One evening, just before dinner, as she was dressing and thinking sadly of the weeks, the months, that had pa.s.sed since their last happy evening together, Lydia Lord came suddenly into the room. The little governess looked white and sick, and shared her distress with Susan in a few brief sentences. Here was Mrs. Lawrence"s check in her hand, and here Mrs. Lawrence"s note to say that her services, as governess to Chrissy and Donald and little Hazel, would be no longer required. The blow was almost too great to be realized.
"But I brought it on myself, Sue, yes I did!" said Lydia, with dry lips. She sat, a shapeless, shabby figure, on the side of the bed, and pressed a veined hand tightly against her k.n.o.bby temples, "I brought it on myself. I want to tell you about it. I haven"t given Mary even a hint! Chrissy has been ill, her throat--they"ve had a nurse, but she liked me to sit with her now and then. So I was sitting there awhile this morning, and Mrs. Lawrence"s sister, Miss Bacon, came in, and she happened to ask me--oh, if only she HADN"T!--if I knew that they meant to let Yates operate on Chrissy"s throat. She said she thought it was a great pity. Oh, if only I"d held my tongue, fool, fool, FOOL that I was!" Miss Lydia took down her hand, and regarded Susan with hot, dry eyes. "But, before I thought," she pursued distressedly, "I said yes, I thought so too,--I don"t know just what words I used, but no more than that! Chrissy asked her aunt if it would hurt, and she said, "No, no, dear!" and I began reading. And now, here"s this note from Mrs.
Lawrence saying that she cannot overlook the fact that her conduct was criticized and discussed before Christina--! And after five years, Sue!
Here, read it!"
"Beast!" Susan scowled at the monogrammed sheet, and the dashing hand.
Miss Lydia clutched her wrist with a hot hand.
"What shall I do, Sue?" she asked, in agony.
"Well, I"d simply--" Susan began boldly enough. But a look at the pathetic, gray-haired figure on the bed stopped her short. She came, with the glory of her bright hair hanging loose about her face, to sit beside Lydia. "Really, I don"t know, dear," she said gently. "What do YOU think?"
"Sue, I don"t know!" And, to Susan"s horror, poor Lydia twisted about, rested her arm on the foot of the bed, and began to cry.
"Oh, these rich!" raged Susan, attacking her hair with angry sweeps of the brush. "Do you wonder they think that the earth was made for them and Heaven too! They have everything! They can dash you off a note that takes away your whole income, they can saunter in late to church on Easter Sunday and rustle into their big empty pews, when the rest of us have been standing in the aisles for half an hour; they can call in a doctor for a cut finger, when Mary has to fight perfect agonies before she dares afford it--Don"t mind me," she broke off, penitently, "but let"s think what"s to be done. You couldn"t take the public school examinations, could you, Miss Lydia? it would be so glorious to simply let Mrs. Lawrence slide!"
"I always meant to do that some day," said Lydia, wiping her eyes and gulping, "but it would take time. And meanwhile--And there are Mary"s doctor"s bills, and the interest on our Piedmont lot--" For the Lord sisters, for patient years, had been paying interest, and an occasional installment, on a barren little tract of land nine blocks away from the Piedmont trolley.
"You could borrow--" began Susan.
But Lydia was more practical. She dried her eyes, straightened her hair and collar, and came, with her own quiet dignity, to the discussion of possibilities. She was convinced that Mrs. Lawrence had written in haste, and was already regretting it.
"No, she"s too proud ever to send for me," she a.s.sured Susan, when the girl suggested their simply biding their time, "but I know that by taking me back at once she would save herself any amount of annoyance and time. So I"d better go and see her to-night, for by to-morrow she might have committed herself to a change."
"But you hate to go, don"t you?" Susan asked, watching her keenly.
"Ah, well, it"s unpleasant of course," Lydia said simply. "She may be unwilling to accept my apology. She may not even see me. One feels so--so humiliated, Sue."
"In that case, I"m going along to buck you up," said Susan, cheerfully.
In spite of Lydia"s protests, go she did. They walked to the Lawrence home in a night so dark that Susan blinked when they finally entered the magnificent, lighted hallway.
The butler obviously disapproved of them. He did not quite attempt to shut the door on them, but Susan felt that they intruded.
"Mrs. Lawrence is at dinner, Miss Lord," he reminded Lydia, gravely.
"Yes, I know, but this is rather--important, Hughes," said Lydia, clearing her throat nervously.
"You had better see her at the usual time to-morrow," suggested the butler, smoothly. Susan"s face burned. She longed to s.n.a.t.c.h one of the iron j.a.panese swords that decorated the hall, and with it prove to Hughes that his insolence was appreciated. But more reasonable tactics must prevail.
"Will you say that I am here, Hughes?" Miss Lord asked quietly.
"Presently," he answered, impa.s.sively.
Susan followed him for a few steps across the hall, spoke to him in a low tone.
"Too bad to ask you to interrupt her, Mr. Hughes," said she, in her friendly little way, "but you know Miss Lord"s sister has been having one of her bad times, and of course you understand--?" The blue eyes and the pitiful little smile conquered. Hughes became human.
"Certainly, Miss," he said hoa.r.s.ely, "but Madam is going to the theater to-night, and it"s no time to see her."
"I know," Susan interposed, sympathetically.
"However, ye may depend upon my taking the best moment," Hughes said, before disappearing, and when he came back a few moments later, he was almost gracious.
"Mrs. Lawrence says that if you wish to see her you"ll kindly wait, Miss Lord. Step in here, will you, please? Will ye be seated, ladies?
Miss Chrissy"s been asking for you the whole evening, Miss Lord."
"Is that so?" Lydia asked, brightening. They waited, with fast-beating hearts, for what seemed a long time. The great entrance to the flower-filled embrasure that led to the dining-room was in full view from where they stood, and when Mrs. Lawrence, elegantly emacinated, wonderfully gowned and jeweled, suddenly came out into the tempered brilliance of the electric lights both girls went to meet her.
Susan"s heart burned for Lydia, faltering out her explanation, in the hearing of the butler.
"This is hardly the time to discuss this, Miss Lord," Mrs. Lawrence said impatiently, "but I confess I am surprised that a woman who apparently valued her position in my house should jeopardize it by such an extraordinary indiscretion--"
Susan"s heart sank. No hope here!
But at this moment some six or seven young people followed Mrs.
Lawrence out of the dining-room and began hurriedly to a.s.sume their theater wraps, and Susan, with a leap of her heart, recognized among them Peter Coleman, Peter splendid in evening dress, with a light overcoat over his arm, and a silk hat in his hand. His face brightened when he saw her, he dropped his coat, and came quickly across the hall, hands outstretched.
"Henrietta! say that you remember your Percy!" he said joyously, and Susan, coloring prettily, said "Oh, hush!" as she gave him her hand. A rapid fire of questions followed, he was apparently unconscious of, or indifferent to, the curiously watching group.
"Well, you two seem to be great friends," Mrs. Lawrence said graciously, turning from her conversation with Miss Lord.
"This is our cue to sing "For you was once My Wife," Susan!" Peter suggested. Susan did not answer him. She exchanged an amused, indulgent look with Mrs. Lawrence. Perhaps the girl"s quiet dignity rather surprised that lady, for she gave her a keen, appraising look before she asked, pleasantly:
"Aren"t you going to introduce me to your old friend, Peter?"
"Not old friends," Susan corrected serenely, as they were introduced.
"But vurry, vurry de-ah," supplemented Peter, "aren"t we?"
"I hope Mrs. Lawrence knows you well enough to know how foolish you are, Peter!" Susan said composedly.
And Mrs. Lawrence said brightly, "Indeed I do! For we ARE very old friends, aren"t we, Peter?"
But the woman"s eyes still showed a little puzzlement. The exact position of this girl, with her ready "Peter," her willingness to disclaim an old friendship, her pleasant unresponsiveness, was a little hard to determine. A lady, obviously, a possible beauty, and entirely unknown--
"Well, we must run," Mrs. Lawrence recalled herself to say suddenly.
"But why won"t you and Miss Lord run up to see Chrissy for a few moments, Miss Brown? The poor kiddy is frightfully dull. And you"ll be here in the morning as usual, Miss Lord? That"s good. Good-night!"
"You did that, Sue, you darling!" exulted Lydia, as they ran down the stone steps an hour later, and locked arms to walk briskly along the dark street. "Your knowing Mr. Coleman saved the day!" And, in the exuberance of her spirits, she took Susan into a brightly lighted little candy-store, and treated her to ice-cream. They carried some home in a dripping paper box for Mary, who was duly horrified, agitated and rejoiced over the history of the day.
Through Susan"s mind, as she lay wakeful in bed that night, one scene after another flitted and faded. She saw Mrs. Lawrence, glittering and supercilious, saw Peter, glowing and gay, saw the butler, with his attempt to be rude, and the little daughter of the house, tossing about in the luxurious pillows of her big bed. She thought of Lydia Lord"s worn gloves, fumbling in her purse for money, of Mary Lord, so gratefully eating melting ice-cream from a pink saucer, with a silver souvenir spoon!
Two different worlds, and she, Susan, torn between them! How far she was from Peter"s world, she felt that she had never realized until to-night. How little gifts and pleasures signified from a man whose life was crowded with nothing else! How helpless she was, standing by while his life whirled him further and further away from the dull groove in which her own feet were set!
Yet Susan"s evening had not been without its little cause for satisfaction. She had treated Peter coolly, with dignity, with reserve, and she had seen it not only spur him to a sudden eagerness to prove his claim to her friendship, but also have its effect upon his hostess.
This was the clue, at last.