The Beggar Man. Ruby M. Ayres
Faith felt a little chill of apprehension. She missed Peg sorely, and yet she was glad of her absence. She could not easily forget the strange way in which her friend had behaved last night in the teashop—how she had turned and walked away.
After all, what did it matter? And yet … she wished she could have taken Peg into her confidence. It was terrible to have nobody in whom she could confide, terrible to have to keep all these wonderful secrets locked up in her own heart.
Last night she had almost told her mother. Mrs. Ledley had looked at her again and again in a puzzled sort of manner, and once she had asked, hesitatingly:
"Is anything the matter, Faith, dear?"
Faith had laughed.
"No; what could be the matter?" and Mrs. Ledley said, slowly: "I only wondered——"
This day seemed interminable. Faith did her work slowly and badly. She knew that Miss Dell had real cause for her frequent complaints. She was thankful when at last it was time to go.
She snatched up her hat and was first out of the factory; she reached the end of the road hot and breathless with her haste.
The Beggar Man was not there.
Faith looked eagerly up and down the road, but there was no sign of him, and a thrill of apprehension touched her heart.
Had it after all been a dream, and was she never to see him again? She walked on slowly.
Perhaps she was too soon—perhaps something had happened to detain him. She looked up and down the street for a clock, but there was not one to be seen. She retraced her steps slowly; he would come! Of course he would come! In a moment she would see him turn the corner—in a moment she would hear his voice. …
She tried to think of something else, so that the time would pass more quickly, but she could not concentrate her thoughts.
Supposing he had not been serious! Supposing all her wonderful dreams were never to come to anything after all! Supposing she had still to go on, week in and week out, in Heeler's noisy, stifling factory. A feeling of desperation seized her—she could not bear it—she would die if she never saw him again. She remembered in a panic that she did not know where to find him, that he had never told her where he lived, or given her any address.
She lifted a trembling hand to the notes hidden beneath her frock; they were real enough—and then came another and more cruel thought. Supposing he had given them to her by way of farewell—her heart almost stopped beating.
Such things did happen she knew in novelettes, if not out of them! Peg had told her one lurid story, in which. …
"Good afternoon," said the Beggar Man beside her.
Tears of relief started to her eyes. She was so glad to see him she could hardly speak; she stammered out:
"I thought you were not coming any more—I thought you had gone away."
He looked faintly surprised.
"Am I late? I'm sorry. I would have been earlier if I had known you would be here."
Faith smiled, and brushed the tears from her eyes.
"It doesn't matter a bit now you've come," she said. She was quite happy again.
"But I've got something to tell you," said the Beggar Man reluctantly. He looked up and down the street.
"Not a taxi to be seen, of course! Well, we must walk a little way."
But he walked so quickly that Faith had almost to run to keep up with him.
A great many people in the street seemed to know him, she noticed, and a policeman at the corner saluted smartly as they passed.
She felt tremendously proud of the Beggar Man. She wished everyone could know that on Saturday he was going to marry her.
"We'll go in here," Nicholas said suddenly, and led the way into the same teashop where they had sat last night.
He chose the same table and ordered tea. Faith looked round her with excited eyes. There was the same girl in the desk, staring at them curiously, and over there was the table where Peg had sat—empty now! And Faith turned her eyes away with a little thrill of foreboding.
The Beggar Man was speaking.
"It's just this—I've got to go away——"
Faith's eyes dilated. In an instant everything else was forgotten.
"Go away!" she echoed blankly.
"Yes—only on business—to America. I shall be gone seventeen days, and I go to-morrow."
"To-morrow!" Faith felt as if she was drowning. She did not know that she had turned pale to the lips.
He went on speaking quickly.
"I can't take you—I wish I could. You'd want lots of clothes for one thing, and it would take too long to get them, and to explain things to your mother and the rest of the world. But"—he leaned a little nearer to her over the table—"I've got a special licence in my pocket," he said. "Will you marry me before I go?"
Faith put out both hands blindly and grasped the edge of the table before her. For a moment she felt as if she were blind and deaf; then she drew a long breath.
"Marry you—before you go!" she gasped. "To-day?"
The Beggar Man smiled. "Well, there's hardly time to-day, is there? I thought to-morrow morning—early—about nine, if that is not too early for you."
"I have to be at the factory at half-past seven." She uttered the excuse tremblingly, knowing full well that it was no excuse at all.
He made an impatient movement.
"There is no need to consider the factory. You were to have left, anyway. I'll make it right with them."
Faith had been conscious of a feeble sense of resistance, but now, as she met his eyes, all will power seemed to desert her.
"Very well," she said, in a whisper.
The Beggar Man gripped her hand. "Thank you. I hope you will never regret it," he said.
The tears swam into Faith's eyes.
"And—mother?" she faltered.
"You can tell her to-morrow as soon as we're married, if you like," he answered. "Or leave it till I come back, and I'll tell her myself. I shall only be gone a little while, after all. Seventeen days will quickly pass."
"Will they?" She smiled wistfully. To her ignorance, America sounded as if it must be in another world.
"Don't you want any more tea? Very well, then, we'll get along."
They went out into the street together.
"I haven't bought any new clothes," she said timidly. He glanced down at her.
"Never mind—get them while I'm away. What does it matter what clothes you are married in? There will only be me to see you."
He meant the words kindly, but they gave her a little thrill of apprehension. Only him! That was what it would be for the rest of her life—only this man, who, after all, was almost a stranger to her.
She wanted to put her thoughts into words, but glancing up at his grave face she was suddenly afraid, and he went on talking, quite unconscious of her agitation.
"Do you know Victoria Station? But of course you do! Well, if you'll meet me there to-morrow. … No, I'll come and meet you and we'll drive down together. I'll be at the end of your road at half-past eight. Will that do?"
"Yes." Her heart was beating so fast she thought it would choke her.
Yesterday she had been all happiness and excitement at the thought of her marriage. This morning it