Kathleen's Diamonds; or, She Loved a Handsome Actor. Alex. McVeigh Miller
brown eyes gazed deep into hers, and he murmured, inaudibly to the others: "It was the happiest moment I ever knew when I saved your life!"
Then he was gone. From the stage she met his eyes twice fixed on her, as if he could not resist the temptation of looking. When George Fox put them all into their carriage, he came out, still in his stage costume, to say good-night. He held her hand just a moment longer than Helen's, and he whispered:
"I hope we shall meet again."
His eyes, his words, his thrilling hand-clasp, haunted the motherless girl that night in the mystical land of dreams.
She arose early, after a rather restless night, and her first thought was that she had no morning-dress.
"I am taller than Helen, so I can not wear one of hers; neither can I wear the low-necked costume I wore to the theater last night," she murmured, in perplexity.
Her musings were cut short by a tap at the door. Susette, her maid, entered with a large bundle.
"Good-morning, Miss Kathleen. I've brought your walking-dress for you to come home," she said, undoing the paper and displaying a black silk costume.
"Oh! how good of you, Susette! I was just thinking I would have to ask Mrs. Fox to send around for it."
"Mrs. Carew sent me," said Susette, pursing her lips.
"So she has returned?" asked Kathleen, resting her charming head on her elbow and looking down at the maid, who had seated herself on an ottoman close to the bed.
"She came home near midnight last night, Miss Kathleen."
"Near midnight? Why, then, some one must have been awake when I came home, Susette! Why did no one answer the bell?"
"The madame's orders," Susette replied, significantly.
The great dark eyes of Kathleen dilated in wonder.
"But why–" she began, and the maid interrupted:
"Miss Kathleen, I did some eavesdropping on your account last night, and if you'll not think the worse of me for it, I'll tell you Mrs. Carew's plans."
The woman was rather intelligent and quite well educated for one in her position. She had been in Kathleen's service five years, and loved her young mistress dearly. Her devotion to her interests had won her a warm place in Kathleen's heart.
"Go on," she said, and Susette continued:
"When madame went away yesterday it was somewhere into the country where there's a boarding-school, where you are to be sent to-day."
"Susette!"
"It's the gospel truth, miss! They packed your trunk last night, all ready for you to start. That's why they wouldn't let you in. You were not to know anything."
"To—send—me—back—to—school!" exclaimed the young girl in such amazement that the words came with difficulty from her lips. Her eyes flashed with anger. "I will not go! She can not force me!" she declared.
"She intends to make you go. I heard her tell Miss Belmont so," said the maid, looking very sad, for she knew that Mrs. Carew's will was law.
Kathleen's face grew scarlet with passion, and there was a dangerous light in her eyes, but she did not answer. Springing from the couch, she allowed Susette to attire her in her black silk.
"I thought maybe if I told you beforehand that maybe you could think of some way to outwit her," said the maid.
"And I will—I will! I will never be sent to school again!" cried the girl, in something almost like terror. She clasped her little hands and sighed: "Oh, why did papa ever go away and leave me here in that woman's power? She was always cruel to me, but she did not dare so much while he was here. Oh, I wish he would come home to his poor Kathleen!"
Bitter burning tears rolled down her cheeks and dropped on her heaving bosom. It was so hard to be ruled by this coarse woman, who envied and hated her in the same breath.
"She is going to make you marry her son, too. She told her daughter that she was determined to bring that about, so he might share your fortune," Susette remarked at this juncture.
CHAPTER VIII.
"PLEASE BUY MY DIAMOND NECKLACE," SAID KATHLEEN
I've no mother, now I'm weeping— She has left me here alone; She beneath the sod is sleeping, Now there is no joy at home.
Before Kathleen could reply, the door opened softly and Helen Fox came in with two letters in her hand. Kissing Kathleen good morning, she exclaimed:
"What do you think? The postman has just brought me a proposal!"
"From Loyal Graham?" queried her friend.
Helen blushed up to her eyes, but answered, gayly:
"No, indeed—from Teddy Darrell."
Kathleen arched her black eyebrows in surprise.
"Teddy Darrell! Why, he proposed to me last week," she said.
"And did he ask you to keep it a secret?" asked Helen, consulting her letter, her blue eyes dancing with fun.
"Yes, he did, now that I recall it. Oh, my! I'm sorry I mentioned it; but you took me by surprise."
"There's no harm done, my dear, and you need not look so conscience-stricken. Bless you, I don't mean to keep it a secret, although he prays me here to do so. Why, Teddy Darrell is the worst flirt in Boston, and proposes to a new girl every week, always trying to keep the new love a secret from the old one."
"But does no one ever accept him, Helen?"
"Perhaps. I don't know, I'm sure I sha'n't, and I'm just dying to tell the girls. Why, only last week we were comparing notes over him, and out of seven girls in the crowd he had asked five to marry him. Maud Sylvester said I'd be the next one on his list, and you see I am."
"But how can he fall in love so often?" queried Kathleen, laughing.
"He's very susceptible, I suppose, or maybe it's all in fun. You know some young men like to be engaged to several girls at once, so they can boast of their conquests, and maybe he's one of them. Well, I must lacerate his poor heart by a refusal," with a mock sigh.
"Who will be his next victim?" asked Kathleen.
"Either Maud Sylvester or Katie Wells. One is an actress, the other a novelist. He is wild over both fraternities."
"How amusing!" laughed her friend. "But your other letter, Helen? Is it another proposal?"
"No; this is an invitation to attend a flower show."
"From Loyal Graham?"
"Ye-es," Helen answered, a little consciously. "But, Kathleen, how pale you are! Did you not sleep well?"
"No; I was restless," answered the girl.
She debated within herself whether she ought to tell Helen of the news Susette had brought. She concluded that she would not just yet.
"Come, we will go down to breakfast, dear," Helen said, drawing an arm through Kathleen's to lead her away.
"Susette, you need not go back yet. I shall want you after a while," said Kathleen, and the maid remained very willingly.
Down-stairs Kathleen smiled, talked, ate, and drank in a mechanical fashion. She was busy revolving schemes for escaping her threatening fate.
Kathleen had not been home from school more than six months. The idea of returning to it, and leaving the social whirl, that as yet was so new and charming, was not to be tolerated.
"And just as I had met Ralph Chainey, too," she said to herself, in keen dismay.
Her mind was on a rack of torture. She was afraid that open rebellion would not avail. Her foe was keen and subtle. She would employ strategy to compass her ends.
"I ought to meet her with