CHAPTER X
THE CONFESSION
It was almost dawn when Barbara began to dream that she heard low,suppressed sobs. No; she must be wrong, she was not dreaming. The soundswere too real. The sobs were close beside her, and Bab felt Mollie'sshoulders heaving in an effort to hold them back.
"Why, little sister," cried Bab in a frightened tone, putting outher hand and taking hold of Mollie, "what is the matter with you!Are you ill?"
"No," sobbed Mollie. "There is nothing the matter. Please go to sleepagain, Bab, dear. I did not mean to wake you up."
"You would not cry, Mollie, if there was nothing the matter. Tell me atonce what troubles you," pleaded Barbara, who was now wide awake. "If youare not ill, then something pretty serious is worrying you and you musttell me what it is."
Mollie only buried her head in her pillow and sobbed harder than ever.
"Tell me," Bab commanded.
"It's the blue gown!" whispered Mollie under her breath.
"The gown?" queried Barbara, suddenly recalling Mollie's wonderfulcostume at the President's reception. "Oh, yes. I have not had anopportunity to ask you where you got such a beautiful frock and how youhappened not to tell me about it."
"I was ashamed," Mollie sobbed.
Barbara did not understand what Mollie meant, but she knew her sisterwould tell her everything now.
"I bought the frock," Mollie confessed after a moment's hesitation."That is I did not exactly buy it, for I did not have the money to payfor it. But Harriet was to pay for it and I was to give her back themoney when I could."
"How much did the gown cost, Mollie?" Bab inquired quietly, although herheart felt as heavy as lead.
"It cost fifty dollars!" Mollie returned in a tired, frightened voice.
"Oh, Mollie!" Bab exclaimed just at first. Then she repented. "Nevermind, Molliekins; it can't be helped now. The dress is a beauty, and Isuppose Harriet won't mind how long we take to pay her back. We must justsave up and do some kind of work when we go home. I can coach some of thegirls at school. So please don't cry your pretty eyes out. There is anold story about not crying over spilt milk, kitten. Go to sleep. Perhapssome one will have left us a fortune by morning."
Barbara felt more wretched about her sister's confession than she waswilling to let Mollie know. She thought if Mollie could once get tosleep, she could then puzzle out some method by which they could meetthis debt. For fifty dollars did look like an immense sum to the two poorThurston girls.
"But, Bab dear, I have not told you the worst," Mollie added in tonesof despair.
"Mollie, what do you mean?" poor Bab asked, really frightened this time.
"Harriet can't let me owe the money to her. Something perfectly awfulhas happened to Harriet, too. Promise me you will never tell, not evenRuth! Well, Harriet thought she could lend me the money. But, the dayafter we got home from the dressmaker's, that deceitful Madame Louisewrote poor Harriet the most awful note. She said that Harriet owed hersuch a dreadfully big bill, that she simply would not wait for her moneyany longer. She declared if Harriet did not pay her at once she wouldtake her bill straight to Mr. Hamlin and demand the money. Now Harriet isalmost frightened to death. She says her father will never forgive her,if he finds out how deeply in debt she is, and that he would not let hergo out into society again this winter. Of course, Harriet went to seeMadame Louise. She begged her for a little more time, and the dressmakerconsented to let us have a week. But she says that at the end of thattime she must have the money from me and from Harriet. Harriet isdreadfully distressed. She simply can't advance the money to me for, evenif the dividend she expects comes in time, she will have to pay the moneyon her own account. Oh, Bab, what can we do? I just can't have Mr. Hamlinfind out what I have done! He is so stern; he would just send me home indisgrace, and then what would Mother and Aunt Sallie and Mr. Stuart say?I shall just die of shame!"
"Mr. Hamlin must not know," Barbara answered, when she could find herbreath. Somehow her own voice sounded unfamiliar, it was so hoarse andstrained. Yet Bab knew she must save Mollie. How was she to do it?
"Do you think, Bab," Mollie asked, "that we could ask Ruth to lend us themoney? I should be horribly ashamed to tell her what I have done. ButRuth is so sweet, and she could lend us the money without any trouble."
"I have thought of that, Mollie," Barbara answered. "But, oh, we couldnot ask Ruth for the money! It is because she has been so awfully good tous, that I can't ask her. She has already done so much for us and shewould be so pleased to help us now that somehow I would rather do mostanything than ask her. Don't you feel the same way, Mollie?"
"Yes, I do," Mollie agreed. "Only I just can't think what else we can do,Bab. I have worried and worried until I am nearly desperate. We have onlyone week in which to get hold of the money, Bab."
"Yes, I know. But go to sleep now, Mollie. You are too tired to try tothink any more. I will find some way out of the difficulty. Don't worryany more about it now." Bab kissed her sister's burning cheeks, whereatMollie could only throw her arms about Barbara and cry: "Oh, Bab, I am sosorry and so ashamed! I shall never forget this as long as I live."
Bab never closed her eyes again that night. A little while later she sawthe gray dawn change into rose color, and the rose to the blue of theday-time sky. She heard several families of sparrows discussing theiraffairs while they made their morning toilets on the bare branches ofthe trees.
At last an idea came to Barbara. She could pawn her jewelry and so raisethe money they needed. She had the old-fashioned corals her mother hadgiven to her on her first trip to Newport. There was also the beautifulruby, which had been Mr. Presby's gift to her from the rich stores of hisburied treasure. And the Princess Sophia had made Bab a present of abeautiful gold star when they were at Palm Beach. Barbara's other jewelrywas marked with her initials.
Now Bab had very little knowledge of the real value of her jewelry, andshe had an equally dim notion of what a pawn shop was. But she did knowthat at pawn shops people were able to borrow money at a high rate ofinterest on their valuable possessions, and this seemed to be the onlyway out of their embarrassment.
But how was Barbara to locate a pawn shop in Washington? And how was sheto find her way there, without being found out either by Mr. Hamlin orany one of the girls?
Bab was still puzzling over these difficulties when she went down tobreakfast.
"Miss Moore says she would like to see you, Barbara," Harriet Hamlinexplained, when Bab had forced down a cup of coffee and eaten a smallpiece of toast. "Miss Moore is much better this morning, and a carriageis to take her home in a few hours. I have just been up to inquire abouther. Father," continued Harriet, turning to Mr. Hamlin, "Miss Moore wantsme to thank you for your kindness in bringing her here, and to say shehopes to be able to repay you some day. Marjorie Moore seems to think youdiscovered her out on the White House lawn, Barbara. However did you doit? I suppose you were out there walking with Peter Dillon. But it isagainst the rules."
"Does Miss Moore happen to know how she was hurt, Daughter?" Mr. Hamlinqueried. "Lieutenant Wilson declares the girl was struck a glancing blowon the head with the end of a loaded cane. And the doctor seemed to havethe same idea last night."
"Miss Moore does not understand just what did happen to her," Harrietreplied. "Or at least she won't tell me. She declares she was out in thegrounds looking for some one, when she was knocked down from behind. Shenever saw who struck her. How perfectly ridiculous for her to be runningabout the White House park alone at night! I wonder the guards permittedit. What do you suppose she was doing?"
"Attending to her business, perhaps, Daughter," Mr. Hamlin returneddryly. "Miss Moore works exceedingly hard. It cannot always be pleasantfor a refined young woman to do the work she is sometimes required to do.I hope you will be kind to her, Harriet, and help her when it is withinyour power."
But Harriet only shrugged her shoulders and looked obstinate. "I shouldthink Miss Moore would find the society news for her paper insi
de thereception rooms, rather than outside in the dark. It looks to me asthough she went out into the grounds either to meet some one, or to findout what some one else was doing."
None of the "Automobile Girls" or Mr. Hamlin made response to Harriet'sunkind remark and they were all glad when breakfast was over and thediscussion ended.
Barbara at once went upstairs to the room that had been allotted to theirwounded guest the night before. She found Marjorie Moore dressed in ashabby serge suit, lying on the bed looking pale and weak. A refined,middle-aged woman, with a sad face, sat by her daughter holding her hand.She was Marjorie's mother. The two women were waiting for the carriage totake them home.
"I want to thank you, Miss Thurston," Marjorie Moore spoke weakly. "Ibelieve it was you who found me. I ought not to have asked you to comeout into the yard, but I did not dream there would be any danger toeither one of us. I want you to believe that I did have a real reason forpersuading you to join me, a reason that I thought important to yourhappiness, not to mine. But I cannot tell you what it was, now; perhapsbecause I may have made a mistake. I must have been struck by a tramp,who had managed to hide in the White House grounds. I have no otherexplanation of what happened to me. But--" Miss Moore stopped andhesitated. "I have an explanation of the reason I wanted to talk to youalone. Yet I cannot tell you what I mean to-day. I want to ask you totrust me if ever you need a friend in Washington."
Bab thought the only friend she was likely to need was some one who couldlend her fifty dollars. And Marjorie Moore was too poor to do that. Shewould have liked to ask the newspaper girl where she could find a pawnshop, but was ashamed to make her strange request before that gentle,sad-eyed woman, Marjorie Moore's mother.
So Barbara only pressed the other girl's hand affectionately, and saidshe was glad to know she was better, and that she appreciated herfriendship.