CHAPTER XIII.
"I LOVE JESSIE BAIN WITH ALL MY HEART AND SOUL!"
Mrs. Varrick started back with a low cry.
"Is it you, Hubert?"
"Yes; but upon my honor, mother, you don't seem overglad to see me."
"I thought you were to have been gone a fortnight."
"I succeeded in getting the business attended to much more speedily thanyou thought it could be done. I did not make any visits, as I wasanxious to get home. But, mother, how white and ill you look!" he added.
"I am quite well, but I have been suffering from a nervous headache,Hubert," she answered.
"By the way," he said suddenly, "I did not forget to bring a few littlesouvenirs home with me," and as he spoke he drew two small velvet casesfrom his pocket, one of which he handed his mother, retaining the otherin his hand.
Opening it, Mrs. Varrick found that it contained a magnificent diamondbracelet.
"That is to match, as near as possible, the beautiful bracelet youalready have, mother," he said, carelessly.
She reeled back as though he had struck her a sudden blow, and looked athim with terror in her eyes.
"What is there in that other little velvet case?" she asked, as he madeno move to hand it to her.
"It is not for you, mother," he responded. "It is for Jessie."
He pressed the little spring and the lid of the purple velvet box flewback, and there, lying on its shimmering satin bed, she beheld abeautiful little turquois ring set with tiny diamonds.
"Jessie has never had a ring in all her life," he declared, "and it willplease me to be the one to present her with the first one that will evergrace her little hand. Girl-like, she is fond of such trinkets. Thesparkle of the tiny diamonds will delight her as nothing else has donein her whole life."
A discordant laugh broke from Mrs. Varrick's lips.
"Ay, the glitter of diamonds pleases her. How well you know the girl!"she cried shrilly. "But for glittering diamonds she might have lived ahappy enough life of it. Will people ever learn the lesson that they cannot pick up girls from the depths of poverty and obscurity andtransplant then into elegant surroundings and expect good to come ofit?"
"This present is very inexpensive," declared Hubert. "Won't you pleasering for Jessie to come to us? I am anxious to see if it is the rightsize. It will be fun to see her big blue eyes open and hear her exclaimin dismay: 'Oh, Mr. Varrick, is it really for me?' Girls at her age areenthusiastic, and their joy is genuine upon receiving any little tokenof esteem."
Again Mrs. Varrick laughed that harsh, discordant laugh.
"The ring is very pretty, Hubert," she said ironically, "but Jessie Bainwould never thank you for so inexpensive a gift. That diamond braceletis much more to her fancy."
"Girls of her age might fancy diamond bracelets, but they would nevercare to possess them, because they could not wear them, as they would beentirely out of place."
For the third time that harsh, shrill laugh from Mrs. Varrick's lipsfilled the room.
"I repeat, this bracelet would be more to her fancy," she added, grimly.
"If you will not ring for Jessie, I will do it myself," said Hubert,good-humoredly; adding: "You are just a little bit jealous, mother, andwish to keep me all to yourself, I imagine."
But ere he could reach the bell-rope she had swiftly followed him andlaid a detaining hand on his arm.
She had put off the telling of her story from moment to moment, but ithad to be told now.
"You need not take the trouble to ring that bell," she said, "for itwould be useless--quite useless."
"Why, what do you mean?" he asked, in unfeigned astonishment, thinkingthat perhaps she meant to forbid him giving the girl the little ring;and he grew nettled at that thought.
He said to himself that he was over one-and-twenty, and was entitled todo as he pleased in such matters.
"Listen, Hubert; I have something to tell you, and you must hear me out.Come and sit on this sofa beside me. I can tell you better then."
"What is the meaning of all this secrecy, mother?" he cried.
"To begin with," slowly began Mrs. Varrick, "Jessie Bain is no longerunder this roof."
He looked at her as though he did not fully take in the meaning of herwords.
"I will tell you the whole story, my son," she said; "but promise mefirst that you will not interrupt me, no matter how much you may beinclined to do so, and that you will hear without comment all that Ihave to say."
"Do I understand you to say that Jessie Bain is not here?" he cried.
"Promise not to interrupt me and I will tell you all."
He bowed his head in acknowledgment, though he did not gratify her bysaying as much in so many words.
Slowly, in a clear, shrill voice, Mrs. Varrick began the story she hadso carefully rehearsed over and over again; but as the words fell fromher lips she could not trust herself to meet the clear, eagle glance herson bent upon her.
In horror which no pen could fully describe, Hubert Varrick listened tothe story from his mother's lips. In all her life Mrs. Varrick never sawsuch a face as her son turned upon her. It was fairly distorted, withgreat patches of red here and there upon it.
He set his teeth so hard together that they cut through his lip; then heraised his clinched hand and shook it in the air, crying in a voice ofbitter rage:
"If an angel from heaven cried out trumpet-tongued that little JessieBain was guilty, I should not believe her-- I would say that it wasfalse. It is some plan, some deep-laid scheme to blight the life ofJessie Bain and ruin my happiness--ay, ruin my happiness, I say--for Ilove that girl with all my heart and soul! How dare they, fiendsincarnate, attack her in my absence? And so you, my fine lady-mother,have turned her out into the street," he went on, in a rage that nothingcould subdue. "Now listen to what I have to say, and heed it well: Theday that has seen her turned from this roof shall witness my leaving it.You should have trusted and shielded her, no matter how dark appearanceswere against her. I am going to find Jessie Bain, and when I do I shallask her to marry me!"
There was a wild shriek from Mrs. Varrick's lips at this, but Hubert didnot heed it.
"I can not live without her! If ill has befallen my darling I will shootmyself through the heart, and beg with my dying breath that they bury usboth in one grave!"