With a muttered oath, he took up his pen again, feeling more desirous than ever to outwit "that haughty Southerner," and secure the prize in spite of him.
Half an hour afterward Simon, who was at work gathering corn and tomatoes for dinner in the garden behind the house, heard some one calling softly to him from the other side of the fence. Turning his head, he saw Mr. Egerton standing there, motioning to him to draw near.
"Good-mornin", sah. What you want, sah?" inquired the lad, setting down his basket, and approaching the fence that separated them.
"Do you know what this is?" asked Egerton, holding up a small glittering object.
"Yes, sah; five-dollar gold piece, sah," replied the negro, bowing and chuckling. "What de gentleman want dis n.i.g.g.ah do for to arn "em?"
"To put this into Miss Dinsmore"s hands," answered Egerton, showing a letter; "into her own hands, now, mind. If you do that, the five dollars are yours; and if you bring me an answer, I"ll make it ten.
But you are to manage it so that no one else shall see what you do. Do you understand?"
"Yes, sah, and I bet I do it up about right, sah."
Very anxious to win the coveted reward, Simon was careful to be on hand when the riding party returned. He stationed himself near Elsie"s horse. Her father a.s.sisted her to alight, and as he turned to make a remark to Lottie, Simon, being on the alert, managed to slip the note into Elsie"s hand, unperceived by Mr. Dinsmore, or the others.
She gave a start of surprise, turning her eyes inquiringly upon him, the rich color rushing all over her fair face and neck; as he could see, even through the folds of her thick veil.
Simon grinned broadly, as, by a nod and wink toward the opposite side of the street, he indicated whence the missive had come.
She turned and walked quickly toward the house, her heart beating very fast and loud, and her fingers tightly clasping the note underneath the folds of her long riding-skirt, as she held it up. She hurried to her room, shut and locked the door, and, throwing off her hat and veil, dropped into a seat, trembling in every limb with the agitation and excitement of her feelings. She longed intently to know what he had said to her; but she had never deceived or wilfully disobeyed her father, and should she begin now? The temptation was very great, and perhaps she would have yielded; but Mr. Dinsmore"s step came quickly up the stairs, and the next moment he rapped lightly on the door.
She rose and opened it, at the same time slipping the note into her pocket.
"Why, my darling, what is the matter?" he asked, looking much concerned at the sight of her pale, agitated countenance.
"Oh, papa, if you would let me! if you only would!" she cried, bursting into tears, and putting her arms coaxingly about his neck.
"Let you do what, my child?" he asked, stroking her hair.
"Read this," she said, in a choking voice, taking the note from her pocket. "Oh, if you knew how much I want to! Mayn"t I, papa? do, dear papa, say yes."
"No, Elsie; it grieves me to deny you, but it must go back unopened.
Give it to me."
She put it into his hand and turned away with a sob.
"How did it come into your hands?" he inquired, going to her writing-desk for an envelope, pen and ink.
"Must I tell you, papa?" she asked; in a tone that spoke reluctance to give the information he required.
"Certainly."
"Simon gave it to me a few moments since."
He touched the bell, and, Chloe appearing in answer, bade her take that note to the house on the opposite side of the street.
"There is no message," he added; "it is directed to Mr. Egerton, and you have nothing to do but hand it in at the door."
"Yes, sah." And with a sorrowful, pitying glance at the wet eyes of her young mistress, the faithful old creature left the room.
"My poor little daughter, you feel now that your father is very cruel," Mr. Dinsmore said tenderly, taking Elsie in his arms again, "but some day you will thank me for all this."
She only laid her face down on his breast and cried bitterly, while he soothed her with caresses and words of fatherly endearment.
"Oh, papa, don"t be vexed with me," she murmured at length. "I"m trying not to be rebellious, but it seems so like condemning him unheard."
"No, my child, it is not. I gave him the opportunity to refute the charges against him, but he has no proof to bring."
"Papa, he said it would break his heart to lose me," she cried with a fresh burst of grief.
"My dear child, he has no heart to break. If he could get possession of your property, he would care very little indeed what became of you."
Mr. Dinsmore spoke very decidedly, but, though silenced, Elsie was not convinced.
Egerton, watching through the half-closed blinds of his bed-room, had seen, with a chuckle of delight, the success of Simon"s manoeuvre, and Elsie hurrying into the house; for the purpose--he had scarcely a doubt--of secretly reading and answering his note. He saw Chloe crossing the street, and thought that her young mistress had sent him a hasty line, perhaps to appoint the time and place of a clandestine meeting; for such confidence had he in his own powers of fascination for all the fair s.e.x, that he could not think it possible she could give him up without a struggle.
Lenwilla went to the door, and in his eagerness to receive the message he ran out and met her on the landing. What was his disappointment and chagrin at sight of the bold, masculine characters on the outside, and only his own handwriting within!
"Sent back unopened! The girl must be a fool!" he cried, fairly gnashing his teeth with rage. "She could have managed it easily enough; she had the best chance in the world, for he didn"t see her take it, I know."
He considered a moment, put on his hat, and, walking over to Dr.
King"s, inquired for Miss Lottie.
"Jist walk intil the parlor, sir," said Bridget, "an" I"ll call the young lady."
Lottie came to him presently, with her kind face full of regret and sympathy.
He told his tale, produced his note, and begged her to be his messenger, saying he supposed Mr. Dinsmore had come upon Elsie before she had time to read it, and he thought it hard for both her and himself that she should not have the chance.
"Yes," said Lottie, "but I am very sure she would not read it without her father"s permission, and you may depend upon it, she showed it to him of her own accord."
He shook his head with an incredulous smile. "Do you really think she has so little sense? Or is it that you believe she too has turned against me?"
"No, she has not turned against you, she believes in you still; nor is she wanting in sense; but she is extremely conscientious about obeying her father, and told me she meant to be entirely submissive, whatever it cost her."
"I can hardly think you are right," he said, with another of his incredulous smiles, "but even supposing she was silly enough to hand my note over to her father, I should like to give her an opportunity to retrieve her error, so won"t you undertake"--
"Don"t ask me to carry it to her," interrupted Lottie. "It would go against my conscience to tempt Elsie to do violence to hers, I do a.s.sure you, though I have no idea I should be successful. So you really must excuse me."
He tried argument and persuasion by turns, but Lottie stood firm in her refusal, and at length he went away, evidently very angry.
Lottie spent the evening with her friend, and when a fitting opportunity offered gave her an account of this interview with Egerton, Elsie telling her in return something of what had pa.s.sed between her father and herself in regard to the note.
That Egerton had desired to tempt her to disobedience and deception did not tend to increase Elsie"s esteem and admiration for him, but quite the reverse.
"I think he"ll not prevent me from getting sight of her to-day,"
muttered Egerton, stationing himself at the front window the next morning, as the hour for church drew near.