There was something of a sensation created in the Chalmers household
when the announcement of Carlita's engagement was made.
Not that there was anything spoken in the presence of Olney Winthrop
but the sweetest words of congratulation; but when he had departed,
and mother and daughter were left alone, the latter stretched herself
out at a comfortable angle, with a cigarette between her lips, and
exclaimed, leisurely:
"It appears, to a man up a tree, that we are getting very little out of
this game that we have played. Do you propose to let Winthrop's pair
beat your full hand? It strikes me that you are losing your cunning
with a vengeance. Four weeks in that beastly hole in New Orleans; a
lot of sticky black garments clinging about one for the same length of
time, and making life a nightmare; a funeral to attend, and tears until
one could float a ship in them; acting a part from morning until night,
and even through the night, for what? The really good Samaritan work
of getting the little mulatto engaged and robbing us of eight thousand
a year, not to speak of the advantage of handling her money, and so
affording an abode 'fitted to her station in life,' as the idiotic
lawyers say. Rats! It isn't my line, I confess. What are you going to
do?"
Mrs. Chalmers pathetically fondled the ears of her ever-present dog.
"How should I know?" she answered, meekly. "I thought we were doing
the safest thing possible when we were keeping Leith Pierrepont away
from her. It never occurred to me that it could be possible that she
would fall in love with Olney Winthrop, though I knew he was head over
ears in love with her. I told you she was dangerous when we brought her
here, though you would not have it."
"What were we to do with her, pray? A school wasn't to be thought of at
her age, and an asylum wasn't possible, worse luck! But something must
be done. We can't commit highway robbery and deliberately pilfer her
estate. I confess it wouldn't go greatly against my conscience, for I
can see no earthly reason why she should have all and I nothing. But
there is that confounded hole Sing Sing to consider. Look here, the
blood in your veins has grown to milk and water recently. I wonder if
you would have the nerve to carry out an idea that has struck me?"
"What is it?"
Jessica threw away her cigarette and lighted a fresh one before
replying. When she spoke again, her voice had assumed a lower tone.
"You will agree, of course, that she is of a wildly, sentimental
nature, like all Mexican and half-breed Indians. She has proven that by
falling in love with Olney's white face. I don't think she cares the
snap of her finger for him, except that she pities him and--wants to be
loved. It is such a fine, beautiful thing. Pouf! Well, it is my belief
that if we could get him out of the way for awhile, she would discover
that fact, and jilt him."
"But how are we to get him out of the way?" inquired Mrs. Chalmers,
actually putting the dog aside once and lifting her suspiciously golden
head interestedly.
"I haven't quite prepared that side of my subject," answered Jessica,
calmly. "There has not been time to go into it in detail as yet. The
announcement is too new, and I confess it never occurred to me that she
could be such a fool. I am inclined to believe she might have made a
sensation if only she had been content to wait until she got rid of
that hideous mourning. Still, I have thought--"
"What?"
"Winthrop is largely interested in some Mexican mines."
"Yes, I know, I heard Leith Pierrepont speaking of it."
"He must be suddenly summoned there."
Mrs. Chalmers lifted her head and looked at her daughter admiringly.
"What a head you have, Jessica, to be sure! But how is it to be
accomplished?"
"That is the detail which I haven't quite mastered. Do you know where
your old friend Meriaz is located?"
Mrs. Chalmers colored. She hesitated a moment, then answered, slowly:
"Yes, I think so."
"That is good. Then we must utilize him. If he had had a little more
money, I should have urged your marrying him. As it is, he must think
you mean to recall him, and so be made to serve you."
"You forget--"
"No, I don't forget anything. I am peculiarly alive to the fact
to which you would have called my attention. We must insure the
co-operation of Meriaz."
"There will be no doubt of that. He will obey my instructions."
"Are you sure?"
"Perfectly."
"All right. You write to him at once, telling him where these mines are
and all the information which you remember Leith to have given. He can
arrange the details of the affair better than I can. If you wish, you
might tell him that I have fallen in love with the fellow, and that
you are anxious to get him out of the city on that account. Tell him
that Winthrop must be summoned at once, that time is valuable, and that
he must make the excuse for summoning him there a tremendously strong
one, else it will be of no avail. You understand just what I mean now?"
"Yes; and it strikes me as being a good one. It will give us a chance
to get abroad, if we see that there is no possibility of weaning her
from the attachment."
"Yes, and in the meantime give me an opportunity to look into her
finances, and see what is possible to be done. I haven't been down in
that God-forsaken country to be plucked of our game by Olney Winthrop,
I will tell you. Money doesn't grow on trees, and it rather strikes me
that men are getting rather shy of our poker-table. They don't seem
half as anxious to lose their precious ducats as they once did."
"Last night at the opera I heard a man in the next box ask Dudley
Maltby who you were and his answer was: 'The most inveterate little
gambler in New York, and the most unscrupulous.'"
"Dudley Maltby said that?"
"He did."
There was a dangerous expression in the brown eyes. For a moment the
lips were slightly compressed, then she arose and went to her desk
quite calmly.
"What are you going to do?" inquired her mother.
"Ask Dudley Maltby to dinner and to the opera Friday night. He shall
pay for that remark with every particle of his reputation."
"It strikes me that you are rather--rather neglecting Leith of late."
"Nonsense! That is something which I shall never do; but he is safe
enough. He is more in love with me than he ever was in his life
before."
Mrs. Chalmers looked a trifle uncomfortable. She hesitated a moment
while Jessica was selecting a pen, then said, forcing herself to speak
quietly:
"What makes you think so?"
"He told me tonight that I had neglected him cruelly, and that he felt
piqued and hurt. He said that there was no woman who had the power to
hurt him as I had."
"But--but he--he didn't tell you that he--he loved you, did he? He
didn't ask you to be his wife?"
"What do you mean?"
Jessica turned suddenly, her interest in the note abated.
"Nothing special," answered her mother, carelessly, "only--only that
he--well, he doesn't seem half so devoted to you as he did before he
went away."
"He called upon me almost within the hour of his return."
"Yes, I know he did, but--but he hasn't followed it up well, and--my
dear Jessica, I found a Spanish book in his overcoat pocket tonight."
It never occurred to Jessica to ask how she had found it in his
overcoat pocket, or what she was doing looking through the pocket. She
was accustomed to that, and thought nothing of it. It was the fact
which interested her. Her brows drew angrily.
"Do you mean to say that you think he is in love with Carlita?" she
asked, her voice tense and strange.
"Perhaps not exactly in love with her," answered her mother, uneasily,
"but very much interested in her."
"I would kill her first! I would kill them both!"
The words came through the set lips as if the speaker were perfectly
capable of carrying out her threat or any other dire calamity that
should suggest itself to her, and Mrs. Chalmers moved anxiously.
"Perhaps I shouldn't have said quite so much!" she exclaimed,
soothingly. "It may be only a desire to--to understand, but--but--"
"I shall watch! I shall see!" exclaimed Jessica, leaving her desk
and walking restlessly up and down the floor. "Do not fear but that
I should know how to revenge myself upon him as well as her. I have
rather suspected him. He has been so careful of all that he has said to
me since his return, so careful of who should see him in our box. He is
not too good to be there, but he doesn't want to be seen. I heard him
say to her upon the night of their first meeting, that it would break
his heart to see his sister play a game of poker."
"He said that?"
"He did! But I will teach him that he is playing with an edged tool
this time. I shall prove to him that I know how to take a revenge, and
it shall be a bitter one, if he dares to do this thing. Write your
letter to Meriaz. I am anxious to see this to the end."