MAURICE TREVOR.
Florence's head ached sufficiently badly to make her inclined to
follow Kitty's advice. The girls had just finished their tea when
Mrs. Aylmer, with flushed cheeks, and wearing her very best
turned-for-the-twentieth-time dress, entered the little room where they
were seated.
"Well, well, girls," she said: "well, well, where do you think I have
been?"
"I know, Mummy," said Florence.
"You know!" replied Mrs. Aylmer. "Who told you?"
"Sukey."
"I begged of her not; but really that woman can keep nothing to herself,
and she is always agog to be first in the field. Your aunt is going to
send me a trunk full of old clothes. I dare say some of them may be made
to fit you, Flo."
"I do not think so, mother," answered Florence.
"Where is the use of being proud? She's a very fine figure of a woman
still. She wears wonderfully, and she has a most charming secretary: a
sort of companion, a delightful girl. She and I walked down together
almost to this door. She is in your shoes, my poor Florence; but she is
really a _very_ nice girl."
"I have seen her to-day, mother; I know who she is," said Florence
gravely; "her name is Bertha Keys."
"Bertha Keys," replied Mrs. Aylmer; "Bertha Keys?"
"You know who Bertha Keys is, mother. She is the girl, the pupil
teacher, who behaved so badly at Cherry Court School six years ago."
"Oh, we won't mention that affair; it is dead and buried; we are not
going to dig it out of its grave," replied Mrs. Aylmer.
Florence did not reply. She looked full at her mother.
"Bertha has been saying something to her," she thought; "she has been
trying to influence her. Those were almost Bertha's own words." She got
up hastily.
"The fact is, mother, I do not care to talk of it," she said; "the whole
thing has upset me very much."
"Well, darling, I cannot think that it is your affair. It is bitterly
disappointing that you should have lost your Aunt Susan's patronage. How
proud I should be of you now if you were really her adopted daughter."
"Why, no, mother, you would not see me; you forget that part."
"To be sure, how stupid I am!" said Mrs. Aylmer. "Well, your aunt was
most agreeable to-day: not so stingy either. We had quite a nice little
tea; and that young man I told you of, Mr. Trevor, he came in. He is a
charming person, my dear; quite fascinating. I was much taken with him.
I longed to ask him to call, but I saw that Susan would allow no
liberties. He chatted to me all the time, and was so agreeable. I am
quite delighted with him."
"We are going for a walk now, mother," said Florence.
"Well, dear, do; you both look pale. I want you to get nice and
sunburnt, and to have a right good time. Yes, I am quite pleased with my
visit. There is no use in quarrelling with your relations, and Susan,
the moment she looked at my poor turned skirt--it is shiny, is it not,
Miss Sharston?--she spoke about that trunk of clothes which is to arrive
next week. She turned to the charming Miss Keys, and asked her to
collect them."
"And you stood it, mother; you really stood it," said Florence, the
colour coming and going on her face.
"My dear, good girl, beggars cannot be choosers. I have been absolutely
at my wits' ends for clothes since Susan has been so thoughtless. I not
only stood it, but on the way home I gave Miss Keys a hint as to the
sort of things I wanted. I told her to try and smuggle into the trunk
one of your aunt's rich black silks. She said she thought she could
manage it, as she has at least four or five at the present moment, and
never can tell herself how many she has. I told Miss Keys to let it be
four in the future, and send the fifth on to me, and she laughed. She is
a very clever, agreeable girl, and said she thought it could be done. I
am made. I'll astonish the neighbours this winter."
"Come out, Kitty," said poor Florence, turning to her companion. She
felt that, fond as she was of the little Mummy, she could not endure any
more of her society for the present.
The moment the girls had departed, Mrs. Aylmer, who was standing on
tiptoe near the window to watch them as they went slowly away in the
direction of the beach, turned abruptly, went to the door of the little
sitting-room, and locked it. She then put her hand into her pocket.
"Is it true? Have I the evidence of my own senses?" she thought. "I
never met a nicer girl than Miss Keys. Of course, she did wrong years
ago: but so, for that matter, did my own poor Florence. She really can
be made of great use. That black silk will be invaluable, and...." Here
the widow, from the depths of her pocket, brought out four sovereigns.
"She says she can give me more by-and-by, and I am to influence
Florence. Of course I will. Do I envy the poor child her post? By no
means. As Florence cannot occupy it, as well she as another. That she is
setting her cap at that handsome Mr. Trevor there is no doubt; but
perhaps Florence can win him over her head. We will see about that.
Anyhow, I am not going to injure the poor, dear girl, and I shall tell
Florence so."
Mrs. Aylmer felt far too excited to sit down. From the depths of poverty
she suddenly felt herself raised almost to a pinnacle of wealth, as she
estimated it.
Four golden sovereigns and the faithful promise of one of Susan's best
silk dresses. "There will be lots of odds and ends besides," thought the
little widow. "I am made! I am made! Now, if I only could! if I only
could!"
As she considered the possibility of a very definite line of action, she
still continued to stand by the tiny window of the sitting room, and
from this vantage-point she saw a young man in a grey tweed suit
strolling slowly in the direction of the sea-beach.
"Mr. Trevor!" she said to herself; "Mr. Maurice Trevor, as
gentlemanly-looking a young fellow as I have seen for many a day. He
reminds me of poor dear Florence's father. He had just that downright
sort of air, and he was fond of sticking his hands into his pockets
too--yes, and he used to whistle, as I see that young fellow is
whistling. I am always told that whistling is a good sign: it shows a
generous disposition. If I am not greatly mistaken, that young man
Maurice Trevor is generous and open-handed; he'll suit me. Now, if I
could only introduce them! Florence and Kitty Sharston are on the
beach--Mr. Trevor is going down to the beach. I'll go and take a walk.
It is a fine evening, and it will do me good."
No sooner had this thought come to Mrs. Aylmer than she bustled into the
kitchen.
"Well, ma'am," said Sukey, in a cross voice, "have you washed up the
tea-things yet? We're in a rare mull this afternoon with those two young
ladies in the house, and I can't do more than I said I would do. You
promised that the tea-things should be your care, ma'am; and are they
washed up? That's what I want to know."
"Oh, my dear good Sukey, don't worry about the tea-things now," said
Mrs. Aylmer. "I am in no end of a flurry. A beautiful new black silk
dress is promised to me, Sukey, and I am made in other ways too. You
wash them up, and I'll give you threepence; I will--I promise you."
"You can't afford it, ma'am. What's the good of promising what you
haven't got?" said the obdurate Sukey.
"I will; I declare I will, and I'll bring in something nice and tasty
for supper. You wash the tea-things, there's a good soul!"
Mrs. Aylmer scarcely waited for Sukey's very indignant reply. The next
moment she was out of the house.
She could walk quickly enough when she chose, and she knew every yard of
the ground. Soon she was on the beach. Mr. Trevor was walking slowly in
front of her. He was smoking a cigarette, his straw hat was pushed
slightly forward over his blue eyes, his hands were still in his
pockets, he was looking straight ahead of him, and as he slowly
sauntered forward he was thinking. His thoughts were evidently not quite
to his taste, for he frowned now and then, and looked over the wide
expanse of sands, and occasionally he stood quite still. Thus Mrs.
Aylmer found it easy to catch him up. She did so with a little pattering
run which was one of her characteristics.
"Good evening, Mr. Trevor," she said, in her cheerful tone.
He started when she spoke to him, turned to look at her, and then took
off his hat.
"Good evening," he said; "I did not recognise you at first."
"No wonder, as you only saw me for the first time to-day. I am taking a
stroll; it is very pleasant here in the evenings, is it not?"
"Very pleasant! It is a charming place," said Trevor.
Mrs. Aylmer considered for a moment whether she should proceed on her
walk alone, or whether she should try to induce the young man to
accompany her.
"I am looking for my girls," she said; "they went down on the beach
half an hour ago. Did you happen to see them, Mr. Trevor, as you were
walking?"
"I have only just come out. I have not seen anyone," was his answer.
"Are you quite sure? I _know_ they were going on the sands, my two
girls, my daughter and her friend. I should like to introduce you to my
daughter, Mr. Trevor."
"I should be pleased to know her," he answered, still speaking in that
vague sort of way which showed that he was thinking of something else.
Mrs. Aylmer held both her hands before her eyes. Thus shaded from the
evening sun, she was able to look long and steadily across the beach.
"I do declare I believe those two are the very girls we are looking
for," she cried; "if you will come with me now (and I don't suppose you
have anything special to do) I'll introduce you."
Trevor had, of course, no excuse to make. He was not interested in Mrs.
Aylmer's daughter, nor in Mrs. Aylmer herself, but as well walk with her
as alone. So the two stepped briskly across the sands.
"It was the greatest possible pleasure to me to meet you to-day,"
continued the little widow; "I am so glad that my poor sister-in-law has
a bright young fellow like you to look thoroughly after her affairs."
"But I don't look after them," he said; "Mrs. Aylmer has been extremely
good to me, but the person who manages her business affairs is that very
clever young lady, Miss Keys."
"Oh, what a genius she is!" said Mrs. Aylmer; "a wonderful girl, quite
charming."
"Do you think so?" answered Trevor. He looked at the little widow, and
the faintest dawn of an amused smile stole into his eyes.
"Do I think so? I am immensely taken with her," said Mrs. Aylmer. "She
is, I know, the greatest comfort to my dear sister-in-law. How
splendidly Susan wears, and how considerate she is! I don't know what I
should do without her. Mr. Trevor, I will say it, you are a very lucky
person to be such a favourite."
"Mrs. Aylmer has done a great deal for me," said the young man; "she has
after a fashion adopted me."
"And you are very glad, are you not?"
"Yes, I am glad," he replied. "Is that your daughter?" he continued, as
if he wished to turn the conversation.
"That is my dear daughter Florence." Mrs. Aylmer spoke excitedly.
Florence and Kitty Sharston were seated on the edge of a rock. Kitty was
poking with her parasol at some sea-anemones which were clinging to the
rock just under the water. Florence was gazing with a frown between her
dark brows at her mother and the man who was by her mother's side. If
she could have fled, she would, but Mrs. Aylmer, who knew Florence's
ways to perfection, now raised her voice to a shrill scream.
"Stay where you are, Florence; I am coming to sit with you, so is Mr.
Trevor; don't stir until we come up."
Poor Florence's blush was so vivid that it was well it was too far off
to be noticed. There was nothing for it, however, but to obey. Mrs.
Aylmer came up in high good humour, and made the necessary
introductions.