They never knew how hard her coming was, how she had begged and entreated her mother to let her stay at home, and finally threatened _not_ to go, when Mrs. Hadden had taken her in the carriage. There was no pride in her soul as she stepped out of it, only a bitter, haughty hatred.
"Don"t act like a fool!" was her mother"s parting advice. "The matter will soon blow over."
For Mrs. Hadden felt that she should not be utterly crushed. The deed of the house was in her name, and the furniture bills had been made out in the same manner, consequently that much was secure. Mr. Hadden had probably not done more than hundreds of others, and she felt confident that he would get out of it somehow. They had plenty of money, and could start afresh in a new place, but the people here should see that she was able to hold her head as high as the best of them.
There was a little bouquet on Belle"s desk. No one knew who put it there. They would have suspected Kathie Alston, of course, if they had not seen her come in empty-handed, but no one guessed it was her second coming that morning.
The Brookside Standard copied the report, stating also that Mr. Hadden had asked a suspension of public opinion for the present.
"Do you suppose it is really true?" inquired Kathie of Uncle Robert.
"I believe Mr. Hadden"s reputation does not stand very high, at the best. I can forgive a man who is tempted to retrieve himself by some desperate step, when on the brink of ruin; but the men who wronged our poor brave boys with clothing that was but half made, and food of the poorest kind, enriching themselves while the country was at her sorest need, do deserve punishment. Still, it would be hardly kind to begin by meting it out to his children."
"How terrible it must be, Uncle Robert, to know that some one you held dear was guilty of such a crime!"
"Yes, I think it would be worse than taking up poor and uncultivated people"; and a peculiar smile crossed his face. "You will have an opportunity to show your blue blood, Kathie. I believe I never knew a Conover who struck a fallen foe."
"Yes," she answered, wondering if it would be foolish to tell him about the flowers; but just then Freddy ran in, full of tribulation as usual.
Mr. Meredith improved rapidly. Kathie had to take him in her way some time during the day, or there was a most heart-rending complaint.
"It is so delightful to have them all love him so well!" she said to Aunt Ruth. "Charlie has a hero of his own now."
They received a long and characteristic letter from Rob, who wished he was a bombsh.e.l.l and could be dropped down into Brookside. The war was actually ended, and "Johnny was marching home," and everything had happened about right. "Only I am awful sorry about Mr. Morrison. I can"t seem to believe but that he will come to light somewhere yet. It gave me such a strange feeling,--thinking, for a moment, if it _had_ been Uncle Robert. We will try all our lives to make it up to Ethel. I will never tease her again, at any rate." Which was all the resolve in Rob"s power at present.
CHAPTER XIII.
GOOD NEWS.
IT seemed to Kathie in these days as if she had her hands very full. The weeks were hardly long enough. Yet what could be left out? The daily call at the Darrells", or the Morrisons", for now Ethel looked to see her every day, and used to confide to her the sums that bothered, the thoughts that puzzled, and the many things which come to trouble little girls; and if sometimes Kathie considered them tiresome or foolish, she remembered how patient dear Aunt Ruth used to be with her in the old times,--and now she had Uncle Robert saved to her by Ethel"s loss.
No, neither of those could be given up, nor the school-lessons, nor the music, nor even Sarah, who _was_ improving.
The blue ribbon had delighted her exceedingly. Kathie said, very gently indeed,--that is, prefacing and ending it with something pleasant,--"I think it will be much prettier for your hair than any other color." That started Sarah upon a new tack.
"I wish you would tell me something about colors," she begged in her next letter. "I always remember how lovely you looked that night at the Fair, and some of the ladies too. I can"t be pretty, I know, but I"d like to look nice, so that people wouldn"t laugh at me. Now that I have begun, there are so many things that I want to know. Cousin Ellen helps me a good deal, and she is such a rest to mother. She has the pleasantest way of managing the children, and does such a deal of sewing. Father said I might raise all the chickens I wanted to this summer, and I think I"ll buy a nice rocking-chair for the parlor. O, I have crocheted two beautiful tidies, and one of them is about as good as sold for two dollars and a half. If it isn"t too much trouble, I would like to send the money to you, and let you buy me some books. You know what is pretty and interesting. And if you would only tell me what would be nice for summer dresses and a hat."
The ice being once broken, discussions upon dress followed quite frequently. When Kathie was in any doubt she referred the subject to Aunt Ruth. It was plain that Sarah was emerging from her crude and barbaric state, yet she showed no disposition thus far to drift over into the frothy waves of vanity. With her other knowledge seemed to come shrewd, practical self-knowledge.
Jim too had been made the happy recipient of some useful books. He seemed to have a great taste for wood-working,--"conjuring," his father said,--and talked a little of going to the city to learn a trade, but Mr. Strong had no fancy for giving him up now, when he was such a help.
"The farm is plenty large enough for two," Mr. Strong said, "and there"s no life so independent."
But Mr. Conover felt that it ought to be rendered interesting as well.
So he asked Jim to come down to Cedarwood and take a look around, which delighted the youth greatly, and gave him some new ideas.
The rumors concerning Belle Hadden"s father proved too true. It was an aggravated case, and each day brought new circ.u.mstances to light. It was useless to think of holding their position in Brookside. Acquaintances began to make ceremonious calls, or bow coldly. A few of the girls in school openly rejoiced.
"Thank the Lord my father never stole nor cheated," said Mary Carson.
"I"d rather be a plebeian than a thief."
The mortification was too much. Belle begged and prayed that she might be allowed to leave Brookside, and finally a visit to an aunt was determined upon. She was a queen to the last moment, though, and said her good-bys to the few with a haughty grace.
"Thus endeth the reign of the patricians," commented Emma Lauriston.
There was a grave, perplexed light in Sue Coleman"s eyes.
"Belle was real fascinating," she said; "but I wonder that we--that some of us hadn"t more sense last winter. We all went to persecuting and ruling out Kathie Alston, who bore it all like a saint. Belle had courage and pride, but there was something n.o.bler in Kathie." Yet Sue knit her brows in silent perplexity.
"But there is another view of it that puzzles me, after all," she said, breaking her long silence. "Where _do_ people make a distinction? Now suppose Kathie Alston invited this _protegee_ of hers to her house, and you or I should drop in--it would look ill-bred to take Kathie away from her guest, and yet it is not likely her talk would interest us much.
Then as Kathie grows larger--well, it is all of a muddle in my brain. I dare say these Strongs are good, honest, respectable people, and--there is no use in smoothing it over--Mr. Hadden was dreadfully dishonest. All their grandeur and fine clothes belong by right to some one else. And yet they are allowed to go into the best society. Is it _quite_ right?"
"Not the _very_ best, perhaps," returned Emma, slowly. "A good many people do insist upon worth, virtue, honesty, and all that."
"And then, as Kathie said, Belle was not to blame for her father"s sins."
"It seems to me now that Belle"s mistake was in trying to decide who should be greatest, and pushing down all who did not exactly suit her.
She had no right to be the judge."
"Who of us has? And here is another question. You remember Mrs. Duncan?
She went to the city about a fortnight ago, and had a business offer.
First, I must tell you that she was very elegantly brought up, but her father died, and somehow the fortune melted into thin air. She went to visit an aunt, and met Mr. Duncan, who was cashier in a bank. They have always lived very nicely,--stylishly, Belle would say,--but now they have nothing, and Mrs. Duncan has no friends who can take care of her. She has forgotten a good deal of her French and her other accomplishments, and teachers" situations are hard to get. Well, a Mrs.
Marsh in the city has offered Mrs. Duncan eight hundred dollars a year to take a position in her millinery establishment. She has a marvellous faculty for tr.i.m.m.i.n.g,--equal to any French woman. And why wouldn"t she be just as good and just as much of a lady if she did take it? Will it make her coa.r.s.e and vulgar?"
"No," answered Emma, decisively.
"Yet I dare say the Hadden children would not be allowed to a.s.sociate with the Duncan girls. I cannot seem to get at the wrong, nor where it comes in."
"I believe, after all, Kathie Alston has the secret,--the little leaven which leavens the whole lump."
"Only some of us object to being leavened"; and Sue finished with a laugh.
But though Kathie had not heard the talk, there was a secret uneasiness in her soul as well. Sarah Strong was begging her to come up to Middleville again, and Uncle Robert believed the relaxation would do her good.
"Mamma," she said, thoughtfully, "there are one or two puzzles that I cannot make quite clear to my own mind."
"What is the matter now? Any new gift for Sarah?"
"Not a gift exactly, but--a great pleasure. When I was with them in the wagon that day, and they were both so cordial and warm-hearted, it appeared rude, or at least impolite, not to ask them to call here. Mrs.
Strong said, "Sarah wouldn"t look well among your grand people"; but there was such a sad, wistful look in Sarah"s eyes, as if somehow she felt that she was shut out."
"And you would like to have her come?" returned Mrs. Alston, with a smile.
"I was thinking how happy it would make her, mamma. I don"t believe she ever saw so many pretty things together in her life,--and she is so fond of them."