CHAPTER XXIV.
"OH, TO SLEEP MY LIFE AWAY, AND BE WITH THEE AT REST!"
Rosamond Lee completely ignored the lovely young stranger seated at thetable opposite her; but Jessie had the uncomfortable feeling that shewas watching her.
The conversation had ceased, when suddenly Mr. Bassett announced: "Ihave just received a letter from my grandson. He will be with us a weekfrom to-day. He will remain with us a month."
During the next few days the household was quite upset, so great werethe preparations made for the coming stranger. Most of the forenoons hadbeen spent by Jessie in reading the daily papers to the old couple inthe library. One morning Rosamond Lee came to her quite excitedly, justas she was about to begin her duties.
"Miss Bain," she said, arching her eyebrows haughtily, "I do not thinkmy guardian has thought to mention the subject to you, but for the nextfew weeks you are to exchange places with my maid, Janet; she has hurther hand, but that will not hinder her from reading the papers andattending to Mrs. Bassett's wants. During that time, while you areperforming the services of maid to me, you will remember that your placeis not in the library, but in my own suite of rooms. I must also mentionto you that you will be excused from joining us at the table."
Jessie flushed and then paled. It was not so much on account of themenial position to which she was assigned, as the manner in which thechange had been made known to her.
"You may as well commence your duties at once," said Rosamond,imperiously, "and make the change to my apartments without furtherdelay."
"I have a letter to write for Mrs. Bassett, to her grandson, I believe,"said Jessie, in a low voice. "Shall I not remain in the library untilafter that is done? Mrs. Bassett told me to remind her of it to-day."
"Never mind about it," said Rosamond Lee, hurriedly, "I will attend toit. I always write the letters to her grandson for her. I am amazed thatshe should call upon you. You must come with me at once to my rooms."
Jessie put down the paper she was reading and followed her.
As Jessie Bain entered Rosamond's room, she was surprised at the arrayof dresses lying on the sofa, the chair-backs, and every conceivableplace.
"I want these all overhauled at once," began the beauty. "They must befinished by the end of the week."
Jessie looked around at the dresses, surprised at the great amount ofwork which Miss Lee was so confident she could accomplish in so short atime.
Jessie was sure that she saw Rosamond Lee's maid busily stitching awaywhen she had first entered the room, but she rose hastily and went intoan inner apartment, and a moment later returned with her hand done upand her arm in a sling.
Rosamond Lee said to herself that it had been a wise stratagem on herpart to make her maid exchange places with Jessie Bain until after thehandsome young man should come and go.
The tasks that Rosamond Lee laid out for Jessie were cruelly hard. Shewould say to her each morning, as she laid out this or that bit of work:
"This must be finished by to-morrow morning."
As soon as the clock struck nine, Rosamond would seek her downy couch.Not for anything in the world would she have lost the few hours ofbeauty-sleep before midnight, so essential to young girl's good looks.
But there must be no beauty-sleep for the tired young girl who plied herneedle.
"How dare you!" Rosamond cried. "What do you mean by loitering in thismanner?"
Miss Rosamond insisted that while she was performing the duties of maidto her, Jessie must take her meals up in her room, declaring that itreally took too much time for her to go and come to the dining-room toher meals.
On the third afternoon of her banishment she heard the sound ofcarriage-wheels, followed by the servants in the corridor crying outexcitedly:
"He has come at last! Now the old gentleman and his wife will be in theseventh heaven!"
It mattered little to Jessie Bain. She cared not who came or went. Sheknew that some young man was expected; but she had not taken interestenough to listen when the maid, who had come in to do up their roomsthat morning, had broached the subject concerning him.
"Miss Rosamond is very much in love with him," commented the girl, in asignificant whisper, after taking a swift glance over her shoulder tomake sure they were quite alone. "Well, it's no wonder, either, for ahandsome-looking gentleman he is--tall, broad-shouldered, and kindly. Hewill inherit an enormous fortune from old Mr. and Mrs. Bassett, for theyjust idolize him. His mother was their only child. He always came hereonce a year, ever since he was a little lad, they say, and all the oldservants love him."
The maid had scarcely finished her recital, concerning the coming of thehandsome heir, when the door was suddenly flung open, and Rosamond Lee,breathless and flushed with excitement, sprung into the room.
"Where's my pale-blue dress with the black velvet bows? Get it for me,somebody--anybody! I want to put it on at once!" she fairly cried.
"The pale-blue dress is not finished yet," Jessie answered, falteringly."You know you changed your mind about having it altered the next momentafter you had laid it out, and told me not to touch it until you decidedfully just how you wanted it done. I have been sewing on the rose-pinkcashmere--"
"You horrid creature!" screamed Rosamond Lee. "I can scarcely keep myhands off you! You didn't want to see me looking well in my pale-bluedress, and delayed fixing it on purpose. Oh, you horrid, horridcreature!" and with this she seized Jessie Bain by the shoulders andshook her until the girl's slender form bent like a reed in the storm.
The maid, who watched this proceeding, was fairly speechless withterror. She would have flung herself between Jessie Bain and theinfuriated beauty had she dared, but she knew that would mean instantdismissal, and despite her intense indignation, she was obliged to standthere and coolly witness it all.
"There," cried Rosamond Lee, fairly out of breath, "I hope I have taughtyou that I won't be trifled with. Now help me get on the rose cashmereas quick as you can."
Jessie Bain never knew how she managed to fasten the dress on the iratebeauty.
The maid came to her rescue, noting that Jessie Bain was by far toonervous to do the heiress's bidding.
The look of thankfulness she gave her amply repaid her.
A moment later Miss Rosamond flounced out of the room. The door hadscarcely closed after her ere Jessie Bain's strength gave way entirely,and she sank to the floor in a swoon.
"Poor thing!" cried the maid, bending over her, "I shall advise her toleave this place at once. But, after all, maybe it is with her as it iswith me--she would have no home to go to if she left here, and her nextmistress might be as cruel, though she couldn't be any worse."
Her diligent efforts were soon rewarded by seeing Jessie Bain open hereyes.
"You are faint and weak. Come to the window and get a breath of air. Abreath of the cool, crisp air will do you a world of good."
Jessie made no attempt to resist her when she took her in her arms andcarried her to the window, and threw open the sash. Jessie inhaled adeep breath of the cool morning air. Ah, yes! the air was refreshing.
"Don't lean so far out," cautioned her companion, "Miss Rosamond mightsee you! She is standing in the bay-window of the library with handsomeMr. Hubert; and to see her smile, so bland and child-like, any one woulddeclare that she had no temper at all, but, instead, the disposition ofan angel."
Jessie gave a startled look, intending to get quickly out of sight ereRosamond Lee should observe her; but that glance fairly froze the bloodin her veins. Yes, Rosamond Lee was standing by the window, looking assweet and bland as a great wax doll.
But it was on the face of her companion that Jessie's eyes were riveted.It seemed to her in that instant that the heart in her bosom fairlystood still, for the face she saw was Hubert Varrick's!
"He has had ever so much trouble," the girl went on. "He has beenmarried, but his young wife died, and he is now a widower, free to marryagain if he finds any one whom he can love as he did the one he lost."
/> With that, the girl left the room, and then Jessie Bain gave vent to thegrief that filled her heart to overflowing.
"I must go away from here," she sobbed; "I must not meet him again, fordid I not give his mother my written word that I would not speak to himagain, nor let him know where I was, and I must keep my solemn pledge."