IDLE SUSPICION
SHE had sat huddled up in a chair outside the baby's room for several
hours. Her self-sacrifice had been entirely unnecessary, as half a dozen
persons had assured her, but Angel was by no means certain that she was
not happier in her present position than if she had been down-stairs in
the crowded ballroom unnoticed and perhaps in the way of the few people
who would try to be kind to her.
Two or three times she had stolen in to look at Tony. He was sleeping
quietly and peacefully, a big beautiful baby with Betty's soft auburn
hair and Anthony's hazel eyes. But now a clock somewhere was striking
twelve and Angel decided that she must have a look at the guests before
they went away. She had put on the white frock of soft chiffon and lace
that Betty had given her, but somehow it only made her look more
childish and insignificant. Her face was pale now with weariness and her
hair and eyes seemed so dark in comparison as to give her a kind of
uncanny appearance. Perhaps waiting to gain more courage and perhaps for
other reasons, immediately after leaving the nursery Angel, before
starting down-stairs, went into another big room at the end of the hall.
As the girl leaned over to gaze at a little sleeper a small hand reached
up and touched her face. It was that of Bettina, the "little Princess"
as everybody called her. Nevertheless Bettina was not in the least like
her mother. She had long hair that was gold in some lights and in others
a pale brown, and her eyes were bluer than gray. Indeed, Polly had once
said of her two or three years before, that Tina's eyes had no color
like other people's, for they merely reflected the lights above them
like a clear pool. The little girl was slender and quiet and many
persons believed her shy, which was not altogether true. Possibly the
oddest of her characteristics was her ability to understand what other
people were thinking and feeling without being told.
Now she whispered: "Why don't you just find a place where you can see,
Angel, without any one's seeing you? I shall want you to tell me
everything tomorrow. Mother won't understand in the way I mean."
Of course that was just what she should have been doing for these past
two hours, Angelique thought to herself as soon after she slipped away.
But it was like Bettina to have suggested it. Already she knew the exact
place where she might have been in hiding all this time.
On the second floor toward the rear of the house there was a kind of
square landing which faced a small room that was oddly separated from
the other apartments. For this reason the Governor had chosen it for his
private study. Only one servant was allowed to enter this room and very
rarely any member of the family. For in it were kept a number of
important letters and papers.
But concealing the entrance tonight were a number of palms and other
tall plants, and by placing a small camp chair behind them one could
see through the railing of the balustrade down into the big hall. The
music was there and many beautifully dressed people were walking up and
down.
The little French girl stared for ten minutes without moving. She had a
curious, almost passionate love of beautiful people and things,
inherited from some far-off French ancestor, who may have been a great
artist or perchance only carried a great artist's longings in his soul.
Indeed, Angel had real talent of her own and whatever her hands touched
she could make lovely, whether it was designing a dress, decorating a
room or even making a sketch of a scene or a flower, anything that had
appealed to her imagination. Through her Camp Fire training she had
learned to make remarkable use of her hands, especially in the days
before she was able to leave her wheeled chair. Indeed, Betty and all of
her friends had been disappointed when she had failed to follow some
artistic profession. Betty had urged and pleaded with her to become an
artist or designer and had offered to pay her expenses, yet as soon as
she was well enough Angel had insisted upon studying something through
which she could at once make her living. By this time the little French
girl had been brought too close to life's realities not to understand
its difficulties. To make her living as an artist or a designer would
take years and years of study and work before she could hope to succeed.
Besides, Betty, in spite of Judge Maynard's legacy, was not so rich as
she was generous and there were always other people to be thought of.
For the Princess had never ceased her generosities, and even if her
husband had become a distinguished man it would be difficult for him
ever to be a rich one unless something unforeseen happened. Therefore
Angel had been happy enough with her stenography and typewriting and
with her new position in the Governor's office. For in her heart of
hearts it was her philosophy that duty could be done every day and
beauty kept for certain exquisite moments.
Now, however, she felt that one of these perfect moments had come. Only
she wished that Betty or some one whom she knew might appear within her
range of vision. It was entertaining, of course, to watch the strangers
and to decide whose clothes were prettiest and guess their names.
Angel drew her chair farther away from the landing so she could peep
squarely through the banisters and was now some distance from the study
door. Moreover, the following moment she had caught a glimpse of a
friend whom she had wished to see almost as much as Betty. There stood a
tall girl with pale gold hair, wearing a frock of white and blue, and
talking to a young man in as absorbed a fashion as if they had been
entirely alone. It was difficult to see her companion and yet the French
girl felt that she might have guessed before she finally discovered him.
For Faith's face wore the same rapt, excited expression it had worn that
afternoon on returning from her walk. What could it mean? Angel
pondered. Surely Faith and Kenneth Helm did not yet know each other well
enough for Faith's secret to have anything to do with him. Their
acquaintance had started only about ten days before.
[Illustration: HE GLANCED QUICKLY ABOUT HIM AND THEN DISAPPEARED]
Surely in her absorbed interest Angelique had no thought of spying on
her friend, for two people could not be seriously confidential when
hundreds of others were close about them. Nevertheless the watcher felt
her own cheeks flush guiltily as she saw the young man below her
whispering something in his companion's ear. The next instant, however,
Faith had left the hall with some one else. Then to her intense
consternation Angel observed Kenneth Helm coming alone straight up the
broad stairs. Could it be possible that either one of them had seen her
and that Faith was sending Kenneth to bring her down to the ballroom?
With all her heart Angel hoped not. She would like to have gotten up and
run away to shelter, yet knew it was impossible for her to move without
making a noise. By remaining silent there was just a chance that Kenneth
Helm was on his way to the men's dressing room and would not notice her.
Moreover, if Faith had not sent him to find her probably he would not
even speak to her.
It was quite true that the girl in hiding need have felt no concern. The
young man certainly did not see her, nor did he pass her by. For some
odd reason he stopped for a moment at the top of the landing, glanced
quickly about him and then disappeared inside the Governor's private
study, opening the door with a key which must have been given him for
the especial purpose.
"What could Kenneth wish in there tonight?" Angelique wondered idly,
somewhat relieved because his errand plainly had nothing to do with her.
Moreover, there was too much that was absorbing below stairs to give a
great deal of thought to anything else just at present.
The next instant Angel started, uttering a little gasp of anger and
dismay, as a hand was laid rudely upon her shoulder.
"Whom are you spying upon now, 'Angel in the House?'" the young man's
voice asked mockingly. "Don't you think that perhaps you are rather an
uncanny person anyhow?"
The girl flushed and found it impossible to keep her lips from
trembling. When she had first gone to work in Anthony Graham's office,
Kenneth Helm had also been employed there and had been unusually kind to
her. Recently, however, he seemed to have avoided and almost to have
disliked her. This she knew had caused a change in her own attitude, so
perhaps her prejudice against the young man's position as the Governor's
private secretary was largely due to this. Nevertheless she had done
nothing to deserve the change in his treatment of her, and if a human
being is disloyal to one friendship, why not to another?
However, at the present moment the girl only wished to be left alone, so
she merely shook her head, explaining: "I didn't mean to be spying upon
any one, and I am sorry if you think I am uncanny." Then she glanced
pathetically down toward the cane at her side, and this time her
companion blushed.
"Oh, I did not mean that, Miss Martins. That is not fair of you," he
remonstrated. "But please don't mention to the Governor or any one that
you saw me go into his private study tonight, will you? You see, I had
forgotten something that I ought to have attended to at the office. My
memory is not so good as yours. Won't you let me take you down-stairs?"
The lame girl rose slowly, not knowing exactly how to refuse the young
man's offer. Besides, she remembered what Betty had said to her. "She
must not be so suspicious and prejudiced against people."
"Certainly I won't speak to Mr. Graham of your having gone into his
office. Why should I?" she conceded, laying her hand lightly on her
companion's arm. "Besides, do you think I talk to the Governor about his
affairs just because I live in his house? He is so quiet and stern I am
dreadfully afraid of him. It is Betty, Mrs. Graham, who is my friend. If
it is not too much trouble to you and she is not too busy I would like
to have you take me to her now for a little while. Never in my life have
I seen anything so splendid as this reception tonight!"
When the little French girl talked she was not half so homely and
unattractive, Kenneth Helm decided as he made his way with her through
the crowd. Moreover, he must not turn her into an enemy, for assuredly
Mrs. Graham was her devoted friend and what his wife desired was law
with the Governor.
Kenneth Helm intended to succeed in life. This was the keynote of his
character. He wanted money and power and meant to do anything necessary
to attain them.