her breakfast here," the maid asked, "or will she go to the breakfast room?"
Drusilla hesitated, as she did not know what to do.
"I think Madame would like to go to the breakfast room," the clever little French woman said hastily; "it is very pretty there, with the flowers and the birds. I will show Madame the way."
Going before her she guided Drusilla down the great staircase and across a room that was evidently the dining-room, into what Drusilla would have called a sun-parlor. It was a corner of the veranda enclosed in gla.s.s and filled with flowers and plants of every description, with birds singing among them in their gilded cages, and from it the Hudson could be seen, flowing silently to the sea. In the center of the room was a round table covered with a cloth which quickly caught her eye and charmed it with its dainty embroidery and lace, used as she had been to the coa.r.s.e linen of the home. A man drew out her chair and she was seated, a footstool found for her feet, and breakfast was served. Drusilla felt that she could never forget that breakfast. The grapefruit, the coffee in its silver pot, the crisp bacon, the omelet, all served on beautiful dishes; and, to complete her joy, a great Persian cat came lazily to her and rubbed against her, begging for a share in the good things of the table. She stooped down and stroked its soft fur.
"I am afraid that Nicodemus is very spoiled," the man said. "His master always gave him a dish of cream at the table."
Drusilla laughed. It seemed the first human thing she had heard.
"Well, then, I"ll spoil him too. What do you give it to him in?"
The man pointed to a silver bowl.
"That is his dish. Shall I give it to him?"
"No; let me," said Drusilla. "I want to do something for some one.
Let me give him his cream."
After that she did not feel so frightened and awed by the presence of the man who waited upon her so deftly, and when he left she rose and wandered around the room, looking at the flowers, wondering what were the names of the many plants that were strange to her. Then she went across the dining-room and up the stairs to her own rooms, where she felt more at ease. She found them already arranged, and wondered at the quickness and silence with which the work was done.
She did not know what to do, so she sat down again by the window to wait for Daphne. While she was sitting there, the housekeeper came into the room.
"Good morning, Miss Doane," she said pleasantly. "I hope you slept well."
"Yes; thank you," replied Drusilla.
"Would you like to go over the house this morning?"
Again Drusilla was embarra.s.sed, as she did not know what would be expected of her if she went over the house. "Why--why--" she said, "I think, if you don"t mind, I will wait until Miss Thornton comes."
"Very well. I will be ready at any time."
When the housekeeper left the room, Drusilla sat quietly in her place by the sunny window until at last she saw a motor turn into the grounds, and soon Daphne appeared. Drusilla"s face lighted up when she saw the pretty girl standing before her. She seemed a part of the morning itself, with her sparkling eyes, her dainty coloring accentuated by her pretty suit of blue and her jaunty hat.
"Oh, you look like one of the flowers!" Drusilla exclaimed, reaching out her hands to her.
"How nice of you to say that! I"ve come early; did you wait long for me?"
"Yes; I have been settin" here just seeing the beauty of it all. I can"t believe it"s real."
"Oh, but it is. And isn"t it beautiful! I always loved the place.
Did you sleep well? Were you tired out? Are you rested?"
"I didn"t sleep at first--I couldn"t. But I"m not tired; I"m just sort of excited--and--and--oh, I don"t know what to say about it all."