A City Schoolgirl and Her Friends

  CHAPTER XXIII.

  STELLA'S PRIDE.

  As a rule, an employer feels no diffidence in offering one of hisemployes a rise in salary; but Mr. James Jones found himself wonderinghow he was to tell Miss Wharton that the three months being up, hersalary would be raised to two pounds. He always enclosed her cheque inan envelope, and sent it by the housekeeper with some other lettersevery Saturday morning. But this Saturday he wrote out the cheque forthe increased amount, and tried to compose a civil note to inform herthat the time for the usual rise had arrived. To begin with, he did notknow how to address her. 'Dear Madam' sounded too formal, and he did notdare to say 'Dear Miss Wharton.' So he pushed the cheque on one side,and began opening his letters and giving them to Stella.

  When she had gone, a knock came to the door, and Vava's bright faceappeared.

  'What a surprise; I thought you had given me up and got anothermathematical master!' cried Mr. Jones, looking very pleased to see hisyoung pupil again.

  'Indeed I haven't; only I got lazy about coming up to the City onSaturday when there was a nice cosy fire to sit by and old nursie totalk to; but the examinations are next week, and I wanted to ask you toexplain one or two rules to me,' said Vava, bringing her book up to thejunior partner's desk.

  'I shall be delighted; but I want you to explain to me first how to dosomething,' replied Mr. Jones.

  'Me? But I can't explain anything you can't understand!' she exclaimedincredulously.

  'Yes you can; you understand your sister,' he observed.

  'Oh Stella'----began Vava, rather embarrassed; for Stella had requestedher since the episode of the letter not to discuss her or her privateaffairs with Mr. James Jones or any one else.

  'And I don't--I don't want to hurt her feelings,' continued Mr. JamesJones.

  'Oh well, I don't suppose you would; she says you are very civil andgentlemanly, and'----Here Vava stopped.

  'Did she say that? I am very glad to hear it. What were you going tosay?' he inquired.

  'I think I had better not say any more. You know I got into an awful rowabout that letter, and nursie was cross with me too; so I really havebegun to be very careful what I say now,' announced Vava.

  'You need not be careful with me; still, I don't want you to say whatyou think you ought not. Now will you explain my difficulty to me? Iwant to write to your sister, and I don't know how to begin the letter,'he told her.

  Vava opened her eyes wide. 'But she is in the next room!'

  'I know; but I really could not say it to her,' said the junior partner,looking uncomfortable.

  Vava looked at him keenly. 'I can't imagine why not; she's not sofrightening as all that, unless you want to propose to her,' she addedwith a laugh.

  Mr. Jones laughed too, although he coloured and looked fearfully at thedoor, as if Stella might by some evil chance be there. 'Would she befrightening if one proposed?' he asked in joke.

  'I hope you won't, because she would not marry you, you know,' respondedVava.

  'Thank you,' said Mr. Jones. And then he added, in a dry tone, 'As amatter of fact, I was not going to take any such liberty; I was going totell her'----Here he stopped.

  'That you didn't want her any more?' suggested Vava.

  'On the contrary, that her services were worth more to the firm than shewas being paid for them, and that her salary would be raised,' heobserved.

  'How jolly! Why can't you tell Stella that straight out? She isn'tashamed of earning money,' declared Vava.

  Mr. Jones was not so sure of that. However, he so far took Vava's adviceas not to write, but simply to send the cheque of the increased amount,and leave Stella to speak of it.

  Meanwhile Mr. Jones set to work to explain not only one or two rules,but to go through all the term's work, and spent, not half-an-hour, buttwo hours at it; and Stella, who came in with her letters, could nothelp feeling grateful, and admiring the young man for his good-natureand the interest he was evidently taking in his pupil.

  'Now if that does not bring you out first in the examination I shall besurprised, that's all!' he exclaimed, when, having come to the lastrule, Vava declared that she understood them all.

  'Then I shall have to give the prize to you,' she replied, laughing, andwent off.

  Now it happened that Stella did not open her cheque at all that morning,being very busy translating a long communication from a French firm, andon the way home she took it out of its large business envelope to putinto her pocket-book, when her eye fell on the amount. 'Dear me! howstupid of Mr. Jones; he has made this cheque out wrong. If I wanted tocash this money it would be very inconvenient,' said Stella, who wasvery particular about paying all bills and accounts regularly everyweek.

  'It's all right; he's raised your salary,' put in Vava.

  Stella grew crimson with anger. 'How do you know? And what have you beentelling him to make him do it? If it is because I couldn't afford totake you to the seaside, I may as well tell you it won't make anydifference, and I am surprised at your complaining of not having enoughmoney; it's just asking for it, that's what it is, and I never thought asister of mine would beg!' she cried scornfully.

  Vava's anger was roused by this injustice, and a wicked desire to teaseher sister made her say, instead of denying the accusation, 'There wasno need to beg; he says you are worth it to the firm.'

  'I shall return it on Monday,' said Stella.

  'Then you will be very silly. To tell you the truth, I wonder Mr. Jonesputs up with you, and I should not be surprised if he gets tired of yournasty pride, and tells you to go,' remarked Vava.

  Stella said nothing in answer to this impertinence. She was very angrywith Vava; but now that she had time to think she felt that she had beentoo hasty, and should have asked an explanation from her sister, whomshe could hardly believe had really asked for a rise; still it lookedlike it, its coming that morning. In a different tone she asked, 'Whatmade Mr. Jones tell you about this cheque? I thought I told you not todiscuss me?'

  'I didn't--at least, how could I help it; he began it, and I had toanswer him,' protested Vava.

  'You ought to have declined to talk about me. One thing is certain, youwill not have the chance again, for you shall not go to him with yoursums or anything else. Our relations with Mr. Jones are simply businessones, and I don't want him to think we wish them to be anything else,'said Stella.

  'That's just what I told him, and I said you would not marry him if heasked you!' cried Vava impulsively.

  Many a time during the following week did Vava ask herself why she didsuch a silly thing as to repeat that foolish remark; but at the time shehad no idea of the trouble it would cause.

  Stella stared at her sister as if she could hardly believe her ears.'You discussed my marrying Mr. Jones with him?' she asked, red and whitein turns.

  'I said you wouldn't marry him, so it's all right; you need not goupsetting yourself,' she replied, half-frightened at the effect herremark had had upon her elder sister.

  'I do not want to hear anything more that you said. I have begged you tobe more careful of what you say, but it seems to be hopeless; otherarrangements will have to be made.' And she relapsed into cold silence;but Vava saw that tears of mortification were in her eyes.

  The girl made one or two attempts to speak to Stella, but withoutsuccess, and they walked home in silence from the station. Oh how gladVava was to have 'nursie' there, into whose ears she poured the wholestory.

  'You should not have said it, Miss Vava; of course Miss Stella is vexedat your suggesting such a thing,' said the old woman.

  'But she does not know that I suggested it; she only knows half thestory, and I can't make her listen,' objected Vava.

  'You must leave her alone till she comes round; her pride is hurt, andno wonder. What I do wonder at is your talking about such things asmarriage to a strange gentleman; it's very unbecoming in a young lady ofyour age,' said the housekeeper.

  But 'nursie' could say what she liked to her 'bairn,' who took it quitemeekly, a
nd did as she was told, and left Stella alone.

  After dinner, at which they were all rather silent, Stella wrote aletter, which she took out and posted, not at the pillar but at thepost-office.

  'There now, she's written Mr. Jones a horrid letter, I'm quite sure!'exclaimed Vava to the housekeeper.

  'It's none of your business if she has,' replied the latter.

  'I don't know so much about that. Mr. Jones will think I repeated theconversation all wrong, and I'm certain she is sending back the extramoney,' retorted Vava.

  'You can't help that; your elder sister must do what she thinks right,'insisted the housekeeper.

  'I can help it; I can write to Mr. Jones and tell him the truth,'declared Vava.

  But Mrs. Morrison would not hear of this. 'You wrote once, and it vexedher; and now that she has forbidden you to go to see Mr. Jones any moreyou have nothing to do but obey, even if it is hard.'

  'But he will think horrid things of me,' protested Vava.

  'I do not think he will; but even so, you must abide by it. Dearie me,what bairns you all are! You are nothing but children, all of you, andmaking trouble for yourselves, as if there were not enough in the worldwithout your adding to it,' said the good woman with a sigh, for she hadtaken Amy and Eva to her warm heart, and their troubles as well, andjust now her keen eyes saw that there was trouble with them as well aswith her own two 'bairns.'

  Stella's walk had done her good, for she seemed more cheerful at tea,and spoke a few words to Vava, whose buoyant spirits revived at once. AsMrs. Morrison had said, they were all young; and when after tea Stellasuggested a round game, they all joined in, and one would have thoughtto hear their merry laughter that they had not a care among them.

  However, when Monday morning came, Stella came down to breakfast in herindoor clothes, and seemed to be taking things very easily.

  'Stella, make haste, you will be late for the train, and I must be intime this morning, because it is the examination!' cried Vavaimpatiently.

  'I am not coming with you to-day,' said Stella quietly.

  'Then why did you not tell me? I let Doreen go past, and I must run nowto catch the train!' cried Vava, rushing off in a great hurry.

  Stella certainly thought she had made Vava understand that she was notgoing to town that day; but Vava very certainly did not understand it,and remarked to Doreen, 'Stella is coming by a later train; she israther vexed with me for something stupid I said, so I dare say that'swhy she did not come with us.'

  'I'm sorry; she's so pretty, and I like to look at her,' said Doreen;and then, Stella not being there to look at, she opened her books andbegan looking over work for the examination.

  The day went very well. Vava answered every question in the algebrapaper, and was only uncertain about two problems, and she decided whenshe went to call for her sister to show her the paper and ask her if shemight not give it to Mr. Jones and just tell him how much he had helpedher. The last event was always uppermost with Vava, and her examinationseemed to be of much more importance than her sister's annoyance ofSaturday, and it was with a very bright face that she went to hersister's little office at Baines, Jones and Co.'s to tell her how wellshe had got on. She walked in as usual without knocking, and to hersurprise found Mr. Jones sitting at her sister's typewriter, or ratherthe typewriter her sister had used.

  'What! you, Vava? Haven't you washed your hands of me too?' he saidrather bitterly.

  'I haven't washed my hands of you. Where is Stella?' she inquired insurprise, looking round, and determined to be very careful what she saidto-day.

  'Don't you know then?' he demanded.

  'Know what? Have you quarrelled?' she inquired.

  'I have not quarrelled, and as it takes two to make a quarrel I supposewe have not; but your sister has left, and I cannot imagine why, exceptthat I raised her salary without explaining the reason,' he said.

  'Left you! What reason did she give? When did she leave--just before Icame?' asked Vava.

  'She never came to-day. I had a letter instead, simply saying as therewere only a few days to the holidays she begged to be excused fromreturning, as she wished to leave my employ.'

  'Oh dear! it's all my fault,' sighed Vava, and she told the story of herconversation with Stella.

  'Well, I am glad about one thing, and that is that I have seen you andhad this explanation,' said Mr. Jones.

  'But I ought not to be here; Stella said I wasn't to come and see youany more!' cried Vava, just remembering this fact.

  'You did not come to see me--fate brought me to this room at thisminute; but I won't keep you. I have written to your sister; but sinceyou have explained matters I will write a different letter,' heobserved.

  'I do hope she'll come back to you,' sighed Vava.

  'I doubt it; pride is very strong with your sister; but I hope we shallbe friends in spite of it. Now, good-bye, don't miss your train,' hesaid, holding out his hand before Vava had time to ask how they could befriends without ever seeing each other.

  As it was, she missed Doreen, who had gone by the earlier train, so shehad to go home alone, a thing she had never done before; and she felt alittle surprised and hurt at the indifferent way Mr. Jones had saidgood-bye to her for ever, as she believed.