Antoinette entered, bearing a bouquet of fragrant crimson roses in herhand.
Sally sprung from the chair, into which she had sunk a moment before,with a frightened little cry.
What if Jay Gardiner had by chance been in the room when those roseswere brought in, with Victor Lamont's card attached? What if he hadsnatched them from Antoinette's hand, and discovered the note that washidden in their fragrant depths?
"The handsome English gentleman sends these, with his compliments, tomadame," whispered the girl, after casting a furtive glance about theapartment, to make sure Doctor Gardiner had gone.
"Yes, yes," murmured Sally, blushing furiously. "Hand them to me, andthen go into the next room. I shall not want you for a few moments. WhenI do, I will ring."
She could hardly restrain her impatience until the door had closed tolearn what Victor Lamont had been so rash, after last night's escapade,as to write to her about.
She had little difficulty in finding the note.
There were but a few lines, and they read as follows:
"MY DEAR MRS. GARDINER--SALLY--I must see you _without delay_. I am pacing up and down the beach, waiting for you to come to me. You would not _dare_ fail me if you knew all that depends upon my seeing you.
"Yours, in haste and in waiting,
"VICTOR."
"Great Heaven!" muttered Sally, "how _can_ I go to him after the stormyinterview I have just had with my husband? It is utterly impossible, aswe go from here within the hour. I ought to say good-bye to the poorfellow. But what if Jay should be out on the beach, or on the piazza, orin the office, and see me slip out of the hotel? He would be sure tofollow me, and then there would be a scene, perhaps a fight."
Again and again she read the note, which she was twisting about herwhite fingers.
We all know what happens to the woman who hesitates--she is lost.
She touched the bell with nervous fingers.
"Antoinette," she said, when her French maid appeared, "I should like toborrow your cloak, hat, and veil for a little while. One does not alwayslike to be known when one goes out on a mission of charity."
"Certainly, madame," replied Antoinette. "Take anything I have inwelcome. But, oh, dear me, my smartest jacket will look wofully clumsyon madame's lovely form!"
"Help me on with them quickly, my good girl," cut in Sally, nervously;"and if any one asks for me when I am out--no matter who it is--say thatI have lain down with a severe headache, and can not on any account, bedisturbed."
In a few moments more, a trim, dainty figure was gliding swiftly alongthe beach, heavily veiled and all alone.
Yes, he was there waiting for her. There was no mistaking that splendidfigure, which was attracting the attention of so many young girls andtheir chaperons.
With a sweep of her white hand, Sally put back her veil, and stoodbefore him in the garb of her French maid.
For an instant, this unexpected discovery and the remembrance of theremark he had but just uttered recurred to him, and a dull red sweptover his face.
"Mrs. Gardiner--Sally!" he cried, rapturously, "I--I was just about togive the woman to whom I intrusted that note to give to your Antoinettea fine setting out."
"Let us walk leisurely along," he suggested. "We will then be lesslikely to attract attention. I was anxious to know if you reached yourapartments in safety," he went on in his most winning tone; but beforeshe had time to reply, he went on quickly: "I was not so fortunate inescaping recognition. I no sooner stepped into the office of the hotel,than a gentleman approached me.
"'Ah, Lamont,' he exclaimed, 'I am very glad to see you, though you havegiven me a deuce of a long wait.'
"Turning quickly, I beheld, to my utter dismay, the gentleman from NewYork to whom I owed that large sum of money I told you about.
"'I was here in time to take in the ball last night,' he went on. 'Icame on particularly to see you. You were having such a good timedancing, with that pretty little creature in white that I did notdisturb you by letting you know of my presence; but after the ball yousuddenly disappeared, and I have been waiting in this office for you,expecting you to appear every moment. I could not wait a moment longerthan was absolutely necessary, my business with you is so imperative.'
"To make a long story short, Mrs. Gardiner--Sally--he informed me thathe should be obliged to draw upon me at once for money I owed him; infact, that he _must_ have it to-day."
"Oh, what will you do, Mr. Lamont?" cried Sally, sympathetically. "Whatin the world will you do--what will you say?"
"That is just the trouble--what shall I do--what can I say to him? He isa man of iron will and terrible temper. He knows, he has learned throughmy bankers in New York, that I drew out every cent I had in their bankto pay him. How am I to face him, and tell him that it is gone? I knowfull well he will have me arrested, and the coachman will be broughtforward who drove me up to the door, and then the whole story will leakout."
"Oh! oh! oh!" cried Sally, standing quite still on the sands, wringingher hands and commencing to cry, "if that story comes out, I am ruined.Jay Gardiner will leave me, and I will be a beggar!"
"Just so," returned Victor Lamont, softly. "We must make every effort tokeep the matter quiet, and there is but one way out of the tangle--onlyone."
"And what is that?" cried Sally.
"You must save me, and in doing so, save yourself. Sally--Mrs.Gardiner," he whispered, rapidly, "you must help me raise money somehowto meet this man's demands."
"But I haven't any money!" moaned Sally. "I have spent the money myhusband gave me--spent it long ago!"
"You must get it somehow," he declared, hoarsely. "Borrow it from someof the husbands of your lady friends, and tell them not to let JayGardiner know. You are a woman of wealth and influence; you can easilyraise the money I want--and _you must do it_!"
"I shall not have time to even try to get the money," she declared. "Weleave Newport within the hour. Antoinette is packing the trunks now. Itwill be almost time to leave when I reach the hotel."
"You must ask Jay Gardiner for the money, then," he replied, doggedly,"and instruct Antoinette to hand it to me in the reading-room, and that,too, ere you step into your carriage."
"Is that a threat?"
She had hardly time to ask the question, ere she saw Antoinette cominghurriedly toward her.
With a hurried, "You heard what I said; do not fail me," Victor Lamontraised his hat, turned on his heel, and strode away.
She was racking her brains as to how she should raise the money forVictor Lamont in a half hour's time, in order to save herself from theexposure that would be sure to follow if she failed to do so.
She was driven to extremities. Yes, there was no other way but to borrowit from some of the guests she knew, and this could not be accomplishedwithout Antoinette's assistance.
By the time the girl returned, she had made up her mind as to whatcourse she would pursue. To-day's work would put her forever in theFrench maid's power; but there was no help for it--none whatever.
"Antoinette," she said in an unsteady voice, as soon as she had drainedthe wine the maid had brought, "I am in trouble, and I want you to helpme."
"You can rely upon me, my lady," replied the girl. "I will do anythingin the world for you, and tell no one."
"You are very good," murmured her young mistress incoherently. "I--Ihave lost something valuable belonging to my husband. It will take agreat deal of money to replace it, and it must be replaced at once,before he misses it. To do this, I am obliged to borrow money until Iget my next allowance from him. There are several persons in the hotelwho would willingly loan me the money if they but knew of mypredicament. I must see one after another in that little private parloroff the reception-room, until I have secured the amount I need. You willbring them to me."
"I understand, my lady," nodded the maid.
Flushed, and trembling with excitement, Sally stepped down to theprivate parlor, after giving Antoinette a score of n
ames on a slip ofpaper.
One by one, the clever French maid conducted the persons she had beensent in search of to her mistress.
Each gentleman listened in surprise to the appeal young Mrs. Gardinermade to them--she the bride of a man worth millions.
In most instances, the gentlemen carried large sums of money with them,and their hands flew to their well-filled pockets at once. They would beonly too pleased, they declared. How much would she need?
Sally named as large a sum as she thought each of them could stand, andin less than half an hour she had the full amount which Victor Lamonthad said he must have.
CHAPTER XLI.
"Now send Mr. Lamont to me here without delay," she said to Antoinette.
The girl did not have to do much searching. Mr. Lamont was in thecorridor. He hastened to answer the summons with alacrity.
"There is the money," cried Sally, almost swooning from excitement."Thirty thousand dollars, and----"
"By George! you are a trump, my dear!" exclaimed Victor Lamont,restraining himself by the greatest effort from uttering a wild whoop ofdelight. "That was splendidly done!"
Sally looked the disgust that swept over her.
"I have it all to pay back within three months," she said. "You haveforgotten that, it seems, Mr. Lamont, and by that time I shall expectyou to have procured the money to reimburse these gentlemen."
Victor Lamont laughed a sarcastic laugh.
"I shall not detain you longer, my dear Mrs. Gardiner," he said. "Yourhusband will be waiting to take you to the train. I shall not saygood-bye, but _au revoir_. I will write you, sending my lettersaddressed to your maid, Antoinette. She will give them to you."
"No, no!" answered Sally, nervously; "you must never write to me, onlysend me the money to repay today's indebtedness. Our friendship, whichwe drifted into unconsciously, was a terrible mistake. It has ended indisaster, and it must stop here and now."
"As the queen wills," murmured Lamont, raising to his lips the littlewhite hand that had given him so much money.
But deep down in his heart he had no intention of letting slip throughhis fingers a woman who had turned into a veritable gold mine under hissubtle tuition. Ah, no! that was only the beginning of the vast sums shemust raise for him in the future.
CHAPTER XLII.
As the carriage containing Jay Gardiner and Sally came to a sudden stop,he put his head out of the window to learn the cause, and found they hadalready reached the station.
"We shall reach home by nightfall," he said in a tone of relief.
But to this remark Sally made no reply. She was wondering how she couldever endure life under the same roof with his prying mother and sister.
While we leave them speeding onward, toward the place which was to bethe scene of a pitiful tragedy, we must draw back the curtain which hasveiled the past, and learn what has become of beautiful, haplessBernardine.
After her desertion by the young husband whom she had but just wedded,and the theft of the money which he had placed in her hands, she laytossing in the ravages of brain fever for many weeks in the home towhich the kind-hearted policeman had escorted her.
But her youth, health, and strength at last gained the victory, and oneday, in the late summer, the doctor in charge pronounced her well,entirely cured, but very weak.
As soon as she was able to leave her bed, Bernardine sent for thematron.
"You have all been very kind to me," she said, tears shining in her darkeyes. "You have saved my life; but perhaps it would have been better ifyou had let me die."
"No, no, my dear; you must not say that," responded the good woman,quickly. "The Lord intends you to do much good on earth yet. When youare a little stronger, we will talk about your future."
"I am strong enough to talk about it now," replied Bernardine. "You knowI am poor, and the only way by which a poor girl can live is byworking."
"I anticipated what you would say, my dear, and I have been makinginquiries. Of course, I did not know exactly what you were fitted for,but I supposed you would like to be a companion to some nice lady,governess to little children, or something like that."
"I should be thankful to take anything that offers itself," saidBernardine.
"It is our principal mission to find work for young girls who seek theshelter of this roof," went on the matron, kindly. "The wealthy ladieswho keep this home up are very enthusiastic over that part of it. Everyweek they send us lists of ladies wanting some one in some capacity. Ihave now several letters from a wealthy woman residing at Lee,Massachusetts. She wants a companion; some one who will be willing tostay in a grand, gloomy old house, content with the duties allotted toher."
Bernardine's face fell; there was a look of disappointment in her darkeyes.
"I had hoped to get something to do in the city," she faltered.
"Work is exceedingly hard to obtain in New York just now, my dearchild," replied the good woman. "There are thousands of young girlslooking for situations who are actually starving. A chance like thisoccurs only once in a life-time."
Still, Bernardine looked troubled. How could she leave the city whichheld the one that was dearer than all in the world to her? Ah, how couldshe, and live?
"Let me show you the paper containing her advertisement," added thematron. "I brought it with me."
As she spoke, she produced a copy of a paper several weeks old, aparagraph of which was marked, and handed it to Bernadine.
"You can read it over and decide. Let me know when I come to you an hourlater. I should advise you to try the place."
Left to herself, Bernardine turned to the column indicated, and slowlyperused the advertisement. It read as follows:
"WANTED--A quiet, modest young lady as companion to an elderly woman living in a grand, gloomy old house in the suburbs of a New England village. Must come well recommended. Address MRS. GARDINER, Lee, Mass."
"Gardiner!"
The name fairly took Bernardine's breath away, for it was the namebestowed upon her by the young man who had wedded and deserted herwithin an hour.
The very sight of it made her heart grow sick and faint. Still, it helda strange fascination for her. She turned to look at it again--to studyit closely, to see how it appeared in print, when, to her amazement, shecaught the name "Jay Gardiner" in a column immediately adjoining it.
She glanced up at the head-lines, and as she did so, the very breathseemed to leave her body.
It was a sketch of life at Newport by a special correspondent, tellingof the gayety that was going on among the people there, particularly atthe Ocean House. Nearly, half a column was given to extolling the beautyof young Mrs. Gardiner, _nee_ Sally Pendleton, the bride of Doctor JayGardiner, her diamonds, her magnificent costumes, and smart turn-outs.
The paper fell from Bernardine's hands. She did not faint, or cry out,or utter any moan; she sat there quite still, like an image carved instone. Jay Gardiner was at Newport with his bride!
The words seemed to have scorched their way down to the very depths ofher soul and seared themselves there. Jay Gardiner was at Newport withhis bride!
What, then, in Heaven's name was _she_?
Poor Bernardine! It seemed to her in that moment that she was dying.
Had he played a practical joke upon her? Was the marriage which she hadbelieved in so fully no marriage at all?
She had no certificate.
It was scarcely an hour from the time the matron had left her until shereturned; but when she did so, she cried out in alarm, for Bernardine'sface was of an ashen pallor, her dark eyes were like coals of fire, andher hands were cold as death. The matron went up to her in great alarm,and gently touched the bowed head.
"Bernardine," she murmured, gently--"Bernardine, my poor child, are youill? What has happened?"
After some little correspondence back and forth, Bernardine was acceptedby the lady, and in a fortnight more she was able to make the journey.
The matron went down to the depot wit
h her, to see her off, and prayedthat the girl would not change her mind ere she reached her destination.
The train moved off, and she waved her handkerchief to the sweet, sad,tear-stained face pressed close to the window-pane until a curve in theroad hid it from her sight; then she turned away with a sigh.
Bernardine fell back in her seat, not caring whether or not she lived toreach her destination.
It was almost dusk when the train reached the lovely little village ofLee, nestling like a bird's nest amid the sloping green hills.
Bernardine stepped from the car, then stood quite still on the platform,and looked in bewilderment around her.
Mrs. Gardiner had written that she would send a conveyance to thestation to meet her; but Bernardine saw none.
While she was deliberating as to whether she should inquire the way tothe Gardiner place of the station agent, that individual suddenly turnedout the lights in the waiting-room, and in an instant had jumped on abicycle and dashed away, leaving Bernardine alone in a strange place.
At that moment, a man stepped briskly beneath the swinging light. Oneglance, and she almost swooned from horror.
The man was Jasper Wilde!
CHAPTER XLIII.
For a moment it seemed to Bernardine as though she must surely fall deadfrom fright as her startled gaze encountered her greatest enemy, JasperWilde.
Had he followed her? Had he come all the way on the same train with her?