"It is not that, and I am unable to explain. Laurie must have the money.
He wants me to help him about something, and I must send it to him to-morrow."
"I wish I could give it to you," said Elma. "I would do anything in all the world to let you have it back; but it isn"t my fault."
"What did you spend it on? Dress?"
"Oh, in different ways." Elma had made up her mind not to tell about Carrie and Sam Raynes.
"I"ll let her think that I spent the money on finery," she said to herself. "She is sympathizing about dress. I"ll let her think that."
Kitty"s hands had dropped to her sides; a look of despair filled her face.
"What is to be done?" she said. "I never thought for a moment you could not let me have it back."
"You shall have it in a week; that I promise you faithfully."
"But a week will be no good, Elma. Oh! Elma, Elma, Laurie will suffer for this. They will take his freedom from him; he will be like a chained lion; he will lose his spirit; perhaps--perhaps he will die. I cannot stand it, Elma, I cannot."
Kitty covered her face with both her hands, and the tears which with difficulty she had been keeping back all the evening burst forth in torrents. Kitty did not cry as an English girl might. She cried with the wild, pa.s.sionate sobs of those who have seldom exercised self-control.
Elma was dreadfully frightened.
"Do stop, Kitty," she said. "You make so much noise; mother and Carrie will hear you. Carrie will come down."
"What if she does?" cried Kitty. "Oh, Laurie, Laurie! this will break your heart. You are ruined; ruined for life!"
"There are more than Laurie ruined for life, it seems to me," said Elma.
"Kitty, I am ever so sorry; but if you will only be patient I will try and think of some plan of helping you. Now, please, please, promise me one thing--you won"t tell that I asked you for this money?"
"Why not? I must tell some one. I must get the money somehow."
"But you made me a promise you would not tell. It is very wrong to break a promise."
"I don"t care whether it is right or wrong. I cannot keep this secret, Elma. I must remember Laurie, Perhaps Mr. Denvers will lend me the money. I must think of Laurie first."
"Please, Kitty, listen to me. If you will promise to keep my secret I"ll manage to get you the money somehow."
"But how, Elma?"
"Oh, I"ll think out some plan. Do promise me that you"ll keep my secret.
It would be my ruin if it were known. Do promise, Kitty; do, please."
"I cannot," said Kitty. She walked restlessly to the door. "I must go,"
she said; "if I don"t they will discover that I am out."
"And if they do you"ll get into an awful sc.r.a.pe."
"Oh, it doesn"t matter; I can"t be worse off than I am. My one hope now is that they will expel me; then I"ll have to return to Ireland; and perhaps I may coax father not to be too hard on Laurie."
"Then Kitty, you have quite made up your mind to tell all about me?"
"I think so. I cannot imagine why it matters."
"But it does, and I must give you the reason. I did wrong, dreadfully wrong, ever to ask you for that money. I broke one of the strictest rules of the school."
"What do you mean?"
"It is one of the strictest rules of Middleton School that no schoolgirl must ask another to lend her money. The governors are terribly particular. If it is ever known I shall be most likely expelled. Anyhow, my character will be gone, and I shall be ruined for life. Oh, Kitty, you have not such a hard life as I have. Do have pity on me."
Kitty stood silent; she was thinking deeply.
"You"ll promise; won"t you?" repeated Elma.
"I can"t say. I scarcely know what I am doing at the present moment."
"Then listen to me. If you tell about the money I"ll tell about this visit. There; don"t you see now we are quits."
"You tell! That would be mean of you."
"Yes. I"ll tell that you broke your parole."
"But I never gave it."
"Oh, that is only begging the question, Kitty. Miss Sherrard understood that you had given it. When you came here you broke it. You"ll get into a terrible sc.r.a.pe."
"And you spoke to me, Elma; so you too will get into a sc.r.a.pe."
Kitty"s tears stopped like summer rain, and a flash of sunshine flew across her charming face.
"Poor Elma, you will be in hot water too," she said. "What a muddle everything is in."
"You see, Kitty, we must cling together, for we are both in the same boat. I"ll do my utmost to get you that money. I am sure I can manage somehow. But you must not tell."
"All right. I"ll keep the secret until after school to-morrow. Good-by, Elma."
She left the house, and Elma returned to Carrie.
"Who were you talking to all that time?" exclaimed Carrie.
"That unfortunate girl, Kitty Malone."
"You mean to say she was here?"
"Yes; she came about the money. I am miserable about it. I promised to get it for her by hook or by crook. How can I manage?"
"Look here," said Carrie after a pause, during which she was sitting up in bed and thinking intently. "You say that Kitty Malone is very rich?"
"Yes, of course she is. She has more money than she knows what to do with. Why, I tell you, Carrie, the day she lent me those eight sovereigns I saw fifteen in her purse. Fancy a girl having fifteen sovereigns just to do what she liked with? I could scarcely realize it.
I took the money before I knew what I was doing. She did tempt me so sorely when she showed me her purse."