CHAPTER XIX.
THE JUNIOR PARTNER.
Some months later it would have seemed impossible to Stella that she hadworked herself into a state about such a trifle as a foolish letter fromVava to the junior partner, which, as she owned to herself, said nothingbut the truth, for she knew she was stiff and proud, and that povertymade her stiffer and prouder, and that Mr. Jones knew it, and was fartoo friendly with Vava to resent her familiarity. But this morning theone thought that possessed her was that she must get that letterwhatever happened. She could never face Mr. Jones after he had beenasked by her younger sister to put up with her stiffness because she waspoor and could not help it. So when his step was heard she just waiteduntil he was in his office and had time to take off his hat and coat,and then she knocked at the door.
There was a murmur of voices within, and then the head-clerk opened thedoor, and said to Mr. Jones, 'Miss Wharton, sir.'
'Oh come in, Miss Wharton. I am late this morning, and your letters arenot ready for you yet,' he replied.
'I should like to speak to you before you open them, if you please,' shesaid.
'Certainly, come in and sit down.--I'll see you in a few minutes,Leighton,' he added to the head-clerk.
'Excuse me, sir, but I want to speak to you too, and perhaps mytwenty-five years' service may give me the right of precedence,' saidMr. Leighton, who was not very tactful.
'Not of a lady, Leighton. I expect your business can wait,' said Mr.Jones, turning civilly to Stella.
'I'm afraid it can't, sir; it has to do with Miss Wharton'----he began.
Stella had always thought the junior partner one of the easiest-goingand most good-tempered of men, and she was startled by the look of angerthat came into his face and his stern voice as he replied, 'You can havenothing to do with this lady. I thought I made that understood.--I hopeyou have not been annoyed in any way?' he continued to Stella.
But Stella, though she was annoyed with the senior clerk for hispersistence, and rather angry that he should be there to complain ofher, was too just not to know that it was her own fault, and she said inher proud way, 'Not in the least, thank you. On the contrary, I amafraid I annoyed your clerk by asking for your letters. I did not knowit was against the rules.'
'So it is, Mr. Jones, without your authority,' began Mr. Leighton,anxious to defend himself.
But Mr. Jones cut him short. 'It's all right, Leighton; I quiteunderstand how the mistake arose. Miss Wharton wished to get on with herletters; and, knowing she has our complete confidence, she thought shecould ask for such a simple thing. If she ever makes any request infuture, remember she has my authority,' he said.
Mr. Leighton left the room with a 'Very good, sir.' But he was far fromthinking that it was very good, and might have been heard muttering inhis own room about a 'pretty face' being the very mischief in a Cityoffice, and a nice thing for them all if she was to be allowed to askfor what she liked, and have it too. 'A proud minx!' he wound upviciously.
Meanwhile, Stella, being left with the junior partner, began to explain.'It was not your business correspondence I wished to see, Mr. Jones, buta private letter.' She stopped, for really it sounded very odd; and thenshe continued, 'May I just look at the addresses of the letters,please?'
'Certainly,' said Mr. Jones, handing her his letters, with a perfectlygrave and business-like face. Not a sign of surprise nor annoyance atthis truly extraordinary request was to be seen on his face, nor even agleam of amusement in his eyes.
Stella took the letters and looked them through; but in vain! Vava'sletter was not amongst them! She looked a second time, and then handedthem back, with a worried air, to Mr. Jones, who apparently waited foran explanation, which Stella did not find easy to give. She could notunderstand the non-arrival of the letter, unless, indeed, Vava hadaddressed it wrongly. Then it occurred to her that it might have beendelayed and come by the next post; and even as the thought passedthrough her mind a clerk brought in some more letters.
'You might open those to save time, as we are late to-day, while I gothrough these,' said the junior partner, seeing that Stella was notready with an explanation.
But neither among this pile was there one with Vava's childishhandwriting. If Stella had not herself seen the letters delivered shewould have thought that Mr. Jones might have received the letter andhidden it from her; but she saw them in the head-clerk's hands when shecame in, and watched him lay them on the desk before the junior partner.Still, there was just a chance that it had been taken before she camein, being a very unbusiness-like letter, and likely to have been noticedand put on the top, and she felt she must put her mind to rest; so sheasked, 'Excuse me, Mr. Jones, but are these all the letters that havearrived this morning?'
'To the best of my knowledge, yes; at least, they are all that I havereceived,' he replied; but still he did not ask why.
And, for the life of her, Stella could not get herself to tell him why,but began mechanically opening the letters and reading them withouttaking in what they were about, until, with a start, it dawned upon herthat she was reading a private letter of invitation from some people sheknew. She gave an exclamation of surprise and annoyance at hercarelessness, which made Mr. Jones look up.
'I beg your pardon, I did not think of what I was doing,' she said,handing him the letter.
'Oh that's all right; there's nothing private in that. Rothery oftenwrites to me here; he says he has a better chance of being answered,' heobserved.
Lord Rothery was a neighbour, and had been a great admirer of Stella,and he was a friend of the junior partner. Wonders would never cease!Stella was perturbed at the information, for the letter said that heshould be up in town that day, and was coming to see Mr. Jones in hisoffice to fix up dates for their yachting.
'I know--I knew Lord Rothery,' she said at last in desperation, for shefelt that she could not meet him in Mr. Jones's office.
'Ah, yes, of course, he was a neighbour of yours. I am sure he will bedelighted to meet you again, Miss Wharton,' said the junior partnerpolitely.
'But I don't want to meet him!' Stella exclaimed impulsively, and thenstopped. This morning was going all wrong; she had meant to be verypolite, but more reserved than ever, and here she was, on the contrary,having more conversation with her employer than she had had all the timeshe had been with him.
Mr. Jones seemed to understand at once; and, in spite of herself, Stellacould not help being grateful to him. 'In that case I had better comeand dictate my letters to you in your room, for Rothery has alight-hearted way of bursting in upon me without waiting to beannounced; he won't take my business seriously, and persists that I comehere for amusement, as I can't want to make more money,' he says.
But when they were in her room, and she had taken down all her notes,and Mr. Jones got up to go, she summoned up all her courage and said, 'Iwish to explain to you that my little sister wrote you a foolish letteron Saturday, and that I would rather you did not read it.'
'So you meant to abstract it from my letters?' he said, looking at hervery straight.
But Stella lifted her head, and looked back just as straight as shereplied, 'I meant to do no such thing. I simply meant to give you theletter, which I should know by the handwriting, and ask you as agentleman not to read it.'
A gleam came into James Jones's eyes as she said this; but he repliedquietly, 'I think you might trust me, Miss Wharton, as a gentleman, notto take any notice of what a child like Vava said. You know, or ratheryou don't know, that business men can behave honourably and be gentlemenas well as the bluest-blooded among you.'
'I hope I have not implied the contrary, and I do not suppose you wouldpay any attention to what Vava said; but I should be very much obliged,all the same, if you would give me the letter unopened,' remarkedStella.
'I am afraid that is impossible,' he said gravely.
'Impossible!' said Stella, and then her pride and anger got the betterof her. 'I fail to see why it is impossible, nor why you should persistin wishing to
read a letter which I tell you I did not wish my sister towrite to you. If it is some mistaken sense of loyalty to Vava, I may aswell tell you that she has told me what was in it, and knows that I amasking for it back unread,' she said.
Mr. Jones looked undecided for a moment, and then he observed, 'I amsorry that she told you the nonsense she wrote, and I am very sorry thatyou have taken it so seriously. I would not refuse a request of yoursfor the world, Miss Wharton, and I only wish I could make your life hereless distasteful to you'----he began.
Stella interrupted him. 'Then why not promise to give me the letter whenit comes, without reading it?' she said eagerly.
Mr. Jones thought if Stella had been pretty before she had never lookedso beautiful as she did at this moment, as she laid aside her pride fora moment, to plead for the unlucky letter. He would have given a gooddeal to have been able to gratify her. 'Miss Wharton,' he said, 'youreally are exaggerating this matter, and, if you will excuse my speakingplainly, you are not very just or polite to myself in objecting to myreceiving a friendly letter from your little sister. After all, I am nota cad or such an objectionable person that you need mind her writingfoolish confidences to me. I hope you will believe that I shall in noway take advantage of them?'
'That is not the point; but as you refuse to return me the letter I haveonly one course open to me, and that is to resign my post in youroffice,' said Stella, looking very white and angry.
'I have no wish to keep you here against your will, and as I am soobnoxious to you perhaps you will be happier in another office; and, asit happens, I know of a post that is vacant, and that you can have on myrecommendation. You will allow me to say that we shall regret yourdeparture very much, for it will be difficult to replace you,' heobserved, and left the room.
Stella sat for a moment doing nothing; then she took up her letters andbegan transcribing them, and so the morning passed away, and she thoughtshe had never passed such a miserable one. On her way to lunch she tookher letters to the junior partner's room and knocked at his door; butinstead of his usual cheery, 'Come in!' he came hastily to the door,and, only opening it a few inches, took the letters with a polite 'Thankyou.'
And as she turned away, Stella heard Lord Rothery's hearty laugh, andshe understood Mr. Jones's thought for her, and felt a little ashamed ofherself; but stay there after his refusal of her request she could not,and she thought sadly of having to face strangers again in a new office,and wondered whether she would receive as much consideration there asshe had done at Baines, Jones & Co.'s, and she could not help thinkingthat it had been very kind of the junior partner to assure her ofanother berth immediately on leaving him. 'He knows I should miss themoney,' she said bitterly to herself.
However, that afternoon when she went to his room he was as civil asever, though very grave. He said nothing about Lord Rothery, nor abouther leaving until she was going out of the room, and then he observed,'I would rather you had not known this, Miss Wharton, and I am sorryyour sister told you what she had written. Of course I should havereturned the letter if it had been possible; I certainly wouldn't haveread it if I had known what you feel about it.'
'I really don't understand. I made it clear this morning; but since youhave read it there is no more to be said,' she replied in tones ofscorn.
'It is very easy to understand; the letter arrived on Saturdayafternoon, and I happened to be here and opened it. I only laughed, andliked the child better for her openness. I have it here; you can take itand read it if you like, unless you will do me the honour to believethat there is nothing in it which makes me respect either of you less,and to let me keep the letter.'
Stella struggled with many emotions during this speech, and then shesaid in a subdued voice, 'Pray, keep it,' and turned to leave the room.
'And may we consider your resignation withdrawn?' he asked.
'Certainly,' said Stella, and she could not help feeling somehow thatshe had made herself very ridiculous, and it gave her an unwontedfeeling of humility as she went home, which Vava's conversation did nothelp to allay.
'Well,' was her greeting, 'what did Mr. Jones say?'
'He got the letter on Saturday afternoon, so I was too late to preventhis opening it,' Stella replied.
'O-oh! But you needn't really mind, Stella; he would not think any theless of you for it,' she observed.
'He was very polite about it,' said Stella in a reserved tone.
Vava looked inquiringly at her sister. 'I hope you were polite, becausehe's a most awfully nice man to be with, and you don't half-appreciateit,' she said with her usual candour.
And then Doreen, who was buying a book at the bookstall, joined them,and the subject was dropped, to Stella's relief; and Vava, who wouldhave liked to know what Mr. Jones said, finding her curiosity was not tobe gratified by Stella, privately made up her mind to ask Mr. Jones onSaturday when he helped her with her algebra.
What satisfaction she got out of him will be told later on; but, thoughthe storm had blown over this time, it was not the last quarrel betweenStella and her employer, and Vava declared to Mrs. Morrison that it was'no good, for Stella would never get on with Mr. James Jones, who reallywas the nicest man she had ever met, and quite a gentleman.' Whetherthis was a true prophecy time will show.