"Few arrive," said Mrs. Vanderpool. Zora softly bent and pa.s.sed her cool soft hand over her forehead.
"Then why do they go?"
"The zest of the search, perhaps."
"No," said Zora as she noiselessly left the room and closed the door; "no, they are searching for something they have lost. Perhaps they, too, are searching for the Way," and the tears blinded her eyes.
Mrs. Vanderpool lay in the quiet darkened room with a puzzled smile on her lips. A month ago she had not dreamed that human interest in anybody would take so strong a hold upon her as her liking for Zora had done.
She was a woman of unusual personal charm, but her own interest and affections were seldom stirred. Had she been compelled to earn a living she would have made a successful teacher or manipulator of men. As it was, she viewed the human scene with detached and cynical interest. She had no children, few near relations, a husband who went his way and still was a gentleman.
Essentially Mrs. Vanderpool was unmoral. She held the code of her social set with sportsmanlike honor; but even beyond this she stooped to no intrigue, because none interested her. She had all the elements of power save the motive for doing anything in particular. For the first time, perhaps, Zora gave her life a peculiar human interest. She did not love the girl, but she was intensely interested in her; some of the interest was selfish, for Zora was going to be a perfect maid. The girl"s language came to be more and more like Mrs. Vanderpool"s; her dress and taste in adornment had been Mrs. Vanderpool"s first care, and it led to a curious training in art and sense of beauty until the lady now and then found herself learner before the quick suggestiveness of Zora"s mind.
When Mrs. Harry Cresswell called a month or so later the talk naturally included mention of Zora. Mary was happy and vivacious, and noted the girl"s rapid development.
"I wonder what I shall make out of her?" queried Mrs. Vanderpool. "Do you know, I believe I could mould her into a lady if she were not black."
Mary Cresswell laughed. "With that hair?"
"It has artistic possibilities. You should have seen my hair-dresser"s face when I told her to do it up. Her face and Zora"s were a pantomime for the G.o.ds. Yet it was done. It lay in some great twisted cloud and in that black net gown of mine Zora was simply magnificent. Her form is perfect, her height is regal, her skin is satin, and my jewels found a resting place at last. Jewels, you know, dear, were never meant for white folk. I was tempted to take her to the box at the opera and let New York break its impudent neck."
Mary was shocked.
"But, Mrs. Vanderpool," she protested, "is it right? Is it fair? Why should you spoil this black girl and put impossible ideas into her head?
You can make her a perfect maid, but she can never be much more in America."
"She is a perfect maid now; that"s the miracle of it--she"s that deft and quick and quiet and thoughtful! The hotel employees think her perfect; my friends rave--really, I"m the most blessed of women. But do you know I like the girl? I--well, I think of her future."
"It"s wrong to treat her as you do. You make her an equal. Her room is one of the best and filled with books and bric-a-brac. She sometimes eats with you--is your companion, in fact."
"What of it? She loves to read, and I guide her while she keeps me up on the latest stuff. She can talk much better than many of my friends and then she piques my curiosity: she"s a sort of intellectual sauce that stirs my rapidly failing mental appet.i.te. I think that as soon as I can make up my mind to spare her, I"ll take her to France and marry her off in the colonies."
"Well, that"s possible; but one doesn"t easily give up good servants. By the way, I learn from Miss Smith that the boy, Bles Alwyn, in whom Zora was so interested, is a clerk in the Treasury Department at Washington."
"Indeed! I"m going to Washington this winter; I"ll look him over and see if he"s worth Zora--which I greatly doubt."
Mrs. Cresswell pursed her lips and changed the subject.
"Have you seen the Easterlys?"
"The ladies left their cards--they are quite impossible. Mr. Easterly calls this afternoon. I can"t imagine why, but he asked for an appointment. Will you go South with Mr. Cresswell? I"m glad to hear he"s entering politics."
"No, I shall do some early house hunting in Washington," said Mrs.
Cresswell, rising as Mr. Easterly was announced.
Mr. Easterly was not at home in Mrs. Vanderpool"s presence. She spoke a language different from his, and she had shown a disconcerting way, in the few times when he had spoken with her, of letting the weight of the conversation rest on him. He felt very distinctly that Mrs. Vanderpool was not particularly desirous of his company, nor that of his family.
Nevertheless, he needed Mrs. Vanderpool"s influence just now, and he was willing to pay considerable for it. Once under obligation to him her services would be very valuable. He was glad to find Mrs. Cresswell there. It showed that the Cresswells were still intimate, and the Cresswells were bound to him and his interests by strong ties. He bowed as Mrs. Cresswell left, and then did not beat around the bush because, in this case, he did not know how.
"Mrs. Vanderpool, I need your aid."
Mrs. Vanderpool smiled politely, and murmured something.
"We are, you know, in the midst of a rather warm presidential campaign,"
continued Mr. Easterly.
"Yes?" with polite interest.
"We are going to win easily, but our majority in Congress for certain matters will depend on the att.i.tude of Southerners and you usually spend the winters in Washington. If, now, you could drop a word here and there--"
"But why should I?" asked Mrs. Vanderpool.
"Mrs. Vanderpool, to be frank, I know some excellent investments that your influence in this line would help. I take it you"re not so rich but that--"
Mrs. Vanderpool smiled faintly.
"Really, Mr. Easterly, I know little about such matters and care less. I have food and clothes. Why worry with more?"
Mr. Easterly half expected this and he determined to deliver his last shot on the run. He arose with a disappointed air.
"Of course, Mrs. Vanderpool, I see how it is: you have plenty and one can"t expect your services or influence for nothing. It had occurred to me that your husband might like something political; but I presume not."
"Something political?"
"Yes. You see, it"s barely possible, for instance, that there will be a change in the French amba.s.sadorship. The present amba.s.sador is old and--well, I don"t know, but as I say, it"s possible. Of course though, that may not appeal to you, and I can only beg your good offices in charity if--if you see your way to help us. Well, I must be going."
"What is--I thought the President appointed amba.s.sadors."
"To be sure, but we appoint Presidents," laughed Mr. Easterly.
"Good-day. I shall hope to see you in Washington."
"Good-day," Mrs. Vanderpool returned absently.
After he had gone she walked slowly to Zora"s room and opened the door.
For a long time she stood quietly looking in. Zora was curled in a chair with a book. She was in dreamland; in a world of books builded thoughtfully for her by Mrs. Vanderpool, and before that by Miss Smith.
Her work took but little of her time and left hours for reading and thinking. In that thought-life, more and more her real living centred.
Hour after hour, day after day, she lay buried, deaf and dumb to all else. Her heart cried, up on the World"s four corners of the Way, and to it came the Vision Splendid. She gossiped with old Herodotus across the earth to the black and blameless Ethiopians; she saw the sculptured glories of Phidias marbled amid the splendor of the swamp; she listened to Demosthenes and walked the Appian Way with Cornelia--while all New York streamed beneath her window.
She saw the drunken Goths reel upon Rome and heard the careless Negroes yodle as they galloped to Toomsville. Paris, she knew,--wonderful, haunting Paris: the Paris of Clovis, and St. Louis; of Louis the Great, and Napoleon III; of Balzac, and her own Dumas. She tasted the mud and comfort of thick old London, and the while wept with Jeremiah and sang with Deborah, Semiramis, and Atala. Mary of Scotland and Joan of Arc held her dark hands in theirs, and Kings lifted up their sceptres.
She walked on worlds, and worlds of worlds, and heard there in her little room the tread of armies, the paeans of victory, the breaking of hearts, and the music of the spheres.
Mrs. Vanderpool watched her a while.
"Zora," she presently broke into the girl"s absorption, "how would you like to be Amba.s.sador to France?"
_Twenty-four_