CHAPTER VII.A CONSULTATION.
“What have you been doing to-day?” Mr. Richards asked, in cold, stern tones, after what seemed an interminable pause.
Stella began to feel almost faint. That hard face, in which displeasure was the chief expression, did not look very promising for her cause; but she replied:
“I have done all the chamber-work, swept and dusted five rooms, and waited upon Mrs. Richards.”
“You are not accustomed to such work,” he said, glancing at her delicate hands.
“Not to any such extent, sir. Mamma used to require me to take care of the music-room, besides my own, at home, for we could keep only one servant, and Iknow howto sweep, and dust, and make beds,” Star concluded, with a slight smile.
“I should say that you know a good many things for so young a lady,” Mr. Richards said, kindly, for he saw that she was nervous over what she had been telling him. Then he added, more gravely: “I will consult with Mrs. Richards, andI think that we can arrange for you to pursue your education as you desire.”
Star flushed.
She knew well enough that a mere consultation with Mrs. Richards would not secure much for her, and that she would be very angry with her for having appealed to her husband, and she made up her mind on the spot to make a bold stroke for her freedom.
So meeting his eyes in a frank, fearless way, yet speaking with the utmost respect, she said:
“I feel confident from the conversation which I had with Mrs. Richards this morning, that she will be very unwilling to make any change in her arrangements, so I will be perfectly frank and say to you, that much as I should dislike to take any radical steps in opposition to her, or my father’s desire that I should remain with her, yet Icannotconsent to remain here as a common servant, with no privileges or time to myself. I presume Mrs. Richards will say that, as she has been appointed my guardian, I shall have to do just as she desires. But I have read somewhere that when an orphan in this country reaches a certain age, he has the privilege of choosing a guardian for himself. Rather than be subjected to the fate of becoming a second Maggie Flynn,” Star continued, her voice gathering firmness, “I shall exercise that privilege. Thank you for listening so kindly to my troubles, and I trust I have not wearied you. Good-night.”
Without waiting for him to reply, she inclined her head in a graceful bow, and quietly glided from the room.
“By George!” exploded Mr. Richards, staring blankly after her retreating form, “that is what I call spirit. Make a common servant of such a girl as that, indeed! My lady and I will talk this matter over, and see—whatwe shall see.”
Half an hour later he sought an interview with his wife, and there followed “a consultation” in earnest.
Mrs. Richards was dumfounded upon being informed of the decided stand which her spirited little ward had taken, and her indignation in consequence knew no bounds.
“The impudent little beggar!” she ejaculated, crimson with rage. “Does she expect to rule me, or balk me like this? She will find herself greatly mistaken. I will give her a dose in the morning—‘sucha dose,’ as Mr. Flintwinch was wont to remark to his beloved Affery.”
“Ellen, you will do no such thing,” her husband returned, firmly. “Have you forgotten Mr. Gladstone’s letter to you and your reply to him? When you wrote accepting the guardianship of his daughter, you did so in a way to lead him to believe that you would do your best for her.”
“And so I am doing my best for her,” interrupted his wife. “You have talked of nothing but retrenchment for the last six months, and I havetriedto retrench. I knew the coming of this girl would make an extra mouth to feed, so I made up my mind to make her useful, and save something if I could.”
“Well, the child says she is willing to be useful, but you are not fulfilling your agreement by making a drudge of her. Mr. Gladstone understood that you would give careful attention to her education, which he evidently has conducted upon the most thorough principles, and he expected that you would fill as far as possible his place toward her.”
“How do you know what I wrote to him? You did not see my letter,” demanded Mrs. Richards, angrily.
“I have seen it to-night. The girl has it, and showed it to me; and now I want you to live up to your promises,” replied her husband, gravely.
“She ought to be thankful that she has a roof to shelter her. Do you suppose I am going to allow her to interfere with Josephine’s rights?”
“Certainly not; but this girl is exceedingly bright and pretty; let them become mates and share alike, and I’ll wagerthat Star will never abuse your indulgence,” Mr. Richards said, generously.
“And who may ‘Star’ be?” demanded his wife, scornfully.
“Why, Stella, of course—Star was the name, I suppose, by which she was known at home. Now, I insist,” he continued, with decision, “that this child be given a fair chance.”
“How about retrenchment if you havetwofine young ladies to support instead of one?” sneered Mrs. Richards.
“Oh, bother! we’ll make it up in some other way. I’ll sell one of my horses; you can give up a new gown once in awhile.”
“Not if I know myself, Mr. Richards. I do not intend that this girl shall interfere with my comfort in the least degree,” interrupted the lady, with a frown.
“Well, we will manage in some way; but,” he added, beginning to get out of patience with her selfishness and heartlessness, “I swear, if you won’t promise to treat her considerately, and she repudiates you as her guardian, I will get her to choose me in your place, and I’ll treat her like a young princess—send her to Vassar, or any other first-class school she may choose, regardless of the cost.”
“George Richards,” cried his wife, with flashing eyes, “if you take up weapons against me in this way, I never will forgive you.”
“Can’t help it,” he retorted, coolly. “I’ll not have that girl made a common drudge of in this house while I am master here. How you could meditate such a thing for a moment is more than I can understand. Where is the gratitude for the life which her mother saved for you so many years ago?”
Mrs. Richards started slightly. She had not intended that her husband should ever know of the debt which she owed Star’s mother.
“I suppose she had to twit you of that in order to gain her point and make you her champion,” she said, sarcastically.
“No, indeed. I asked her what her father meant by his allusion to the service rendered you, and to which he referred in his letter, and she told me of course, though in a very modest way, that her mother once saved you from drowning. Now, I want you to change your tactics. I want you to allow her to be one of the family.”
“Ineverwill do that, Mr. Richards, and it is useless for you to suggest it,” Mrs. Richards interrupted, hotly. “I could never endure the sight of the girl at my table after this, and Josephine, I know, would not consent to it. Any one can see by the course she has pursued to-night with you that she is full of art and intrigue, and would not hesitate to interfere with Josie’s plans and prospects.”
“Oh, ho! you’re afraid she will outshine Jo, are you?” laughed her husband, good-naturedly. “I should think one would set the other off, Star being so light and Jo so dark, and I should really enjoy seeing two pretty girls flitting about the house.”
“I will never put Stella Gladstone on an equal footing with my daughter, so you can cease arguing upon that point,” reiterated Mrs. Richards, with a positiveness that was not to be mistaken.
“If you insist,” she continued, after a minute’s thought, “upon her being allowed to pursue her education, since she makes such a parade of being a bookworm, let her; I will not interfere. ButIinsist, on the other hand, that she make herself useful. She must work about the house before and after school, and do something in return for her support—more than this I will not concede;” and Mr. Richards, having gained this point, considered that he had won quite a victory for his wife’s pretty ward.
“Very well,” he said; “I presume she will be satisfied with this arrangement. She said she was willing to work if she might only be allowed to study.”
“Satisfied or not, it is all the concession that I shall make; and mark my words, George, I shall notloveher any better for this interference on your part,” his wife said, hotly.
“Fie, Ellen! I thought you had a warmer heart; and it would not sound well outside if it should become known that you were making a servant of a relative. It would make quite a stir, let me tell you, if she should appeal to the courts to have a new guardian appointed,” Mr. Richards returned, in a conciliatory tone.
Thus the matter was settled, to Star’s great joy. Mr. Richards made arrangements at once for her to enter a select school for young ladies, which was located quite near their residence, and she began her attendance there the following Monday, having passed a most “creditable examination,” the principal informed her.
When she was advised of this pleasant change in her life, she thanked Mrs. Richards in a few well-chosen words for consenting to it; but the irate woman shut her up instantly by saying:
“You owe me nothing, and I wish the subject never mentioned again in my presence. You will assist about the chamber-work in the morning before it is time for you to go to school, and help Mrs. Blunt with the mending on your return in the afternoon. Miss Baker will attend to the provision of suitable clothing for you, and you will work with her Saturdays. Now we will consider this matter disposed of until such time as you may deem your education finished;” and with this heartless speech, Star was summarily dismissed from the august matron’s presence.
She was greatly rejoiced with even this ungracious permission to pursue her studies, and the hours spent in the school-room were a source of great delight to her; but her position at home was anything but agreeable.
Mr. Richards treated her kindly whenever he chanced tomeet her, but his wife and daughter ignored her presence when they could do so; when they could not, they took pains to make her feel her obligations and dependence in the most uncomfortable manner.
With Mrs. Blunt she was comparatively happy, for the woman, though brusque and peculiar, was very kind-hearted, seeming to have conceived a great liking for the lonely orphan; and often she would sit up late at night to get the piles of mending out of the way, in order that Star—who was studying very hard to make up for having entered school in the middle of a term—might have more time to herself.
Miss Baker, the seamstress, too, was very kind to her, and her Saturdays were often passed very pleasantly in sewing and chatting in the cozy sewing-room.
She left home at a quarter to nine in the morning, and did not return until half-past four in the afternoon, taking a luncheon and spending the nooning in the school-room.
This was not done on account of the distance, but because the dinner hour at the Richards’ mansion conflicted with the school hours.
By staying at noon thus Star gained an hour’s practice on one of the pianos, with no one to interrupt her, and this was a season of unalloyed delight to her. Nothing had been said to her about continuing her music—Mrs. Richards had vetoed all accomplishments on account of the extra expense—but she could not give it up, so pursued a course of faithful practice by herself.
Not a moment was wasted. She arose with the dawn, and every morning for an hour she might have been seen bending over her small table, busily engaged in writing or study.
All her duties were faithfully performed; beds had never been so well made before, rooms were never so carefully swept and dusted, or so tastefully arranged; and yet one wouldscarcely have mistrusted her presence in the house, everything was done so quietly and unobtrusively.
This general exercise, together with her brisk walk before and after her school, was very beneficial to her health. She grew tall, and round, and rosy, and in beauty every day.
Saturdays Miss Baker’s weary face would brighten as Star sat and chatted in a merry, entertaining way, whiling away the long hours, her busy fingers often lightening her labors when there was no sewing to be done for herself, until she began to love the sweet young girl with a deep, warm affection, and to look forward to those weekly diversions almost as if they had been angels’ visits.
Star was very tasteful also, and often suggested changes in trimming and the arrangement of drapery, thus making great improvements in her work, while, in spite of Mrs. Richards’ commands that “everything for Miss Gladstone be as plain as respectability would allow,” she took pains to fit the young girl’s figure with great nicety, and added many graceful touches to her otherwise simple dresses.
All winter long Star pursued this busy life, improving every moment to the best advantage, making every hour count; and one morning, getting through her work earlier than usual, she might have been seen stealing forth from that elegant mansion a half hour before the regular time, her cheeks flushed with some inward excitement, her eyes gleaming, yet somewhat anxious, and carrying in her hands a goodly sized package neatly wrapped in brown paper.
She took an opposite direction from the usual route to school, and walked hurriedly toward the business portion of the city.
At the end of twenty minutes she stopped before the door of a large and handsome store, where for a moment she seemed to hesitate as if uncertain what to do next.
At last, with fluctuating color and trembling hand, she turned the handle and entered.
A little while passed, and then she came forth again, while now she appeared pale and agitated.
As the door closed after her, she stood still for a moment upon the sidewalk, seeming lost in troubled thought; then a tremulous sigh, which was almost a sob, broke from her lips, and she turned and walked toward her school.