"No, madam; not for another night of the week, but to-morrow"s the Sabbath, you know, and if I should stay up late to-night I would be likely to find myself unfitted for its duties. Besides, papa bade me retire at this hour; and he does not approve of my eating at night; he thinks it is apt to cause dyspepsia."
"Ah, that is too bad! Well, I shall see that something is set away for you, and hope you will enjoy it to-morrow. Good-night, dear; I must hurry away now to see the rest of my guests, and will not detain you longer," she added, drawing the fair girl toward her and kissing her affectionately, then hastening away to the supper-room.
Elsie tripped up the stairs and entered her room. A lamp burned low on the toilet table, she went to it, turned up the wick, and as she did so a slight noise on the veranda without startled her. The windows reached to the floor and were wide open.
"Who"s there?" she asked.
"I," was answered, in a rough, surly tone, and Arthur stepped in.
"Is it you?" she asked in surprise and indignation. "Why do you come here? it is not fit you should, especially at this hour."
"It is not fit you should set yourself up to reprove and instruct your uncle, I"ve come for that money you are going to lend me."
"I am not going to lend you any money."
"Give it then; that will be all the better for my pocket.
"I have none to give you either, Arthur; papa has positively forbidden me to supply you with money."
"How much have you here?"
"That is a question you have no right to ask."
"Well, I know you are never without a pretty good supply of the needful, and I"m needy. So hand it over without any more ado; otherwise I shall be very apt to help myself."
"No, you will not," she said, with dignity. "If you attempt to rob me, I shall call for a.s.sistance."
"And disgrace the family by giving the tattlers a precious bit of scandal to retail in regard to us."
"If you care for the family credit you will go away at once and leave me in peace."
"I will, eh? I"ll go when I get what I came for, and not before."
Elsie moved toward the bell rope, but antic.i.p.ating her intention, he stepped before it, saying with a jeering laugh, "No, you don"t!"
"Arthur," she said, drawing herself up, and speaking with great firmness and dignity, "leave this room; I wish to be alone."
"Hoity-toity, Miss Dinsmore! do you suppose I"m to be ordered about by you? No, indeed! And I"ve an old score to pay off. One of these days I"ll be revenged on you and old Travilla, too; n.o.body shall insult and abuse me with impunity. Now hand over that cash!"
"Leave this room!" she repeated.
"None of your ---- impudence!" he cried fiercely, catching her by the arm with a grasp that wrung from her a low, half-smothered cry of pain.
But footsteps and voices were heard on the stairs, and he hastily withdrew by the window through which he had entered.
Elsie pulled up her sleeve and looked at her arm. Each finger of Arthur"s hand had left its mark. "Oh, how angry papa would be!" she murmured to herself, hastily drawing down her sleeve again as the door opened and Chloe came in, followed by another servant bearing a small silver waiter loaded with dainties.
"Missus tole me fetch "em up with her compliments, an" hopes de young lady"ll try to eat some," she said, setting it down on a table.
"Mrs. Carrington is very kind. Please return her my thanks, Minerva,"
said Elsie, making a strong effort to steady her voice.
The girl, taken up with the excitement of what was going on downstairs, failed to notice the slight tremble in its tones. But not so with Chloe. As the other hurried from the room, she took her nursling in her arms, and gazing into the sweet face with earnest, loving scrutiny; asked, "What de matter, darlin"? what hab resturbed you so, honey?"
"You mustn"t leave me alone, to-night, mammy," Elsie whispered, clinging to her, and half hiding her face on her breast. "Don"t go out of the room at all, unless it is to step on the veranda."
Chloe was much surprised, for Elsie had never been cowardly.
""Deed I won"t, darling" she answered, caressing the shining hair, and softly rounded cheek. "But what my bressed chile "fraid of?"
"Mr. Arthur, mammy," Elsie answered scarcely above her breath. "He was in here a moment since, and if I were alone again he might come back."
"An" what Ma.r.s.e Arthur doin" yer dis time ob night, I like ter know?--what he want frightenin" my chile like dis?"
"Money, mammy, and papa has forbidden me to let him have any, because he makes a bad use of it." Elsie knew to whom she spoke. Chloe was no ordinary servant, and could be trusted.
"Dear, dear, it"s drefful that Ma.r.s.e Arthur takes to dem bad ways! But don"t go for to fret, honey; we"ll "gree together to ask de Lord to turn him to de right."
"Yes, mammy, you must help me to pray for him. But now I must get ready for bed; I have stayed up longer than papa said I might."
"Won"t you take some of de "freshments fust, honey?"
Elsie shook her head. "Eat what you want of them, mammy. I know I am better without."
CHAPTER IX.
There"s not a look, a word of thine My soul hath e"er forgot; Thou ne"er hast bid a ringlet shine, Nor given thy locks one graceful twine, Which I remember not.
--MOORE.
The clock on the stairway was just striking nine, as some one tapped lightly on the door of Elsie"s room, leading into the hall. Chloe rose and opened it. "Dat you, Scip?"
"Yes, Aunt Chloe; de missis say breakop"s is ready, an" will Miss Dinsmore please for to come if she"s ready. We don"t ring de bell fear wakin" up de odder young ladies an" gemmen."
Elsie had been up and dressed for the last hour, which she had spent in reading her Bible; a book not less dear and beautiful in her esteem now than it was in the days of her childhood. She rose and followed Scip to the dining-room, where she found the older members of the family already a.s.sembled, and about to sit down to the table.
"Ah, my dear, good-morning," said Mrs. Carrington; "I was sure you would be up and dressed: but the others were so late getting to bed that I mean they shall be allowed to sleep as long as they will. Ah!
and here comes Herbert, too. We have quite a party after all."
"I should think you would need a long nap this morning more than any one else," Elsie said, addressing Herbert.
"No," he answered, coloring. "I took advantage of my semi-invalidism, and retired very shortly after you left us."
"You must not think it is usual for us to be quite so late on Sunday morning, Elsie," observed Mr. Carrington as he sent her her plate, "though I"m afraid we are hardly as early risers, even on ordinary occasions, as you are at the Oaks. I don"t think it"s a good plan to have Sat.u.r.day-night parties," he added, looking across the table at his wife.