CHAPTER XXI Misfortune
Several days later Dick Ashton, walking out to the Sunrise cabin fromWoodford, unexpectedly caught up with Esther making the same journey. Hecame up to her side very quickly and with one look in his face the girlgave a cry of dismay. Dick was always serious and yet in spite of hisseriousness there was no one with a keener appreciation of humoroussituations and people, but to-day his face was drawn and there was a setlook about his lips.
"I didn't mean to startle you, Esther," Dick said quietly, "but I am veryglad it is you I have met rather than any one of the other girls. I havebad news for Betty."
Did Esther's face for a fleeting instant show surprise and almost alarm?
"It has nothing to do with me, has it?" she asked, but Dick, shaking hishead and hardly heeding her question, went on:
"I have just received news of my father's death and must break it toBetty. It is going to be very hard; Betty has never known anything buthappiness and in spite of--in spite of everything, I believe my fatherloved her almost better than either my mother or me."
After her first exclamation of sympathy Esther continued silent, feelingit wiser to let Dick talk himself out to a sympathetic listener than topour forth her own regrets.
"It isn't only the loss of my father that Betty and mother will have toendure," he continued, "but the entire loss of my father's fortune. Thetrouble has been brewing for some time, but a few weeks ago the crashcame and it must have hastened the end."
"You don't mean to say they will have nothing?" Esther inquired in afrightened voice. The thought of Betty, whom her friends had alwayscalled "Princess" because of her careless generosity, her indifference,her absolute ignorance of the whole money question, now to face povertywithout any training or preparation for it,--the thought fairly madeEsther gasp, and Dick who had some idea of what was passing in her mindadded:
"Yes, it is pretty rough to bring a girl up to live like a Princess andthen suddenly to leave her a pauper. I have always been afraid we havenot been quite fair with Betty, maybe it would have been easier for herto have known the truth about things from the beginning. Still it can'tbe helped now. But the worst of it is that I know nothing about businesseither; I have never cared for anything but my profession and it takes along time for a man to be able to support even himself in medicine untilhe has had several years of experience at least. I must give it up."
Dick's face went whiter than ever at this and Esther, who in spite of acertain shyness and nervousness when she found herself the center ofobservation, had a really good judgment and self-control, now repliedquietly: "I wouldn't think too much of this now, Mr. Ashton, things arepretty sure to turn out a little better than you feel they can at presentand in any case I am sure something will be arranged so that you can goon with your profession. It would be too great a pity, when you havestudied so long and are now so near your graduation, to have to give itup."
Dick Ashton looked at Esther gratefully, thinking of how their positionshad been reversed in a little less than a year. Had he not, when first hecame upon the shy, homely girl among his sister's group of friends, donehis best to make her more comfortable, less of a stranger and anoutsider, and now he felt strangely strengthened and calmed by herpresence and advice. He too saw that there were times when Esther'sself-forgetfulness gave her a kind of beauty which was more importantthan mere lines and color, since it was a beauty that would last farlonger.
So the young people walked on for a little time in silence, until DickAshton colored and then hesitated.
"I hope you won't think me rude, Miss Esther, that in my own trouble Ihave forgotten to congratulate you on having found your father. Betty haswritten me all about it and I certainly hope it may add to yourhappiness. I used to wonder even when I was a little boy if you felt verylonely at the asylum without a--a single relative."
"You wondered about me; then you knew about _me_?" Esther asked quietly,and turned, stopping short in the path to give Dick Ashton a long, quietlook. Something passed between them without words, one of those subtleand silent communications of thought for which there has been nosatisfactory explanation. Yet in the instant each one of them knew thatthe other had guessed his and her secret, or if not quite guessing it, atleast had very reasonable foundations for their suspicion.
Dick's formerly pale face crimsoned and he looked down at the ground,beginning to walk slowly on. "We--we thought it best this way, MissEsther, and still think so. It has been hard upon you perhaps, but isn'tit better that one person should suffer than that a number should be madeunhappy?" There was almost entreaty in Dick Ashton's voice and at thesame time he meant to make no betrayal if Esther did not know what hesupposed she might possibly have learned within the past few weeks.
Esther's reply left no room for doubt. "It is best this way now," sheanswered slowly. "I can't say that I think it altogether fair or just atthe beginning. But so far as I am concerned, why you need never worry."
"I wish there were some way in which we could make it up to you, but wehave nothing now to be of any assistance to anybody. It is what my mothermeant in a measure when----"
Esther nodded. "I understand and there is no need of talking aboutrepaying me. Betty has already done more than that and there is nothingin the world I would not do or give up for her sake. I care for her morethan she may ever know."
His companion's voice trembled so that Dick feared she might be losingher self-control and knew that they had a hard enough task before them.
They were not very far from Sunrise cabin now and feared that at anymoment Betty Ashton might come out to meet them, since Dick hadtelegraphed that he was coming to see her on important business in orderthat she might be a little bit prepared for what was to follow.
"It is a pretty dark road for all of us just now, Miss Esther, but someday perhaps without our having to make the decision things will rightthemselves _somehow_," he returned kindly.
And at this instant the young man and girl discovered Betty flying alongthe path in their direction. It was a fairly warm April afternoon and shewore her blue cape, the cape which Esther remembered so well during thespring of her own coming to the big Ashton house. She had on no hat andher hair was tied back in a loose bunch of red-brown curls.
Evidently Betty had suspected no trouble from Dick's telegram (Betty andtrouble were so far apart these days), for she laughed and waved bothhands in joyous welcome at her brother's approach.
"Where did you two people find one another? I believe it was all arrangedbeforehand and Dick Ashton's visits to our cabin are quite as much to seeMiss Esther Clark--Crippen I meant to say--as they are to see poor littleme." Betty had always enjoyed teasing Esther and now she expected thissilly remark of hers to make her friend blush and scold, but Estherseemed not to have paid the least attention, not even to have heard her.And in the same instant Betty guessed that something serious hadoccurred.
Her expression changed instantly. Betty looked suddenly older and unlikeany one had ever seen her look before.
She took her brother's hand. "Never mind, Dick, I think I know already,"she whispered, and unexpectedly it seemed to be Dick who was having to beupheld and consoled.
Esther slipped silently away, leaving the brother and sister together intheir sorrow, and somehow in her loneliness she felt almost envious ofthem in the closeness of their grief.