CHAPTER X.
LIFE WITHOUT LOVE IS LIKE A ROSE WITHOUT PERFUME.
For an instant these two young girls who were to be such bitter rivalsfor one man's love looked at each other.
"Oh, what exquisite embroidery!" cried Jessie. "Are you going to buysome, Mrs. Varrick?"
"I am thinking of engaging this young person to come to the house andmake some for me, under my supervision," she returned.
"I would give so much to know how to make it!" exclaimed Jessie.
"If this young woman will give you instructions, you can take them,"said Mrs. Varrick.
At that moment Hubert Varrick entered.
"What is all this discussion about, ladies?" he asked.
Gerelda uttered a quick gasp as he crossed the threshold. Her heart wasin her eyes behind those blue glasses. She had pictured him as beingworn and haggard with grieving for her. Did her eyes deceive her? HubertVarrick looked brighter and happier than she had ever seen him lookbefore, and, like a flash, Captain Frazier's words occurred to her--hehad soon found consolation in a new love.
"This woman is an adept at embroidering," said Jessie, "and she is toteach me how to do it. When I have thoroughly learned it, the very firstthing I shall make will be a lovely smoking-jacket for you."
"Oh, thank you!" exclaimed Hubert. "Believe that it will be a precioussouvenir. I shall want to keep it so nice, that I will hardly dare wearit, lest I may soil it."
The girl laughed a little merry laugh. It was well for her that she didnot turn and look at the stranger just then. Mrs. Varrick was makingarrangements with her, but she was so intently listening to thatwhispered conversation about the jacket, that she scarcely heard a wordshe said. She was only conscious that Mrs. Varrick had touched the bellfor one of the servants to come and show her the apartment she was tooccupy.
"May I ask the name, please?" Mrs. Varrick said.
"Miss Duncan," was the reply.
From the moment Miss Duncan--as she called herself--entered thathousehold her torture began. It was bad enough to be told by CaptainFrazier of her would-be lover's lack of constancy; but to witness itwith her own eyes--ah, that was maddening!
"Would that I had never entered this household!" she cried out.
She was unable to do justice to her work. Her whole life merged into onedesire--to watch Hubert Varrick and Jessie Bain.
She employed herself in embroidering a light silken scarf. This shecould take out under the trees, and see the two playing lawn-tennis onthe greensward just beyond the lilac hedge.
There was not a movement that escaped her watchful eyes during the wholelive-long day. And during the evenings, too. Would she ever forget them?
Yes, Captain Frazier was right-- Hubert Varrick had forgotten her.
She could see that Mrs. Varrick had no love for the girl. Indeed, herdislike was most pronounced; and she felt that Hubert must have doneconsiderable coaxing to gain his mother's consent to bring the girlbeneath that roof.
When she learned from the housekeeper that Hubert Varrick was herguardian, her rage knew no bounds.
It was at this critical state of affairs that Hubert Varrick received atelegram which called him to New York for a fortnight.
Mrs. Varrick heard this announcement with a little start, while JessieBain heard it with dismay.
To her it meant two long, dreary weeks that must drag slowly by beforehe should return again.
No one knew what Miss Duncan thought when she heard the housekeeperremarking that Mr. Hubert had gone to New York.
Late that afternoon she was startled by a soft little tap at her door,and in response to her "Come in," Jessie Bain entered.
"I hope I have not interrupted you," said Jessie; "but I thought I wouldlike to come and sit with you, and watch you while you worked, if youdon't mind."
"Not in the least," answered Miss Duncan.
For a few moments there was a rigid silence between them, which MissDuncan longed to break by asking her when and where she first met HubertVarrick.
But while she was thinking how she might best broach the subject, Jessieturned to her and said, "I don't see how you can work with those blueglasses on; it must be such a strain on your eyes;" adding, earnestly:"But I suppose you are obliged to do it, and that makes considerabledifference."
"You suppose wrong," returned Miss Duncan, with asperity. "I do itbecause it is a pleasure to me."
"Oh!" said Jessie.
"It distracts my mind," continued Miss Duncan. "There are so many sadthings that occur in life, that one would give anything in this world tobe able to forget them."
"Have you had a great sorrow?" asked Jessie.
"So great that it has almost caused me to hate every woman," returnedMiss Duncan; adding: "It was love that caused it all. You will do well,Miss Bain, if you never fall in love; for, at best, men aretreacherous."
The girl flushed, wondering if the stranger had penetrated her secret.
But she had been so careful to hide from every one that she had fallenin love with handsome Hubert Varrick, it was almost impossible to guessit.
As Jessie Bain did not reply to the remark which she had just made, MissDuncan went on hurriedly, "There is not one man in a thousand who provestrue to the woman to whom he has plighted his troth. The next prettyface he sees turns his head. I should never want to marry a man, or evento be engaged to one if I knew that he had ever had another love.
"By the way," she asked, suddenly lowering her voice, "I am surprised tosee Mr. Varrick looking so cheerful after the experience he has had withhis love affair."
"He was too good for that proud heiress," Jessie declared, indignantly."I think Heaven intended that he should be spared from such a marriage.I-- I fairly detest her name. Please do not let us talk about her, MissDuncan. I like to speak well of people, but I can think of nothing savewhat is bad to say of her."
With this she rose hastily, excused herself, and hurried from the room,leaving her companion smarting from the stinging words that had fallenfrom her lips.
"The impudent creature!" fairly gasped the heiress, flinging aside herembroidery and pacing up and down the floor like a caged animal. "Ishall take a bitter revenge on her for this, or my name is not GereldaNorthrup!"
The more she thought of it, the deeper her anger took root. They broughther a tempting little repast; but she pushed the tea-tray from her,leaving its contents untasted. She felt that food would have choked her.
The sun went down, and the moon rose clear and bright over the distanthills. One by one the lights in the Varrick mansion went out, and theclock in the adjacent steeple struck the hours until midnight. StillGerelda Northrup paced up and down the narrow room, intent upon her owndark thoughts.
One o'clock chimed from the steeple, and another hour rolled slowly by;then suddenly she stopped short, and crossed the room to where hersatchel lay on the wide window-sill. Opening it, she drew from it asmall vial containing white, glistening crystals, and hid it nervouslyin her bosom; then, with trembling feet, she recrossed the room, openedher door, and peered breathlessly out into the dimly lighted corridor.No sound broke the awful stillness.
Closing the door gently after her, the great heiress tiptoed her waydown the wide hall like a thief in the night, her footfalls making nosound on the velvet carpet. Jessie's was the last door at the end ofthe corridor. Miss Duncan knew this well. But before she had gained itshe saw Mrs. Varrick leave her room and step to Jessie's.
She remembered Mrs. Varrick did not like the girl. A score ofconjectures flashed through her mind as to the object of thatsurreptitious visit; but she put them all from her as being highlyimpracticable and not to be thought of.
The morrow would tell the story. She must wait patiently until then, andfind out for herself.
How thankful she was that she had not been three minutes earlier. Inthat case Mrs Varrick would have discovered her. And then, too, atragedy had been averted.
She took the vial from her bosom, and with trembling hand
s shook itscontents from the window down into the grounds below, and threw the tinybottle out among the rose bushes, murmuring:
"If it is ever done at all, it must not be done that way."
Then she threw herself on the couch just as the day was breaking, anddropped into an uneasy sleep, from which she was startled by a terrificrap on the door.