"That's _my_ little girl!" he said.
Then he rang off. I never would have.
So I stayed home from work, the first time since I had been at the
yards--and Fred's last day! Mr. Hamilton came over about ten. Lolly was
still sleeping, so I had to see him down-stairs in the parlor. As soon
as I saw him, I held out my hands and said:
"Where's the special thing?"
He laughed. I could make him laugh easily now, though I don't believe
any one else could. He pinched my chin and said:
"Get your hat on. We're going shopping."
"Now, Mr. Hamilton, I am not going to let you buy things for me."
"Did I say I was going to do that?" he demanded.
"Well, then, how can we shop?"
"You have some money of your own, haven't you?"
"Yes, but I was saving it for furs and to go to New York."
"Well, you can get the furs later, and you're not going to New York.
The main thing is you need a decent suit and a--er--heavy coat to wear
to work, since you _will_ work; and you need gloves and--let me see
your shoes--" [I showed them] "and shoes, a hat and--"
"I haven't the money for all those things."
"Yes, you have. I know a place where you can get all kinds of bargains.
Ever hear of bargain-shops?"
No, I had never heard of bargain-shops, though I had of bargain-sales,
I told him. Well, it was the same thing, he said, except that this
particular shop made a specialty of selling nothing but bargains.
That, of course, tempted me, and I went up to my room and put on my
coat and hat. I had thirty dollars, and I borrowed ten from Lolly. So I
was not so badly off. He was right; I really needed new things, and I
might as well let him choose them for me.
That was a happy morning for me! All girls love to "shop," and there
was a joy in trying on lovely things, even if I couldn't afford them.
It was a small shop to which he took me, but the things there were
really beautiful and astonishingly cheap. He made them try many things
on me, not only suits, but negligées and evening gowns.
Then he chose a soft dark-blue velvet suit, trimmed with the loveliest
gray fur at the neck and sleeves. I thought it must be very expensive,
but the saleswoman said it was only fifteen dollars. I had never
_heard_ of such a bargain, especially as a hat, trimmed with the fur,
and a muff also went with the suit. I made up my mind I'd bring Lolly
here. I told the lady who owned the store that I would bring a friend.
That made her laugh, but she stopped, because Mr. Hamilton frowned and
looked very angry. He liked to laugh at me himself, but he didn't want
others to do so, and I liked him for that.
Still, I felt uncomfortable. The woman's laugh had been peculiar, and
the saleswomen were watching me. I bought, too, a heavy navy-blue coat,
with a little cape, and belted, just the thing for every day, and
gloves and two pairs of shoes. She said that, as I'd bought so much,
she'd give me silk stockings to go with the shoes.
Of course I know now that I was a blind fool; but then I was only
seventeen, and nine months before I had never been outside my home
city, Quebec. For that matter, I hardly knew Quebec, so limited and
confined is the life of the poor. I thought my forty dollars paid for
all; I _did_ think that!
Mr. Hamilton was in a fine humor now, and he made me wear the velvet
suit and the hat to go to luncheon with him, and where do you suppose
he took me? Right to his own hotel. There he introduced me to a man
named Townsend who was waiting for him. I didn't at all like the way
Mr. Townsend looked at me; but Mr. Hamilton did not seem to mind it,
though he was quick to notice such things. When I had dined with him
before, if any man stared at me, he used to lean over and say, without
the slightest suggestion of a smile:
"Well, what shall I do to him? Turn the seltzer on him or push his face
in?"
Mr. Townsend, however, was not trying to flirt with me, as, for
instance, Mr. Chambers always was. He studied me curiously and, I
thought, suspiciously. He talked in an undertone to Mr. Hamilton, and
I am sure they were talking about me. I did hope that Mr. Townsend had
not noticed any mistakes I made about the knives and forks.
I was glad when luncheon was over. We entered a cab again, and Mr.
Hamilton directed the driver to take us to Mrs. Kingston's. I asked
him who Mr. Townsend was. He said he was his lawyer, and began to talk
about something else. He wanted to know if I wasn't curious to know
what that special thing was he had to give me. I had forgotten about
it. Now, of course, I wanted to know.
"Well," he said, "'open your mouth and shut your eyes, and in your
mouth you'll find a prize.'"
I thought he was going to give me a candy, so I shut my eyes and opened
my mouth, just like a foolish child; and then he kissed me. It wasn't
like a kiss at all, because my mouth was open; but he seemed to think
it very funny, and when I opened my eyes, he was sitting back in the
carriage, with his arms folded, laughing hard. I think he thought that
a good joke on me, because I dare say he knew I wanted him to kiss me.
I didn't think it a good joke at all, and I wouldn't speak to or look
at him, and my face grew hot and red, and at last he said teasingly:
"I'll have to keep you angry all the time, Nora. You look your
prettiest then."