"Ah, here comes the little society belle now!"
"Go on; walk right out on the stage," whispered Mally, giving Jessie a push.
Jessie never knew how she got there.
The glare of the foot-lights blinded her. The words her companion uttered fell upon dazed ears. She tried to speak the words that she had learned so perfectly, but they seemed to die away in her throat; no sound could she utter. A great numbness was clutching at her heart-strings, and she could move neither hand nor foot.
"Aha! our little beauty is stage-frightened," she heard Celey Dunbar whisper from one of the wings of the stage, in a loud, triumphant voice.
"I am just glad of it. That"s what Manager Morgan gets by bringing in a novice. Ha! ha! ha!"
Those words stung Jessie into action, and quick as a flash the truant lines recurred to her, and to the great chagrin of her rival in the wings, she went on with her part unfalteringly to the very end.
Her beauty, and her fresh, sweet simplicity and naturalness quite took the audience by storm, and the curtain was rung down at length amid the wildest storm of applause that that theater had ever known.
The manager was delighted with Jessie Bain"s success. The ladies of the company were furious, and they gathered together in one of the entrances and watched her.
"Stage life is coming to a pretty how-de-do," cried one, furiously, "when women who have been before the foot-lights for ten years--ay, given the best years of their lives to the stage--have to stand aside, for a novice like that!"
"My husband plays altogether too ardent a lover to her!" cried Dovie Davis, jealously. "I won"t stand it! Either she leaves this company at the end of a fortnight, or my husband and I do; that"s all there is about it!"
This appeared to be the sentiment of every woman in the company, and they did not attempt to conceal their dislike as she pa.s.sed them by during the evening.
Just before the curtain went down, Manager Morgan received a telegram which called him to Rochester. He had barely time to catch the train, and in his hurry he quite forgot to leave instructions to have some one see Jessie Bain to the hotel.
As Jessie emerged from her dressing-room she looked around for Mr.
Morgan. He was nowhere about.
"I thought you"d never come out of your dressing-room, ma"am," said the man who was waiting to turn the lights out. "Every one"s gone--you"re the last one."
"Has--has Mr. Morgan gone?" echoed Jessie, in great trepidation.
"Every one"s gone, I said," was the saucy reply.
And the man turned the light out in her face, and she was obliged to grope her way as best she could along the dark entry. After floundering about the building for almost ten minutes, until the great tears were rolling down her cheeks with fright, she at length called loudly to some one to come to her a.s.sistance.
The same man who had turned out the gas on her now came grumblingly to her rescue. At length she found herself out on the street.
Before she had time to turn and ask the man the way to the hotel, he had slammed the door to in her face and turned the key in the lock with a loud, resounding click, and Jessie found herself standing ankle-deep in the snow-drift, with the wind whirling about her and dashing the blinding snow in her face.
Suddenly from out the dark shadows of an adjacent door-way sprung a man in a long ulster.
"Don"t be frightened, Miss Bain," he exclaimed. "I have been waiting for you almost an hour, to see you home."
Jessie started back in dismay. At that instant he half turned, and the flickering light from the gas-lamp fell full upon his face, and she recognized him as one of the members of the company--Walter Winans, whom Mally Marsh had said was her beau.
Even had this not been the case, Jessie could never have admired so bold-looking a fellow.
"Excuse me, but I am very sorry that you waited for me, Mr. Winans,"
said Jessie, coldly. "I can find my way back to the hotel alone."
"Phew! What an independent little piece we are, to be sure!" he cried.
"You"re not expecting any one else, are you?" he inquired looking hastily around.
"No," said Jessie, simply.
"Come on, then, with me," he said, seizing her arm and fairly dragging her along.
Discretion seemed the better part of valor to Jessie. She thought it would not be wise to offend the young man; and, to tell the truth, she was rather glad to have some one to pilot her along through the terrible snow-drifts.
"Let me tell you something," said Winans, without waiting for her answer. "I have taken quite a liking to you, Jessie Bain--this is between you and me--and I hope very much that the feeling will be reciprocated, little girl. I"ll be only too glad to escort you to and from the theater every night, if you like. Don"t let any of the girls of this company talk you into the belief that they have any claim on me.
"You must not think it strange that I took an interest in you, little Jessie, from the first moment I saw you," continued Winans, pressing the girl"s hand softly, as they pushed on bravely through the terrible snow-drifts. "There was something about you very different from the rest of the girls whom I have met."
"I trust you will not talk so to me, Mr. Winans," said Jessie.
"But I must," he insisted. "I must tell you all that is in my heart.
Surely you can not blame a fellow so very much for being unfortunate enough to fall desperately in love with you!"
He had spoken the words eagerly, and it never occurred to him that they had been uttered so loudly that any one pa.s.sing might have heard them.
Suddenly from out the shadow of an arched door-way sprang a woman, who planted herself directly in the snowy path before them.
"Stop!" she cried. "Don"t dare advance a step further!" and quick as a flash she drew a heavy riding-whip from the folds of her cloak. Once, twice, thrice it cut through the snow-laden air, and fell upon Winans"
defenseless head.
Smarting with pain, he dropped Jessie"s arm and sprang forward, and attempted to wrest the whip from the infuriated young woman"s hands.
"Take that! and that! and that!" she cried, again and yet again; and with each word the blows rained down faster and faster upon his face and hands.
There was but one way to escape, and that was in ignominious flight.
"So," cried Mally Marsh, as she turned to Jessie "this is all the heed you paid to my warning, is it? If I gave you your just deserts, I would thrash you within an inch of your life, for attempting to take my lover away from me! Now listen to what I have to say, girl, and take warning: You must leave this company at once. If you do not do so, I will not answer for myself. Do not make it an excuse that you have no money.
Here!" and with the word she flung a bill in her face. "The depot is to your right. Go there, and take the first train back to the city whence you came. Go, I say, while yet I can keep my wrath in check."
Jessie stood there for a moment like one stupefied. She tried to explain how it had happened, but her companion would not listen and walked away.
As one lost, Jessie wandered to the depot, where a policeman, noticing her distress, drew her story from her. He said he knew of a most respectable old woman who was looking for a companion and wrote her name and address on a piece of paper for Jessie. The policeman readily consented to allow her to remain in the station until morning. It was a long and weary wait and at eight o"clock Jessie went to the house to which the policeman had directed her.
A pompous footman conducted her to a s.p.a.cious drawing-room, and placed a seat for her.
After a long and dreary wait which seemed hours to Jessie, though in reality it was not over twenty minutes, she heard the rustle of a woman"s dress. An instant later, a little white, shrivelled hand, loaded with jewels pushed aside the satin _portieres_, and an old lady appeared on the threshold.
Jessie rose hesitatingly from her seat with a little courtesy.
"You came in answer to my advertis.e.m.e.nt for a companion?" the little old lady began.
"Yes, madame," returned Jessie.