_ CHAPTER XI. FLORENCE'S GOOD ANGEL
"What is the matter, Flo?" said Kitty. The two girls were in their tiny bed-room. They were to leave Dawlish the next morning, as Kitty had persuaded Florence to go with her to Southampton in order that they might both be present when Colonel Sharston once more set foot on his native land.
Kitty was very much excited, but she was too gentle and noble a girl, too absolutely unselfish, not to notice that her companion was distrait and anxious. No one could be much more worried than poor Florence was that evening.
All during the long day which had followed she had kept saying to herself: "Shall I or shall I not? Shall I take that fifty pounds from Bertha and put myself in her power for ever, or shall I return her the money, fight my way to fortune with the weapons which God has given me, and not descend to her temptations?"
One moment Florence had almost made up her mind to choose the right path, but the next instant the thought of the struggle which lay before her and the terrible adventures which any girl must meet who fights the world without money rose to weaken her resolve. It would be so easy to accept that fifty pounds, and Bertha would scarcely dare to ask her to repay it. She would at least have plenty of time to collect the money bit by bit, and so return it to Bertha; but Florence knew well that if once she took that money she would lower herself forever in the moral scale.
"I should sink again to that sort of awful thing I was just before my great temptation at Cherry Court School," she thought. "I have managed to rise above that level now, and am I going to sink again?"
So she wavered all day long, the pendulum of her mind now swinging to one side, now to another. The result was that she felt quite worn out when night came.
"What is it?" said Kitty. "What is worrying you?"
"Oh, never mind," answered Florence. The tears rose to her eyes, she pressed her hands for a moment to her face, then she said abruptly: "Don't ask me."
"I will ask you. I have seen all day that you are wretched; you must tell me what has gone wrong with you."
"I am tempted, that is all," said Florence.
"Then do not yield to the temptation," was Kitty's answer; "if it is something you would rather not say to me----"
"No, Kitty, I must not tell you, but I am tempted strongly," answered Florence.
"The only thing to do, however hard the temptation, is not to yield to it," said Kitty.
Florence looked for a moment at her companion. Kitty, too, had known what it was to want for money. Kitty had been poor. It is true that, since the day she took the prize which Florence through deceit had lost, her kind friend, Sir John Wallis, had never ceased to shower small benefits upon her. She was not only his pet, but almost his idol. In his heart of hearts he felt that he would like to adopt her, but he did not dare even to suggest such a thing, knowing how passionately she was attached to her father.
Now Colonel Sharston was returning to England, having been appointed to an excellent home post, and Kitty's money troubles were quite at an end.
"She will want for nothing in the future," thought Florence to herself as she looked at the graceful figure and bright beautiful face of the young girl who was standing a short distance away. "She will want for nothing: she will never know the real heartache of those who have to earn their daily bread. How can she understand?"
"Why are you looking at me like that, Flo?" said Kitty.
"Oh, I don't know; I don't know. I--sometimes I envy you. You have rich and powerful friends."
"Then it is money: I thought as much," said Kitty. "Listen to me, Florence. I am sure I can guess what is troubling you. That dreadful Bertha wants to bribe you to be silent: she has offered you money."
Florence's face turned quite pale.
"Give it back to her; you shall, you must! I know father will help you when he comes back. I will speak to him. You must not yield, Flo; you must not."
Florence stood irresolute.
"It is not too late," said Kitty. "We are both leaving here early in the morning. Has she sent you any money now?"
"Yes," said Florence. Her voice scarcely rose to a whisper. The word trembled on her lips.
"Then we will return it to her. You must not take it."
"It is too late: I have taken it."
"It is not too late. What is the time? It is only half-past ten. I am quite certain that Miss Keys is not in bed yet. Come, Flo, put on your hat; your mother won't mind. We will take the latchkey and let ourselves in. We will go to the hotel and return the money."
"Oh, I dare not."
"Then I dare," said Kitty. "You have told me nothing, remember; but I will not let you sink or yield to this temptation."
Florence colored crimson.
"You have a great power over me," she said; "I feel as if you were my good angel, and Bertha were my bad."
"Then for heaven's sake, Florence, yield to the entreaties of your good angel. Come, come; the hotel won't be shut up. Where is the money?"
"In my pocket."
"Then come immediately."
Florence was inspired by Kitty, whose voice was strong, and her face brave and bright, as befitted one who lived for the right and rejected the wrong.
"I am glad," she said to herself; "I did not ask her counsel: she has forced it upon me. She is my good angel."
A moment later the two girls left the cottage. They walked quickly in the direction of the big hotel. There were lights in many rooms, servants walking about, and the hall-door was open. They walked up the steps, and Kitty entered the hall. Florence followed her, pale and trembling.
"Can I see Miss Keys?" asked Kitty of the hall porter.
"I will enquire if Miss Keys is up still," replied the man. "What name shall I say?"
"Miss Sharston. I want to see her for a moment about something important."
"Will you come in, Miss?"
"No; perhaps she would see me here. Say also that Miss Florence Aylmer is with me."
The man withdrew. A moment later, Bertha, in her evening dress, looking pretty and excited, ran downstairs.
"What is it? What's the matter?" she said. "Is that you, Florence? Kitty, what is the matter?"
"We don't want to stay; we don't want you to tell Mrs. Aylmer, and we don't want to get you into trouble of any sort," said Kitty, speaking rapidly and drawing Bertha aside as she spoke. "But we want to give you this back, and to let you know that what you suggested was impossible--quite impossible."
As she spoke, she thrust the little packet which contained the fifty pounds into Bertha's hand, and then took Florence's.
"Come, Flo; I think that is all," she said.
Bertha was too stunned to say a word. Before she had recovered from her astonishment, the two girls had walked down the steps and gone out into the night.
"What does this mean?" said Bertha to herself. "I don't like it at all, but, thank goodness, we are leaving here to-morrow. I don't suppose Florence will really tell on me. I must discover some other way to get her into my power."
She went slowly back to the sitting-room. Mrs. Aylmer looked up discontentedly.
"Who called to see you? I didn't know you had any friends in the town, Bertha?" she said.
"Nor have I, but a couple of young girls who are staying here called to return me a little packet which I had dropped on the beach to-day and lost. They found it; my name was on it, and they brought it back to me."
"Oh, indeed; I thought I heard the waiter say that Miss Florence Aylmer had called."
"You were mistaken, Mrs. Aylmer," replied Bertha, in her calm voice. She fixed her grey-green eyes on the widow's face, and took up the book which she had been reading.
"Shall we go on with this, or shall we have a game of two-handed patience?" she said quietly.
"I will go to bed," said Mrs. Aylmer; "I am tired and cross. After all, my life is very dull. You didn't manage to amuse me to-day, Bertha; you were not like your old self; and then I miss Maurice. He has become almost indispensable to me. I hope he will return to-morrow."
"We shall probably find him before us at Aylmer's Court."
"I shall send him a telegram the first thing to-morrow to ask him to hurry home," said Mrs. Aylmer. "He is such a pleasant, bright fellow that life is insupportable without him. You used to be much more amusing than you are now, Bertha. Is anything the matter?"
"Nothing, my dear friend," said Bertha. She looked full at Mrs. Aylmer, and tears rose slowly to her eyes. Now, no one could possess a more pathetic face than Bertha when she pleased. Mrs. Aylmer was not a good-natured woman, she was not kind-hearted, she was not in any sense of the word amiable, but she had certain sentiments, and Bertha managed to arouse them. When she saw tears in her young companion's eyes now, she laid her hand on her arm.
"What is it, dear? I should be sorry to be cross with you. You are a very good girl and suit me admirably."
"It was just the fear that I was not quite suiting you that was troubling me," replied Bertha. "Say that again, kind, dear benefactress, and you will make me the happiest girl in the world."
"No one ever suited me so well. You are surely not jealous of my affection for dear Maurice?"
"Oh, no; I love him myself," said Bertha.
Mrs. Aylmer looked grave. She rose slowly.
"Ring for my maid, will you, Bertha? I shall go to bed; I am tired," said the great lady.
The maid appeared a moment later, and the two left the room together. As Mrs. Aylmer slowly undressed, she thought of Bertha's last words: "I love him myself."
"Nonsense," said Mrs. Aylmer to herself; "she is ten years his senior if she's a day; nevertheless, I must be careful. She is a clever woman; I should be sorry to have to do without her, but I often wonder what her past was. I made very few enquiries with regard to her history. I wanted someone to be with me at the time, and she took my fancy."
Downstairs Bertha slowly unfastened the little parcel and looked at the five ten-pound notes which were rolled up within.
"After all, it's just as well that I should have this money by me as that I should give it to Florence Aylmer," she said to herself. "I must think of some other way to tempt her, and the money will be useful. I shall put it back into the post-office and wait awhile. She is certain to go to London, and equally certain to fail. I can tempt her with some of my stories. I will manage to get her address. Yes, clever as you think yourself, Florence, you will be in my power, and before many weeks are over." _