Gabrielle did not find it necessary to confide immediately in Hygeia,
who cared for us both, but as Jim progressed more favorably than I, and
was able to sit up in bed propped with pillows, he became talkative and
inclined to drop remarks that might create suspicion in the mind of the
nurse. Unless Hygeia became her confidante, Gabrielle feared Jim's
identity might become known and his whereabouts learned by the officers
of the law, who were now apparently searching for him on misleading
clues.
"You will be my good friend, will you not?" asked Gabrielle, as she drew
Hygeia closely to her one morning about a week after our entrance to the
hospital. "I want you to help me, and I know you now so well that I feel
I may safely ask you to. May I?"
"My dear Miss Marshall, there is nothing I will not do for you, believe
me. I rejoice that your brother is showing such rapid improvement. How
much more fortunate he is than the poor fellow in the next room--his
friend, I believe you said?"
"Yes, Mr. Hopkins is his friend. But Mr. Marshall is not my brother,
and--"
"Tut, tut! Didn't I know it, my dear! Have I not watched you both? I am
already keeping your secret, never fear. Tell me only what you please,
but you need not tell me to have your good-will, for my heart is with
you, my dear."
"Oh, you are such a kind, good friend!" exclaimed Gabrielle. "It is your
sympathy and care that will save the lives of these men. Let me tell you
why I so promptly had him" (pointing to Jim, who was beyond hearing),
"registered as George Marshall, my brother. My father accuses him of
many things--many foolish things--but you know how it is with an
impetuous father; these things have been enlarged in his eyes by wicked
men, who are conspiring for gain. Detectives, they call themselves, and
so long as my father hesitates to publicly expose his family, these men
feed upon his fears. I have good reason to believe that Mr. Hopkins, so
long friendly to him--whose real name is James Hosley--is now his bitter
enemy, for he has given information concerning him to the authorities.
And my real name is Gabrielle Tescheron, so you see--"
"Gracious! But this is a conspiracy," exclaimed Hygeia, deeply
interested and ready to declare her loyalty to the lovers. "How can you
account for the base treachery of that man?" (pointing toward my room,
the quarters of the despicable villain in the case.) "What a miserable
wretch he must be!"
"But, my dear," said Gabrielle, who now felt that she was established on
a firm footing of intimacy with the nurse, "I am not positive as to
that, although I have good reason to believe he has deserted his old
chum; still I am not sure, for I have only heard so through my father,
who is, of course, strongly prejudiced. There are many things I do not
understand. I do know that a subpoena has been issued for my father on
the complaint of Mr. Hopkins, and so, of course, he must have informed
the officials concerning Mr. Hosley, probably accusing him directly as
alleged by the detectives and outlined to me hastily by my father. Had
Mr. Hopkins not done this we would not have been hurried out of the
State to escape the unpleasant publicity of which my father has a
horror. Oh, father is such a hot-head!"
"Your love is all you base your loyalty on," smiled Hygeia, and
embracing Gabrielle, she kissed her desperately. "Indeed, no harm shall
visit either of you," Hygeia tenderly assured Gabrielle.
"But to me this situation is very silly," added Gabrielle. "And were it
not for my hasty father and this fire intervening, I know full well that
Mr. Hopkins would have made an explanation which would have exonerated
Jim. I feel so, but I shall take no risks--no risks whatever, mind you.
While I do feel that perfidy in Mr. Hopkins is beyond belief, I shall be
cautious, and with your help shall keep him in ignorance of Mr. Hosley's
whereabouts. If he did tell a lie to my father about notifying the
officials, then let him come forward with the denial. But we must not be
too hard on the poor fellow; think how much more he has suffered than
Jim. Let us divide the beautiful flowers. Half the time let poor Benny
Hopkins gaze on these roses and orchids I send to Jim, and tell him,
too, my dear, that they come from me. Let us hear what he says. Perhaps
some day all will be clear to us again. Jim and Ben will again be
friends, and you will be our new-found friend, whom we shall all rejoice
in finding in our hour of need. How beautiful it will be then, and these
days of sorrow will be turned into pleasant memories! Poor Mr. Hopkins,
he does seem so low at times! Do you think he will get well?"
"I think he will," assured Hygeia. "Each day he rests a little better,
but his head is not clear. He wanders a good deal. But Dr. Hanley says
that condition will improve--in fact, it shows signs of improvement as
his temperature becomes more even."
"I do pray he will recover," said Gabrielle, sadly, shaking her head.
"Jim has such faith in him--laughs at my fears and bids me let him be
wheeled into Ben's room as soon as the doctors will allow us to go in
there, for he knows he can cheer him. Jim says Ben is so given to
sarcasm and joking that people who do not know him well misunderstand
him. I shall not allow it, however, as there is too much at risk. Jim
does not know all. If I am wrong in this, Ben Hopkins is responsible,
for he deceived my father and drove us all over there to Hoboken. What a
place for an exile! Jim laughs every time I tell him about it. Oh, such
a state of affairs, just as we had planned to be married!"
"Isn't it too bad!" exclaimed Hygeia. "Never mind; we shall all laugh
over it at the wedding, if I may be there."
"When everything comes out all right in our affairs, indeed you shall
be there. You shall be my bridesmaid; Nellie Gibson is to be my maid of
honor, and Benny Hopkins, Jim's best man. Won't it be grand! Let me tell
you about my gowns. I have nearly all of them ready. First there is
the--"
Here I shall leave them to talk of the trousseau. My notes on this
branch of the subject were gathered from Hygeia and are full enough to
give an adequate description. This I would do, but I am afraid I would
get tangled in the trail, scalp the bride by tearing off her veil with a
flying heel, and fall down on some of the fine lace flouncing around the
box pleats hiding the chiffon and the crepe de chine. Hygeia told me the
style of the wedding gown was Princess, but there was a reception
gown--I was told, but I forget now how many yards it contained; if the
8,643 tucks were taken out and the goods stretched, I understood there
was enough to show that a silk mill and lace factory had been busy
several days. As for the silkworms, I suppose they were all summer
chewing up a row of mulberry bushes on this job. Weddings make a lot of
work for everybody.
Hygeia did everything possible to make it pleasant for Gabrielle at the
hospital. She tactfully left the sick man alone with his "sister" the
greater part of every afternoon. With sorrow to knit more firmly the
bonds of love, it would appear that no disturbing influence could enter
there. They chatted quietly and laughed merrily, and when they were not
doing either they were silently telling each other of their happiness by
those glances that had partially betrayed their secret to Hygeia before
she learned it from Gabrielle's lips.
Gabrielle became such a motherly person at the hospital! With a dainty
white dotted Swiss apron tied in sprightly bows about her waist, "in
sweet perfection cast," she sat near the window sewing or embroidering
some bit of finery that must be finished for the wedding, and by her
hands alone. Jim was so full of joy he didn't care how long it took his
broken leg to mend. The aches and twinges from that quarter were hardly
felt by him after the first day of his confinement; his head was right,
and he was eager for the daily coming of Gabrielle.
Well do I comprehend how Jim felt. He did not yearn with sickening hope
deferred, for he had won the heart of the girl. Contentedly he rested in
the sunshine of her smiles, and fell asleep beneath the shadow of her
tresses, her small, cool hand on his fevered brow, her low words of
sympathy lulling him to the land of rest and sweet dreams of her. I
realize how it was with them, because it was so different with me. The
chill of loneliness cast by suspicion compelled my silence on the things
I was bursting to tell to sympathetic ears. My only visitor was the
cheerful nurse, but she was a stranger to my woes, I thought, and could
not help me.
Jim frequently asked Gabrielle concerning me. When he had been there
three weeks, he manifested an unusual anxiety, for none of his inquiries
had received satisfactory replies. Hygeia reported that I was slowly
gaining--but very, very slowly, and could not be disturbed, not even by
my brother who had called. None of Jim's folks had been down from the
North to see him, as he had written them with his own hand that he would
soon be out again. This made it clear to them that he was safe.
"Gabrielle, I must see Ben the minute the doctors say he is well
enough," declared Jim. "Why, it is nonsense to suspect him. That fellow
is my best friend; never mind what you think, you will find him loyal to
me. I must see him. What will he think of me?"
"You are not well enough to manage your own affairs, Jim; believe me,
you are not. I want you to give over everything into my hands and let me
be your guide. Please do as I say."
She had early outlined to him the grounds for her father's suspicions,
but said nothing concerning the Browning case. She emphasized my action
which had frightened her father, but did not go into details, for Jim
was too weak to stand the mental strain she feared might be imposed on
him if he were to enter into a discussion of the matters her father had
told her were conclusive evidence that Jim was a notorious criminal. It
was all too ridiculous for her to believe. Her father laid great stress
on the fact that Hosley had left for parts unknown, fearing to face his
accusers, as corroborative of the other evidence supplied by the
detectives, including his long criminal record and photographs from the
Rogues' Gallery. This made it seem all the more ridiculous. Not a
suspicion concerning Jim had ever entered her mind. Her knowledge of her
father's obstinacy, and the evil influences surrounding him, were all
the protection Jim needed. His enemies counted for him.
"Well, I suppose I shall have to do as you say, Gabrielle," said Jim,
"but Ben is a good friend of mine, and it may hurt him to find I am
neglecting him."
"That will come out all right, Jim. If he is a friend we shall probably
learn of it as soon as he regains control of himself. He may say
something about you to the nurse. If he is friendly I will talk with him
first, and then we shall learn just where he stands in this matter.
Perhaps when we hear what he says we shall be glad we kept him in
ignorance of you."
That day when my head appeared to be perfectly clear for the first time,
and I began to ask questions, Hygeia hurried into the next room and
breathlessly announced:
"Miss Tescheron, Mr. Hopkins has begun to ask questions at last. The
first thing he asked almost was: 'Where is Hosley? Is he in jail? Hasn't
he been here to see me? Was he hurt? Was he killed? Hasn't he written to
me?' and I asked him why he should ask me. He also wanted to know who
sent the flowers, and I told him, but he made no answer. He didn't seem
to think it possible Miss Tescheron should send flowers to him. What do
you make of it? I think he is perfectly friendly, don't you? He wants to
know so much about Mr. Hosley."
"Certainly he's friendly; let me be wheeled right in to see him. Oh,
please; just for a minute," begged Jim, who was now sitting up with his
leg stretched out on a pillow.
"Why should he ask if you are in jail? I don't like that at all; not at
all. I will not consent. He has not forgotten his treachery. I will not
trust the fellow. Let us wait until he talks a little more." And so
Gabrielle's caution intervened.
But I didn't ask any more questions about Hosley.