"Miss Helma? No, miss, that she ain"t," replied Maggie. "Oh, I beg your pardon, miss; but it"s it"s the bonnet at the top of your head."
"My bonnet?" said Kitty.
"Yes, miss. Oh, I do beg your pardon, miss--I was took all of a heap.
Yes, miss, I"m attending now. But oh, if you would just turn your head a little."
"You must be mad," said Kitty. But her eyes began to sparkle.
"Do listen to me," she continued; "it"s most important. Is Miss Elma not at home?"
"No, miss; she"s out for the day, and so is the missus and Miss Carrie.
They"re all out a-pleasuring in their different ways, and they has left me at home to drudge. I"m the household drudge, miss, and no wonder I"m took with anything so pretty. Do you mind telling me, miss, if them wiolets is real?"
"Oh, the violets in my toque--are those what you are staring at?" said Kitty. "Well, now, I"ll tell you what I"ll do--I"ll give you the whole bunch if you"ll let me come into the house and write a letter to Elma, and if you"ll further faithfully promise that you will give it to her the instant she comes home."
"To be sure I will, miss. Come right along in. Oh, what a beautiful young lady you is!"
"Every one tells me I am beautiful," thought Kitty. "It really is very pleasant. I am more flattered here than I was in Ireland. People told me there I had a face like cream and roses, or cream and strawberries, and father used to say that I had washed it in the fairies" dew, and Laurie would tell me that I was a bouncing girl and no mistake; but then Aunt Honora was always saying: "Kitty dear, beauty is only skin deep, and don"t be set up by it, child. Handsome is that handsome does, Kitty."
Oh, how she would deave me with that old proverb. But here they seem to think beauty is a talent, and I ought to be desperately proud of it. Oh, faith, but why do I think of these things when my precious duck of a Laurie is in the mess he has got into. He go to England to break his heart, the darling! Not a bit of it; not while his Kitty has her wits about her."
Meanwhile Maggie conducted this ravishing and welcome visitor into the tiny sitting-room, furnished her with pen, ink, and paper, and then began to hover about near the door in order to get another view of the lovely cap.
Kitty bent her head over the sheet of paper and indited a letter in hot and furious haste:
"DEAR ELMA: I am so sorry, but I must ask you to return that eight pounds to me immediately. I want it for Laurie. He has got into trouble and requires it; so don"t keep me waiting a single minute if you can help it. I am so sorry you are out; but will you bring it to me the instant you return home? It is of the most vital importance. I am in dreadful trouble, and nothing else will save Laurie. Yours in great haste, KITTY MALONE."
Having written the letter, Kitty looked round for an envelope; Maggie also searched to right and left, but could not find one.
"But it will be all right, miss," she said. "I"ll lay it just as it is flat out on the table, and Miss Helma will see it the moment she comes in."
"Thank you," answered Kitty. "And now I must go. Be sure you give it to her her the instant she returns, and tell her to come straight to me with the money, for I must send it off to-night whatever happens. It is a money transaction; and you understand, don"t you? What is your name?"
"Maggie, miss."
"Well, you understand, Maggie, that any transaction connected with money is very important."
"Like the Bank of England, miss?"
"Yes, to be sure, and--"
"Oh, miss, forgive me; but you promised me them wiolets."
"To be sure I did."
Kitty s.n.a.t.c.hed them from her toque, flung them to Maggie, who caught them in an ecstacy, and a moment later was running home as fast as she could.
CHAPTER XI.
IN CARRIE"S BEDROOM.
Of the Lewis family the first who came home that special evening was Carrie. She walked straight into the little sitting-room, where Kitty Malone"s letter lying on top of the blotter immediately attracted her attention. It need not be said that she instantly read it, and not only once but twice.
"Ha! ha! Elma, I have got you into my power at last," she said to herself. "So that accounts for the money. Now, what did you borrow it from that queer Irish girl for? But now that I know a thing or two. I may be able to draw on you to a considerable extent. Return it! not you--you are not likely to; but I think I"ll be able to frighten you. I shall certainly do my utmost."
It will be seen from these remarks that Carrie was by no means an amiable girl. She ran up to her room, took off her hat, and surveyed herself in the pale blue dress which had been purchased with some of poor Kitty"s money. She then returned to the sitting-room, and folding up the letter, deliberately put it into her pocket. As she was doing so Maggie came in to lay the tea.
"Oh lor! Miss Carrie," cried the maid-of-all-work as she spread the not-too-clean cloth upon the table, "whatever "as become of that bit of writin" that was lyin" atop of the blotter here?"
"What bit of writing?" asked Carrie, turning calmly round and surveying her.
"Oh, a letter miss; I don"t know what was in it, but it was a money transaction, as important as the Bank of England, and it was to be give to Miss Helma the very instant she come "ome. Didn"t you see it, miss, when you come in?"
"No, I didn"t," said Carrie promptly. "I saw no letter of any kind.
Here"s the blotter, there is nothing on it. It may have got between the folds, however." She took up the thick pad of blotting-paper and shook it, but no letter dropped out.
"There," she said. "I have not the least doubt that Fido jumped on the table and took it up and ate it."
"Oh lor! miss, you don"t think so?"
"I should not be surprised. Fido can never resist paper; he is always pulling it about and chewing it."
Maggie looked frantically under the table for even stray pieces of the letter, but she could not find any.
"If he had ate it," she said at last, fixing Carrie with a very determined stare--"if he had ate it he would have left some bits about.
I don"t believe it; I believe you "as took it Miss Carrie. Oh, miss, for shame; and it was as important as the Bank of England--a money transaction, miss, what ought not to be trifled with. I can"t read writin", though I can read books fair enough; but the young lady was awful put about."
"What young lady?" asked Carrie. "You had better tell me everything."
"Oh, it was that Irish young lady, Miss Malone. She come here with the most beautiful "at on (no, it was wot they calls a talk), and the wiolets in it they might "av growed, I could a"most smell "em; and she come in distracted like, and writ the letter, and told me I was to give it to Miss Helma the very moment she returned, and that Miss Helma was to take her the money to-night--what money is more than I can tell, for I didn"t think Miss Helma ever had any. And she said it was an important transaction. And I said, "Is it like the Bank of England, miss?" and she said, "Yes, to be sure." Why, Miss Carrie, you have not gone and hid the letter, "ave you? That would be real mean of you."
"Look here," said Carrie; "what did you say about those violets?"
"Why, she gave "em to me, miss; she took "em out of her cap, and she give "em to me, and I was to give the letter to Miss Helma. It was a fair and honest bargain, and I must keep my part of it miss."
"Would you like some roses to put with the violets?" said Carrie, making a careful calculation.
"Roses, miss? That would be prime, and very seasonable, wouldn"t they miss?"
"Yes, violets and roses look very pretty together, and I"ll pin them into your hat and furbish it up. And, look here, Maggie, you can go out with your young man on Sunday. I"ll manage it--I can. I will stay at home."
"Oh, Miss Carrie, you don"t mean it?"
"Yes, I do. I"ll manage it; but I"ll do it only on a condition."