FLORENCE'S GOOD ANGEL.
"What is the matter, Flo?" said Kitty. The two girls were in their tiny
bed-room. They were to leave Dawlish the next morning, as Kitty had
persuaded Florence to go with her to Southampton in order that they
might both be present when Colonel Sharston once more set foot on his
native land.
Kitty was very much excited, but she was too gentle and noble a girl,
too absolutely unselfish, not to notice that her companion was distrait
and anxious. No one could be much more worried than poor Florence was
that evening.
All during the long day which had followed she had kept saying to
herself: "Shall I or shall I not? Shall I take that fifty pounds from
Bertha and put myself in her power for ever, or shall I return her the
money, fight my way to fortune with the weapons which God has given me,
and not descend to her temptations?"
One moment Florence had almost made up her mind to choose the right
path, but the next instant the thought of the struggle which lay before
her and the terrible adventures which any girl must meet who fights the
world without money rose to weaken her resolve. It would be so easy to
accept that fifty pounds, and Bertha would scarcely dare to ask her to
repay it. She would at least have plenty of time to collect the money
bit by bit, and so return it to Bertha; but Florence knew well that if
once she took that money she would lower herself forever in the moral
scale.
"I should sink again to that sort of awful thing I was just before my
great temptation at Cherry Court School," she thought. "I have managed
to rise above that level now, and am I going to sink again?"
So she wavered all day long, the pendulum of her mind now swinging to
one side, now to another. The result was that she felt quite worn out
when night came.
"What is it?" said Kitty. "What is worrying you?"
"Oh, never mind," answered Florence. The tears rose to her eyes, she
pressed her hands for a moment to her face, then she said abruptly:
"Don't ask me."
"I will ask you. I have seen all day that you are wretched; you must
tell me what has gone wrong with you."
"I am tempted, that is all," said Florence.
"Then do not yield to the temptation," was Kitty's answer; "if it is
something you would rather not say to me----"
"No, Kitty, I must not tell you, but I am tempted strongly," answered
Florence.
"The only thing to do, however hard the temptation, is not to yield to
it," said Kitty.
Florence looked for a moment at her companion. Kitty, too, had known
what it was to want for money. Kitty had been poor. It is true that,
since the day she took the prize which Florence through deceit had lost,
her kind friend, Sir John Wallis, had never ceased to shower small
benefits upon her. She was not only his pet, but almost his idol. In
his heart of hearts he felt that he would like to adopt her, but he did
not dare even to suggest such a thing, knowing how passionately she was
attached to her father.
Now Colonel Sharston was returning to England, having been appointed to
an excellent home post, and Kitty's money troubles were quite at an end.
"She will want for nothing in the future," thought Florence to herself
as she looked at the graceful figure and bright beautiful face of the
young girl who was standing a short distance away. "She will want for
nothing: she will never know the real heartache of those who have to
earn their daily bread. How can she understand?"
"Why are you looking at me like that, Flo?" said Kitty.
"Oh, I don't know; I don't know. I--sometimes I envy you. You have rich
and powerful friends."
"Then it is money: I thought as much," said Kitty. "Listen to me,
Florence. I am sure I can guess what is troubling you. That dreadful
Bertha wants to bribe you to be silent: she has offered you money."
Florence's face turned quite pale.
"Give it back to her; you shall, you must! I know father will help you
when he comes back. I will speak to him. You must not yield, Flo; you
must not."
Florence stood irresolute.
"It is not too late," said Kitty. "We are both leaving here early in the
morning. Has she sent you any money now?"
"Yes," said Florence. Her voice scarcely rose to a whisper. The word
trembled on her lips.
"Then we will return it to her. You must not take it."
"It is too late: I have taken it."
"It is not too late. What is the time? It is only half-past ten. I am
quite certain that Miss Keys is not in bed yet. Come, Flo, put on your
hat; your mother won't mind. We will take the latchkey and let ourselves
in. We will go to the hotel and return the money."
"Oh, I dare not."
"Then I dare," said Kitty. "You have told me nothing, remember; but I
will not let you sink or yield to this temptation."
Florence colored crimson.
"You have a great power over me," she said; "I feel as if you were my
good angel, and Bertha were my bad."
"Then for heaven's sake, Florence, yield to the entreaties of your good
angel. Come, come; the hotel won't be shut up. Where is the money?"
"In my pocket."
"Then come immediately."
Florence was inspired by Kitty, whose voice was strong, and her face
brave and bright, as befitted one who lived for the right and rejected
the wrong.
"I am glad," she said to herself; "I did not ask her counsel: she has
forced it upon me. She is my good angel."
A moment later the two girls left the cottage. They walked quickly in
the direction of the big hotel. There were lights in many rooms,
servants walking about, and the hall-door was open. They walked up the
steps, and Kitty entered the hall. Florence followed her, pale and
trembling.
"Can I see Miss Keys?" asked Kitty of the hall porter.
"I will enquire if Miss Keys is up still," replied the man. "What name
shall I say?"
"Miss Sharston. I want to see her for a moment about something
important."
"Will you come in, Miss?"
"No; perhaps she would see me here. Say also that Miss Florence Aylmer
is with me."
The man withdrew. A moment later, Bertha, in her evening dress, looking
pretty and excited, ran downstairs.
"What is it? What's the matter?" she said. "Is that you, Florence?
Kitty, what is the matter?"
"We don't want to stay; we don't want you to tell Mrs. Aylmer, and we
don't want to get you into trouble of any sort," said Kitty, speaking
rapidly and drawing Bertha aside as she spoke. "But we want to give you
this back, and to let you know that what you suggested was
impossible--quite impossible."
As she spoke, she thrust the little packet which contained the fifty
pounds into Bertha's hand, and then took Florence's.
"Come, Flo; I think that is all," she said.
Bertha was too stunned to say a word. Before she had recovered from her
astonishment, the two girls had walked down the steps and gone out into
the night.
"What does this mean?" said Bertha to herself. "I don't like it at all,
but, thank goodness, we are leaving here to-morrow. I don't suppose
Florence will really tell on me. I must discover some other way to get
her into my power."
She went slowly back to the sitting-room. Mrs. Aylmer looked up
discontentedly.
"Who called to see you? I didn't know you had any friends in the town,
Bertha?" she said.
"Nor have I, but a couple of young girls who are staying here called to
return me a little packet which I had dropped on the beach to-day and
lost. They found it; my name was on it, and they brought it back to me."
"Oh, indeed; I thought I heard the waiter say that Miss Florence Aylmer
had called."
"You were mistaken, Mrs. Aylmer," replied Bertha, in her calm voice. She
fixed her grey-green eyes on the widow's face, and took up the book
which she had been reading.
"Shall we go on with this, or shall we have a game of two-handed
patience?" she said quietly.
"I will go to bed," said Mrs. Aylmer; "I am tired and cross. After all,
my life is very dull. You didn't manage to amuse me to-day, Bertha; you
were not like your old self; and then I miss Maurice. He has become
almost indispensable to me. I hope he will return to-morrow."
"We shall probably find him before us at Aylmer's Court."
"I shall send him a telegram the first thing to-morrow to ask him to
hurry home," said Mrs. Aylmer. "He is such a pleasant, bright fellow
that life is insupportable without him. You used to be much more amusing
than you are now, Bertha. Is anything the matter?"
"Nothing, my dear friend," said Bertha. She looked full at Mrs. Aylmer,
and tears rose slowly to her eyes. Now, no one could possess a more
pathetic face than Bertha when she pleased. Mrs. Aylmer was not a
good-natured woman, she was not kind-hearted, she was not in any sense
of the word amiable, but she had certain sentiments, and Bertha managed
to arouse them. When she saw tears in her young companion's eyes now,
she laid her hand on her arm.
"What is it, dear? I should be sorry to be cross with you. You are a
very good girl and suit me admirably."
"It was just the fear that I was not quite suiting you that was
troubling me," replied Bertha. "Say that again, kind, dear benefactress,
and you will make me the happiest girl in the world."
"No one ever suited me so well. You are surely not jealous of my
affection for dear Maurice?"
"Oh, no; I love him myself," said Bertha.
Mrs. Aylmer looked grave. She rose slowly.
"Ring for my maid, will you, Bertha? I shall go to bed; I am tired,"
said the great lady.
The maid appeared a moment later, and the two left the room together. As
Mrs. Aylmer slowly undressed, she thought of Bertha's last words: "I
love him myself."
"Nonsense," said Mrs. Aylmer to herself; "she is ten years his senior if
she's a day; nevertheless, I must be careful. She is a clever woman; I
should be sorry to have to do without her, but I often wonder what her
past was. I made very few enquiries with regard to her history. I wanted
someone to be with me at the time, and she took my fancy."
Downstairs Bertha slowly unfastened the little parcel and looked at the
five ten-pound notes which were rolled up within.
"After all, it's just as well that I should have this money by me as
that I should give it to Florence Aylmer," she said to herself. "I must
think of some other way to tempt her, and the money will be useful. I
shall put it back into the post-office and wait awhile. She is certain
to go to London, and equally certain to fail. I can tempt her with some
of my stories. I will manage to get her address. Yes, clever as you
think yourself, Florence, you will be in my power, and before many weeks
are over."