POVERTY MAKES ONE ACQUAINTED WITH STRANGE BEDFELLOWS
Setting down the basket at the corner of a neighbouring street, the men
went back to see what else could be thus rescued. Evarne sat on her box
and waited. Her umbrella was lost. The rain was still pouring down
steadily, persistently; along the gutters the water rushed in torrents,
the skies and the earth were alike enveloped in damp obscurity. No
living being appeared; indeed, practically the only sign of the
existence of mankind was the feeble jet of the street lamp, which
reflected its gleam in the wet pavement as in a lake.
So long did the girl wait, that, despite the discomfort of her unique
situation, she fell into a sort of vague reverie, and a curious feeling
of abstraction from her own personality crept over her. Was it really
she indeed--Evarne Stornway--who was out here in the middle of the night
in this drenching rain, seated in solitary misery upon the box
containing all her worldly possessions, at some unknown street corner of
a small town in Scotland? Unreasonably enough, it appealed to her as a
most extraordinary thing that _she_ should be the individual chosen out
of all humanity to be thus strangely circumstanced this night.
She was aroused by hearing her name shouted in the distance. In response
to her answering call a couple of figures appeared, and Mont's voice
said--
"Couldn't find this blessed corner again in the mist. Jess has sent down
a message that she's gone to supper with Joe, and will you come too? You
had better. There's always a nice fire there of an evening, and you look
soaked through."
"I only look what I am, then. Certainly I'll go, if Jess is there. What
about my box?"
"Brown and I will carry it round to Mrs. Sargeant's and tell her you'll
both be late. Do you know your way to our diggings?"
"I don't know where I am now, one bit."
Mont explained, and Evarne accordingly hurried off through the downpour.
On reaching her destination she was received with cheers. Most of the
company seemed gathered in Mrs. Shiells's kitchen. The house itself was
let out in tenements, and theatrical lodgings were obtainable on
practically every floor. Thus all the actors were residing in the one
building, and the kitchen of good-natured Mrs. Shiells was the general
rendezvous.
In due course Mont and Brown returned, and with them came news of fresh
complications. Madame Cheape had gone! She had been back to her room,
packed up all her belongings and taken them with her, leaving behind
only the assurance that the other young ladies had the money for her
rent. Mrs. Sargeant had evidently been drinking again, but not to the
point of forgetting the piano. It belonged to her daughter, it seemed;
it had been lent without its lawful owner's leave, and if it was not in
its place when that daughter returned at eleven, Mrs. Sargeant
contemplated being half-slaughtered by her offspring, whose temper, when
aroused, she described as "enough to make the 'air stand up on your
'ead."
"Oh dear! I forgot the piano," faltered Jess.
"I tried to get it out, I swear I did," avowed Douglas. "The owner of
the hall made two men sit on it until the door was locked. He's going to
keep it in pawn until he gets his nine pounds fourteen."
"And Madame Cheape never gave us any money, did she?"
"Not one farthing."
A grim silence prevailed. How were they to face this terrible Miss
Sargeant? One of the lodgers and the piano, both departed--flitted away!
"I advise this," said Archie ultimately. "Let Miss Stornway's basket be
brought round here, and you girls go and pack up all your other
belongings and bring them along too. Then each pay Mrs. Sargeant your
respective shares of the rent you had all agreed upon--twelve-and-six,
wasn't it? That's four and twopence each. Tell her old Cheape has
sloped, but that the piano is all right, and will come home sooner or
later. Then if she still chooses to kick up a row, she can't stick to
any of your props, that's one thing."
"We really oughtn't to be expected to suffer for either the Cheape's or
the Punter's tricks, ought we?" demanded Jess, and so Archie's plan of
campaign was adopted.
The interview passed off quite easily. The terrible Miss Sargeant had
not yet returned; the old woman accepted their eight-and-fourpence
without demur, and a blouse that Madame Cheape had overlooked as a
substitute for the remaining four-and-twopence. Both girls united in
assuring her that the precious piano was in safe keeping, and that she
was to impress this fact upon her daughter.
They then hastened back to Mrs. Shiells's warm, cosy kitchen, feasted on
hot broth and discussed the desperate state of affairs. At last it
became needful to return to their own cheerless rooms to sleep. The men
in a group escorted them through the dark, deserted roads. But Archie
was in a thoroughly furious temper, and Douglas was never a sucking
dove. As the group stood for a final chat in the street outside Mrs.
Sargeant's house, these two, from angry disputing, set to work to settle
their differences of opinion by seeing who could hit hardest.
A general uproar resulted, starting peaceful Ayr from its first
slumbers. All along the street, upper windows were flung open, and heads
appeared, startled or curious. Suddenly yet another sound was clearly
heard above all the confusion--the angry bang of a door, the sharp
turning of a key, and the drawing of bolts. The girls were locked out!
A sudden hush descended, and for a moment everyone stood spellbound.
Then Evarne quickly sped across the street, and banged with the knocker
again and again. The only response took the form of a young woman
appearing at an upper window.
"You folk don't seem to know that we keep a respectable house," she
cried. "We are not going to have females here who don't know how to
behave themselves, and who are thieves into the bargain. If you get over
ma, who's a fool, and come stealing my piano--my piano, what I paid for
myself--well, if ma lets herself be sucked in by a lot of sneaking
scoundrels like you are, all of you, I tell you straight out we're not
going to have women here who brawl in the streets in the middle of the
night, as well as steal pianos; so you can take yourselves off, and if
either of you two, who call yourselves ladies I dare say, show your
noses here again, I'll have you clapped into prison for stealing a
respectable woman's piano. You needn't think you're going to sleep
beneath this roof to-night, so be off with you, piano thieves."
Here she banged down the window with such violence that the glass
rattled in the casement. Dead silence prevailed in the street.
"I'm so sorry," faltered Douglas, quite subdued. "It's all my fault from
beginning to end."
"Well, it's no use standing here, I suppose," declared Evarne in rather
a shaking voice. "Come along, Jess; we'll go back to Mrs. Shiells and
see what she can do for us. I'm sure she will let us sit in her kitchen
till morning, anyway."
"Archie and I will give up our bed," cried remorseful Douglas, as the
glum little procession, under the gauntlet of many eyes, turned to
retrace its steps.
"What a bad, wicked creature to shut us out in the streets at this time
of night," declared Jess with emphasis, then sniffed, suspiciously close
to tears.
"Don't cry till you see the end of it," advised Evarne, stoical from
very misery. "How can we know whether it be good or bad angels that have
planned all these unforeseen events? Anything that appears to be
entirely hateful--like this whole evening has been--may be but a
preliminary to happiness!" But her heart was as heavy as lead as she
spoke.
"Goodness gracious me! What a queer girl you are to talk like a minister
in his pulpit while we are sloshing through the mud and the rain with
nowhere to sleep!" laughed Jess, highly amused; whereupon Evarne
smilingly inquired what more appropriate moment could be chosen.
Mrs. Shiells was kindness itself. Surely, she would find a haven for the
puir lassies, she declared. Let them wait a moment.
After a brief absence she returned, accompanied by another brawny Scotch
dame. She had believed Miss Brodie here had a vacant room, she said, but
she was mistaken. However, it was nigh two o'clock. There wasn't much
more of the night before them. She'd be pleased if one of the lassies
would share her bed, and would the other sleep with Miss Brodie?
Gratefully the girls accepted this offer. It was arranged that Jess
should stay with Mrs. Shiells, and in less than a quarter of an hour
Evarne found herself lying in the darkness by the side of this new good
Samaritan who had so recently appeared upon the scene.