"Poor little Daisy!" cried John Brooks, wiping away a suspicious
moisture from his eyes with his rough, toil-hardened hand, "she takes
it pretty hard now; but the time will come when she will thank me for
it. Heaven knows there's nothing in this world more valuable than an
education; and she will need it, poor little, motherless child!"
As the stage drove up before the station Daisy opened her blue eyes
with a sigh. "I can at least write to Rex at once," she thought, "and
explain the whole matter to him." Daisy smiled as she thought Rex
would be sure to follow on the very next train.
John Brooks watched the smile and the flush of the rosy face, and
believed Daisy was beginning to feel more reconciled about going to
school.
"I hope we will get there by noon," said John, anxiously, taking the
seat beside her on the crowded train. "If we missed the train at the
cross-roads it would be a serious calamity. I should be obliged to
send you on alone; for I _must_ get to New York by night, as I have
some very important business to transact for the plantation which
must be attended to at once."
"Alone!" echoed Daisy, tremblingly. "Why, Uncle John, I was never away
from home alone in my life!"
"That's just the difficulty," he answered, perplexedly. "I have always
guarded my little flower from the world's cruel blasts, and you are
unused to the rough side of life."
"Still, I _could_ go on alone," persisted Daisy, bravely.
John Brooks laughed outright.
"You would get lost at the first corner, my girlie! Then I should have
to fly around to these newspaper offices, advertising for the recovery
of a little country Daisy which was either lost, strayed, or stolen.
No, no, little one!" he cried; "I would not trust you alone, a
stranger in a great city. A thousand ills might befall a young girl
with a face like yours."
"No one would know I was a stranger," replied Daisy, innocently. "I
should simply inquire the way to Madame Whitney's, and follow the
directions given me."
"There! didn't I tell you you could never find the way?" laughed John
until he was red in the face. "You suppose a city is like our country
lanes, eh?--where you tell a stranger: 'Follow that path until you
come to a sign-post, then that will tell you which road leads to the
village.' Ha! ha! ha! Why, my dear little Daisy, not one person in a
hundred whom you might meet ever heard of Madame Whitney! In cities
people don't know their very neighbors personally. They are sure to
find out if there's any scandal afloat about them--and that is all
they do know about them. You would have a lively time of it finding
Madame Whitney's without your old uncle John to pilot you through, I
can tell you."
Daisy's last hope was nipped in the bud. She had told herself, if she
were left alone, she could send a telegram back at once to Rex, and he
would join her, and she would not have to go to school--school, which
would separate a girl-bride from her handsome young husband, of whom
she was fast learning to be so fond.
"I could have sent you under the care of Mr. Stanwick," continued
John, thoughtfully. "He started for the city yesterday--but I did not
receive Madame Whitney's letter in time."
He did not notice, as he spoke, that the occupant in the seat directly
in front of them gave a perceptible start, drawing the broad slouch
hat he wore, which concealed his features so well, still further over
his face, while a cruel smile lingered for a moment about the handsome
mouth.
The stranger appeared deeply interested in the columns of the paper he
held before him; but in reality he was listening attentively to the
conversation going on behind him.
"I shall not lose sight of this pretty little girl," said Lester
Stanwick to himself, for it was he. "No power on earth shall save her
from me. I shall win her from him--by fair means or foul. It will be a
glorious revenge!"
"Madame Whitney's seminary is a very high-toned institution,"
continued John, reflectively; "and the young girls I saw there wore no
end of furbelows and ribbons; but I'll warrant for fresh, sweet beauty
you'll come out ahead of all of 'em, Pet."
"You think so much of me, dear good old uncle," cried Daisy,
gratefully. "I--I wonder if any one in the world could ever--could
ever care for me as--as you do?" whispered Daisy, laying her soft,
warm cheek against his rough hand.
"No one but a husband," he responded, promptly. "But you are too young
to have such notions in your head yet awhile. Attend to your books,
and don't think of beaus. Now that we are on the subject, I might as
well speak out what I've had on my mind some time back. I don't want
my little Daisy to fall in love with any of these strangers she
happens to meet. You are too young to know anything about love
affairs. You'll never rightly understand it until it comes to you. I
must know all about the man who wants my little Daisy. Whatever you
do, little one, do upright and honestly. And, above all, never deceive
me. I have often heard of these romantic young school-girls falling in
love with handsome strangers, and clandestine meetings following,
ending in elopements; but, mark my words, no good comes of these
deceptions--forewarned is forearmed. Daisy, you'll always remember my
words, and say to yourself: 'He knows what is best.' You will remember
what I say, won't you, Pet?"
He wondered why the fair, sweet face grew as pale as a snow-drop, and
the cold little fingers trembled in his clasp, and the velvety eyes
drooped beneath his earnest gaze.
"Yes," whispered Daisy; "I shall remember what you have said."
In spite of her efforts to speak naturally and calmly the sweet voice
would tremble.
"Bal--ti--more!" shouted the brakeman, lustily. "Twenty minutes for
breakfast. Change cars for the north and west!"
"Ah, here we are!" cried John, hastily gathering up their satchels and
innumerable bundles. "We must make haste to reach the uptown omnibus
to get a seat, or we shall have to stand and cling to the strap all
the way up. I'm an old traveler, you see. There's nothing like knowing
the ins and outs."
"Have a coach uptown, sir? Take you to any part of the city. Coach,
sir?" cried innumerable hackmen, gathering about them.
Daisy tightened her hold on John's arm. She quite believed they
intended to pick her up and put her in the coach by main force. One of
them was actually walking off with her reticule.
"Hold there, young man," cried John, quickly, recovering the satchel.
"Don't make yourself uneasy on our account. We would be pleased to
ride in your conveyance if you don't charge anything. We have no
money."
The loquacious hackmen fell back as if by magic. Daisy was blushing
like a rose, terribly embarrassed. John Brooks laughed long and
heartily.
"That's the quickest way in the world to rid yourself of those
torments," he declared, enjoying his little joke hugely. "Why, Daisy,
if you had come on alone some of those chaps would have spirited you
away without even saying so much as 'by your leave.'"
Mme. Whitney's Seminary for Young Ladies was a magnificent structure,
situated in the suburbs of Baltimore. On either side of the pebbled
walk which led to the main entrance were tall fountains tossing their
rainbow-tinted sprays up to the summer sunshine. The lawn in front was
closely shaven, and through the trees in the rear of the building
could be seen the broad rolling Chesapeake dancing and sparkling in
the sunlight. The reputation of this institution was second to none.
Young ladies were justly proud of being able to say they finished
their education at Mme. Whitney's establishment.
As a natural consequence, the school was composed of the _élite_ of
the South. Clang! clang! clang! sounded the great bell from the belfry
as Daisy, with a sinking, homesick feeling stealing over her, walked
slowly up the paved walk by John Brooks' side toward the imposing,
aristocratic structure.
Poor little Daisy never forgot that first day at boarding-school; how
all the dainty young girls in their soft white muslins glanced in
surprise at her when Mme. Whitney brought her into the school-room,
but she could have forgiven them for that if they had not laughed at
her poor old uncle John, in his plain country garb, and they giggled
behind their handkerchiefs when she clung to his neck and could not
say good-bye through her tears, but sunk down into her seat, leaning
her head on her desk, bravely trying to keep back the pearly drops
that would fall.
When recess came Daisy did not leave her seat. She would have given
the world to have heard Rex's voice just then; she was beginning to
realize how much his sheltering love was to her. She would even have
been heartily glad to have been back in the little kitchen at the
cottage, no matter how much Septima scolded her.
All the girls here had the same haughty way of tossing their heads and
curling their lips and looking innumerable things out of their eyes,
which reminded Daisy so strongly of Pluma Hurlhurst.
Most of the girls had left the school-room, dividing off into groups
and pairs here and there. Daisy sat watching them, feeling wretchedly
lonely. Suddenly a soft white hand was laid lightly on her shoulder,
and a sweet voice said:
"We have a recess of fifteen minutes, won't you come out into the
grounds with me? I should be so pleased to have you come." The voice
was so gentle, so coaxing, so sweet, Daisy involuntarily glanced up at
the face of the young girl bending over her as she arose to accompany
her. She put her arm around Daisy's waist, school-girl fashion, as
they walked down the lone halls and out to the green grassy lawn. "My
name is Sara Miller," she said; "will you tell me yours?"
"Daisy Brooks," she answered, simply.
"What a pretty name!" cried her new-found friend, enthusiastically,
"and how well it suits you! Why, it is a little poem in itself."
Daisy flushed as rosy as the crimson geraniums near them, remembering
Rex, her own handsome Rex, had said the same thing that morning he had
carried her heavy basket to the gates of Whitestone Hall--that morning
when all the world seemed to change as she glanced up into his merry
brown eyes.
"We are to be room-mates," explained Sara, "and I know I shall like
you ever so much. Do you think you will like me?"
"Yes," said Daisy. "I like you now."
"Thank you," said Miss Sara, making a mock courtesy. "I am going to
love you with all my might, and if you don't love me you will be the
most ungrateful creature in the world. I know just how lonesome you
must be," continued Sara. "I remember just how lonesome I was the
first day I was away from mamma, and when night set in and I was all
alone, and I knew I was securely locked in, I was actually thinking of
tearing the sheets of my bed into strips and making a rope of them,
and letting myself down to the ground through the window, and making
for home as fast as I could. I knew I would be brought back the next
day, though," laughed Sara. "Mamma is so strict with me. I suppose
yours is too?"
"I have no mother--or father," answered Daisy. "All my life I have
lived with John Brooks and his sister Septima, on the Hurlhurst
Plantation. I call them aunt and uncle. Septima has often told me no
relationship at all existed between us."
"You are an orphan, then?" suggested the sympathetic Sara. "Is there
no one in all the world related to you?"
"Yes--no--o," answered Daisy, confusedly, thinking of Rex, her young
husband, and of the dearest relationship in all the world which
existed between them.
"What a pity," sighed Sara. "Well, Daisy," she cried, impulsively,
throwing both her arms around her and giving her a hearty kiss, "you
and I will be all the world to each other. I shall tell you all my
secrets and you must tell me yours. There's some girls you can trust,
and some you can't. If you tell them your secrets, the first time you
have a spat your secret is a secret no longer. Every girl in the
school knows all about it; of course you are sure to make up again.
But," added Sara, with a wise expression, "after you are once
deceived, you can never trust them again."
"I have never known many girls," replied Daisy. "I do not know how
others do, but I'm sure you can always trust my friendship."
And the two girls sealed their compact with a kiss, just as the great
bell in the belfry rang, warning them they must be at their lessons
again--recess was over.