XXVIII
EXPLANATIONS
Now it happened that on Thursday afternoon Julia went to Nora's andstayed all night. The next morning the two went out to Roxbury to fulfila promise to Ruth to pass a day and night with her. Thus it happenedthat Julia and Brenda did not see each other until Saturday evening.They then met in the presence of an elderly friend of Mrs. Barlow's whohad come to stay over Sunday with the family, and so Brenda had noopportunity of making an apology--if she intended to make one for herlanguage of the subject of the matinee. For Mrs. Barlow, of course, hadexplained her error to Brenda, and though the latter had not expressedgreat contrition, her mother knew that in the end she would do what wasright. Luckily Julia herself was not one to feel resentment, for Sundaypassed without her hearing a word on the subject from Brenda.
After the second service on Sunday, Miss South joined Julia just outsidethe church door. "I am very glad to see you," she said, "for I wasgreatly disappointed in missing you the other day. I have many things totell you, if you will walk with me for half an hour."
This Julia was pleased to do, for it was a beautiful afternoon, andmoreover, she was anxious to hear why Miss South had gone away sosuddenly from Edith's, on the afternoon of the Bazaar.
"I must begin at the beginning, Julia," said Miss South, "for you areold enough to hear a rather romantic story at first hand, whichotherwise you might hear in an incorrect form."
"I won't say that I have been curious, Miss South," replied Julia,"although I have thought that in some mysterious way your going off hadsome connection with Madame Du Launy."
"That is true logic on your part," responded Miss South, "and you willbe interested to hear that I have spent several hours since Wednesdaywith Madame Du Launy. Before I forget it I must tell you that she wasvery sorry that she could not see you when you called. She told me tosay this to you as a special message from her."
"Thank you," answered Julia, "but I am very anxious to hear what youhave to say. I feel sure that it is something very interesting."
Miss South smiled. "Then I must begin at the very beginning. You mayhave noticed that rather striking portrait of a young girl in the roomwhere Madame Du Launy usually receives her visitors. Well, that younggirl was my mother." Julia naturally gave a start of surprise, and for amoment her mind occupied itself in reproducing an image of thisportrait. Then Miss South resumed her story.
"Yes, my mother was the only one of Madame Du Launy's children whomarried, and she married against her mother's will. My father was a veryindependent man, and when his wife's mother said that she would neverforgive her for having married a poor man without family or position, heaccepted this as final. He would not let my mother make any attempt atreconciliation, yet had she made such efforts I am sure that they wouldhave been unsuccessful. He took her to Ohio first, and after a time theymoved further west. We lived from the earliest time that I can remember,very simply and economically, but we had the advantage of goodschools,--we two children, I mean--and when I showed a desire to go tocollege I was sent to the State University of the State where we hadgrown up. My brother, as I told you, was several years younger than I,and was only preparing for college when my father died. Our mother haddied when we were little children, and in accordance with our father'swishes we had heard little about our grandmother besides her name. Oncehe had told us that she was an embittered old woman, and that she hadnot shown any regard for him, or my mother after her marriage. We knewthat Boston had been our mother's home for a time, although most of heryouth had been spent in wandering around Europe with her parents. Afterour father's death I thought once or twice of trying to find out whetheror not our grandmother was alive. But my brother always dissuaded me, sokeen was his resentment for the way she had treated our father. Mytelling him that this had been mere prejudice on her part--for she neverhad met my father--did not make him change his mind. He made me believethat it would be disrespect to both our parents if I should seek mygrandmother. When I came to Boston, and heard about this peculiar MadameDu Launy, who lived opposite the school, I felt that she must be mygrandmother, and some letters and a picture--a small water-color of thehouse--made it perfectly clear that in this surmise I was correct.Before the Bazaar I had decided in the course of the spring, to makemyself known to Madame Du Launy, and I ought to tell you that it wasyour account of her gentler side that led me to think seriously of doingthis."
"How very interesting!" cried Julia. "Why, I never heard anything likeit. But why did not Madame Du Launy ever try to find you?"
"For the very good reason that she did not know of my existence. You seemy mother never wrote to her after the first months of her marriage whenmy grandmother returned all her letters unopened. Yet Madame Du Launy--Ifind it very hard to say 'Grandmother' had heard that my mother had hadone or two children, but she had also been told that they had died. Allthat she heard, however, was mere rumor, for she was too proud to writeto my father after her daughter's death. But of late years, she says,she has been very unhappy, and has thought much about my mother. It wasmy close resemblance to her portrait that caused her to faint the otherday. I have a photograph made from that portrait, and occasionally Idress my hair in the same style, those old fashions are somewhat invogue now, and I can do so with propriety. My grandmother says that I amwonderfully like my mother."
"Dear me!" said Julia, "it is more interesting than a novel. I supposethat now you will go to live with Madame Du Launy, and we shall lose youat school."
Miss South smiled. "I shall certainly finish out my present year ofteaching, although it is probable that I may go to live with Madame DuLauny." Then after a pause, "There is one thing that I ought to say,Julia, because I know that already it is reported that I am to be agreat heiress. Madame Du Launy has a good income, but it comes from anannuity, and when she dies it will die with her. She seemed to thinkthat she ought to explain this to me before asking me to live with her.The house is hers outright, and she has said that she will give it to meand my brother. I would not speak of this if it were not that I shouldbe placed in a false position otherwise. In fact I am the more ready togo to live with my grandmother, because she is not the enormously richwoman that she has been represented to be. But now I have talked enoughabout myself, so let us turn to the Rosas."
"Why, yes," responded Julia, "I have been wondering whether or not youhad seen them since the Bazaar."
"Yes, I was able to go down yesterday, and I found Mrs. Rosa quite readyto go to the country. I did not feel at liberty to tell her of thesuccess of the efforts of 'The Four,' but I told her that money wascertain to be furnished for the expense of removing her, and setting herup in the little home that we have planned for her."
"Wasn't she perfectly delighted?"
"Well, she did not show a great deal of emotion. She is almost too weakfor that, but I am sure that she is pleased, although she has a certainamount of regret at leaving the city."
"She ought to be perfectly thankful to leave that wretched place."
"It does not look quite as wretched and dirty to her as it does to us,and after all home is home, and the North End has been her home for manyyears."
"I won't ask what the children think of the change, for I shall see themmyself in a day or two, and I suppose that I ought to be going home now.But I do wish to tell you how delighted I am about your good fortune infinding your grandmother. You know that I have grown quite fond ofMadame Du Launy myself, and I have been so sorry for her loneliness thatI am very glad indeed that she is to have you to live with her. Now,here I suppose that I ought to leave you at this corner, so good-byeuntil to-morrow."
"Wait a moment, Julia, I have been so wrapped up in myself that I havenot given you a message from Madame Du Launy. At least she wished me totell you that your kindness in running in to see her this spring hadbeen greatly appreciated, and that she has been made very happy by theglimpses of fresh, young life that you have given her. In the future shehopes to see much more of you and of some of your young friends. P
oorgrandmother! It is her own fault that she has been so shut out frompeople and interesting things here in Boston. But in her youth she was avery sharped tongued and overbearing woman,--she says this herself--andshe so resented the criticisms which people made on her marriage thatshe was only too glad to give up their society, and in return for theircriticisms she said so many sharp things that even if she had wished it,there was small chance of her having pleasant associations with most ofthe families of her acquaintance. Oh! before we part there is one thingthat I must tell you about Mrs. Rosa. It seems that she has been greatlyannoyed lately by a young man, the son of an old friend of hers, who forseveral years was in the habit of lending her small sums of money. Thefriend had given her to understand that these sums were gifts inrepayment of kindnesses that Mrs. Rosa had done her friend in her youth.In fact the young man's mother had borrowed from the Rosas in theirprosperous days. Lately, however, this friend has died, and her son hasa little book in which the money lent Mrs. Rosa amounts with interest totwo hundred dollars. He claims that it is a debt due him, and though hecannot collect anything from a person who has nothing, he annoys Mrs.Rosa very much by coming to her house and telling her that she ought toget some of her rich friends to help her pay the debt. He is very welloff himself, for a Portuguese, and his behavior is a kind ofpersecution."
"Well," said Julia, "I must tell the girls, for if they should let Mrs.Rosa have even a little of the money----"
"He would certainly wheedle it from her, and you ought to give them aword of warning."
As they parted Julia felt that she had many things to think about--manymore things than she had had to consider for a long time. When shereached home she found the family all discussing some of the rumors thathad come to them about Madame Du Launy and Miss South, and she was gladthat she had had her information at first hand, and that she couldcontradict some rather absurd rumors that were in circulation.
"The worst thing about it," said Mrs. Barlow, "appears to be the factthat by this turn of Fortune's wheel, Miss Crawdon's school is likely tolose one of its best teachers."
"I am not so sure of that," responded Julia; "I have an idea that MissSouth may continue to teach; she is very fond of her work----"
"But her grandmother will certainly wish her to give all her time toher, and her first duty will be with her."
"Whatever her duty is, I am sure that she will do it," replied Julia;"she is the most conscientious person I have ever known; just think ofher going down to see Mrs. Rosa this very week, when she must have hadso much to interest her in at her grandmother's."
"By the way," asked Mr. Barlow, "are Miss South and Madame Du Launy surethat they are correct in their surmises about the relationship? Theymust have some stronger proof than personal resemblance, and thepossession of one or two old pictures."
"Oh, yes," interposed Mrs. Barlow, "I believe that Miss South has manyother proofs to show in the way of letters, certificates, and some otherthings that belonged to her mother."
"Then her name, too,--you know she is called Lydia from a sister ofMadame Du Launy's who died young, and--why how foolish we are, of courseMadame Du Launy always knew that the name of the man whom her daughtermarried was George South, the name of your teacher's father. One of herobjections to him was his plebeian name," said Mrs. Barlow's cousin whohad remained over Sunday.
Brenda had had less comment to make on these exciting events than hadJulia, and even Mr. and Mrs. Barlow had seemed to take more interest inthis romance of Madame Du Launy and Miss South. If the truth must betold Brenda was really half worn out. Her vacation had been anything butrestful. The Bazaar by itself need not have tired her had she not in thelatter part of the week spent almost every hour in some kind of vigorousexercise in search of what she and Belle called "fun." There had beentwo long bicycle rides, one dancing party, a three hours' walk toBrookline and back one day, and other things that really had told on herstrength. Moreover her conscience was pricking her. For on the precedingafternoon, moved by an impulse which she now regretted, she hadpersuaded Nora to go with her to the North End to visit Mrs. Rosa. Thiswas not long after Miss South had left the sick woman, and they foundMrs. Rosa somewhat depressed, first at the thought that she was reallygoing to leave the city, second by the fact that her persistent creditorhad just been in and had told her that he might "take the law onher"--so she quoted him, if she did not pay the money which he foundwritten against her name in his mother's little book. Now Mrs. Rosaought to have rested herself on Miss South's assurance that the youngman could not make good his claim in law, but she was only a ratherignorant foreigner to whom the power of the law meant that she might bedragged off to the nearest police station by the brass-buttonedofficers. She did not tell the young girls about her creditor, but whenthey pitied her for looking so ill, she sighed so sadly that they feltvery sorry indeed for her. Marie, who had accompanied them to the NorthEnd had left them for a quarter of an hour to see a friend of hersliving in the neighborhood, and then Brenda had no one but Nora toremonstrate with her for any folly she might wish to commit. When,therefore, out of a small bag which she carried, she took herpurse,--her best purse with the silver monogram,--and when from thepurse she extracted the three hundred-dollar notes, the proceeds of theBazaar, even Nora gave a little gasp.
"Why, Brenda, how did you ever dare to bring that money down to thispart of the city?"
"Why shouldn't I, you goose! I am sure that it will do Mrs. Rosa moregood to see this money than anything else possibly could. See! Mrs.Rosa" she continued, "this is all yours, this three hundred dollars thatwe made at the Bazaar that we have been telling you about----" For Noraand she had expatiated on the charms of the occasion--the flowers, themusic, and the many pretty articles that had been displayed on thetables. In fact they had brought several simple little things aspresents for Mrs. Rosa and the children, and while the former probablydid not understand all that they said to her, she did realize that someone had been at a great deal of trouble for her, and that this money wasthe result.
"All for me, oh tank you," she said, reaching her hand out towards thebills. Nora hastily jerked Brenda's arm.
"You mustn't give them to her."
Now up to this moment, Brenda had had no intention of doing this. "Why,Nora, really I think that I understand things as well as you do." Norafor the moment forgot the effect which opposition usually had on Brenda.Mrs. Rosa glanced questioningly from one girl to the other.
"Why, yes, you may look at them close too, you may hold them," saidBrenda, laying the bills on Mrs. Rosa's transparent hand. The expressionon the poor woman's face brightened.
"The money means a great deal to her," said Nora, sympathetically.
"Yes," answered Brenda, "you see that I was right in giving it to her, Imean in letting her see it. She has a little color in her cheeksalready. She knows what that money can do for her and her children." Itwas hard enough for Mrs. Rosa to understand English when spoken in afull voice, and she made no effort to comprehend the undertone in whichthe two girls were speaking.
"Are they for me to keep?" she asked eagerly.
"Not now," responded Brenda, "but by and by, next week, perhaps youshall have a little money to spend, and some of it we may spend for youto take you to the country, you know."
"Come, Brenda," said Nora, "we must not stay too long, if the childrenare not to be back until five o'clock, we cannot wait to see them. Weought to be watching for Marie now."
"I know, I know," retorted Brenda, impatiently, "I shall be ready whenyou are."
"If I could just have this money in the house for a little while," saidMrs. Rosa, with her quaint accent, "I should be so happy. I think itwould make me sleep. I haven't slept for _so_ long," and she sighed andlooked paler than ever.
"Poor thing," said Brenda, "I wish that I could give it to you now.Indeed I do not know why I should not, it is certainly yours, and I donot care for the responsibility myself,"--this speciously, for Brendaknew perfectly well that her father stood ready to
take care of themoney.
"Nora," she called rather sharply, "I think that we ought to let Mrs.Rosa have this money until we are ready to spend it. It is really hersnow, people would not have come to the Bazaar, except to help theRosas."
"Now, Brenda," cried Nora, "don't be foolish. I cannot imagine yourdoing so crazy a thing. It was bad enough for you to have brought themoney down here. It was an awful risk, for suppose you had lost thepurse,--oh, my," with a change of tone, "why there is Manuel. I must runout and speak to him," and in her usual heedless way Nora left the roomwith little thought for the subject which she and Brenda had the momentbefore been discussing.
Left alone with Mrs. Rosa, Brenda felt an increase of pity for the poor,pale woman, who looked as if she had very little more time to live. Asshe handled the bills with feverish fingers, Brenda made a quickresolve.
"Why should I not give her a pleasure that will cost me so little, and Iam sure that no reasonable person can object.
"Mrs. Rosa," she said, leaning forward, "if I should let you keep thatmoney for a few days, would you promise not to let the children see it.You must keep it right in this purse, and never let it out of yoursight. I mean when any one is here you must keep it under your pillow,though of course when you are alone you can look at it."
Mrs. Rosa smiled gratefully, and Brenda taking the bills began to putthem back in her portemonnaie. "I think," she said reflectively, "that Iwill keep one of these bills in case there are special things that MissSouth or Julia may have planned for you." She could afford to be liberalin her feelings now that she was getting ready to do something that inthe bottom of her heart she knew that the others who were interested inMrs. Rosa would not approve. So she tied up the one hundred dollar bill,that she intended to keep, in a corner of her handkerchief, and placedit carefully in the bottom of her bag.
"Remember," she said, as she handed the little purse to Mrs. Rosa,"remember that you are not to spend this."
"O, I remember, I promise, miss," responded Mrs. Rosa, and just at thismoment Nora reopened the door.
"Come, Brenda," she said, "Marie is outside waiting, and we ought tostart for home at once. Good-bye, Mrs. Rosa, I suppose we shall hardlysee you again in this uncomfortable room. Come on, Brenda, how long ittakes you to put your gloves on!"
Brenda, of course was greatly relieved that Nora asked not another wordabout the money. But all the same her conscience had begun to troubleher, and after she reached home could she have thought of any way to doit, without betraying herself, she would have sent down to Mrs. Rosa'sfor the purse and its contents. On Sunday, at least in the morning, shehad felt reassured.
"What possibility," she thought, "is there that anything could happen tothe money. There might be a fire at the North End, but so there might beat the Back Bay. Perhaps she ought to have let her father put it in thebank. Well on Monday morning she would go down, perhaps before school ifshe could wake early enough. But on Sunday it was out of the question."So she had reasoned until Sunday afternoon. Then as she heard Julia tellwhat Miss South had said to her, she became very nervous.
"Oh, dear," she thought. "Oh, dear, what _shall_ I do if anything hashappened to that money?"