Chapter 23

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_ CHAPTER XXIII The servant who opened the door for Daisy looked earnestly at the fair, pleading young face, framed in rings of golden hair, so pure and spiritual that it looked like an angel's with the soft white moonlight falling over it. "You will not refuse me," she repeated, timidly. "I must speak to Mrs. Lyon." "You have come too late," he replied, gently; "Mrs. Lyon is dead." The man never forgot the despairing look of horror that deepened in the childish blue eyes raised to his. "Rex's mother dead!" she repeated, slowly, wondering if she had heard aright. "Oh, my poor Rex, my poor Rex!" How she longed to go to him and comfort him in that terrible hour, but she dared not intrude upon him. "If there is any message you would like to leave," said the kind-hearted Parker, "I will take it to Mr. Rex." "No," said Daisy, shaking her head, "I have no message to leave; perhaps I will come again--after this is all over," she made answer, hesitatingly; her brain was in a whirl; she wanted to get away all by herself to think. "Please don't say any one was here," she said, quickly; "I--I don't want any one to know." The sweet, plaintive voice, as sweet as the silvery note of a forest bird, went straight to his heart. Whatever the mission of this beautiful, mysterious visitor, he would certainly respect her wishes. "I shall not mention it if you do not wish it," he said. "Thank you," she replied, simply; "you are very kind. My life seems made up of disappointments," she continued, as she walked slowly home under the restless, sighing green branches. It seemed so indeed. She was so young and inexperienced to be thrown so entirely upon the cold, pitiless world--cut off so entirely from all human sympathy. She entered the house quite unobserved. Eve--bright, merry, dashing Eve--was singing like a lark in the drawing-room, making the old house echo with her bright young voice. "How happy she is!" thought Daisy, wistfully. "She has home, friends, and love, while I have nothing that makes life worth the living." Like a shadow, she flitted on through the dim, shadowy hall, toward her own little room. She saw Gertie's door was ajar as she passed it, and the sound of her own name caused her to pause voluntarily. It was very natural for Daisy to pause. How many are there who would have passed on quietly, with no desire to know what was being said of themselves, when they heard their own names mentioned in such a sneering manner? Daisy certainly meant no harm by it; she paused, thoughtfully and curiously, as any one would have done. "I am sure I don't like it," Gertie was saying, spitefully. "It is an actual shame allowing Daisy Brooks to remain here. Uncle Jet was a mean old thing to send her here, where there were three marriageable young ladies. I tell you he did it out of pure spite." "I believe it," answered Bess, spiritedly. "Every one of my beaus either hints for an introduction or asks for it outright." "What do you tell them?" questions Gertie, eagerly. "Tell them! Why, I look exceedingly surprised, replying: 'I do not know to whom you refer. We have no company at the house just now.' 'I mean that beautiful, golden-haired little fairy, with the rosy cheeks and large blue eyes. If not your guest, may I ask who she is?' I am certainly compelled to answer so direct a thrust," continued Bess, angrily; "and I ask in well-feigned wonder: 'Surely you do not mean Daisy Brooks, my mother's paid companion?'" "What do they say to that?" asked Gertie, laughing heartily at her elder sister's ingenuity, and tossing her curl papers until every curl threatened to tumble down. "That settles it, doesn't it?" "Mercy, no!" cried Bess, raising her eyebrows; "not a bit of it. The more I say against her--in a sweet way, of course--the more they are determined to form her acquaintance." "I don't see what every one can see in that little pink-and-white baby-face of hers to rave over so!" cried Gertie, hotly. "I can't imagine where in the world people see her. I have as much as told her she was not expected to come into the parlor or drawing-room when strangers were there, and what do you suppose she said?" "Cried, perhaps," said Bess, yawning with ennui. "She did nothing of the kind," retorted Gertie. "She seized my hand, and said: 'Oh, Miss Gertrude, that is very kind of you, indeed! I thank you ever so much!'" "Pshaw!" cried Bess, contemptuously. "That was a trick to make you believe she did not want to be observed by our guests. She is a sly, designing little creature, with her pretty face and soft, childish ways." "But there is one point that seriously troubles me," said Gertie, fastening the pink satin bow on her tiny slipper more securely, and breaking off the thread with a nervous twitch. "I am seriously afraid, if Rex were to see her, that would be the end of our castle in the air. Daisy Brooks has just the face to attract a handsome, debonair young fellow like Rex." "You can depend upon it he shall never see her," said Bess, decidedly. "Where there's a will there's a way." "I have never been actually jealous of anyone before," said Gertie, flushing furiously, as she acknowledged the fact; "but that Daisy has such a way of attracting people toward her they quite forget your presence when she is around. 'When one rival leaves the field, another one is sure to come to the fore.' That's a true saying," said Gertie, meditatively. "You see, he did not marry the heiress of Whitestone Hall. So he is still in the market, to be captured by some lucky girl." "Well, if I am the lucky one, you must forgive me, Gertie. All is fair in love and war, you know. Besides, his wealth is too tempting to see slip quietly by without a struggle." Before she could reply Eve popped in through the long French window that opened out on the porch. "Oh, I'm so tired of hearing you two talk of lovers and riches!" she cried, throwing herself down on the sofa. "I do hate to hear love weighed against riches, as if it were a purchasable article. According to your ideas, if a fellow was worth a hundred thousand, you would love him moderately; but if he was worth half a million, you could afford to love him immensely." "You have got a sensible idea of the matter," said Bess, coolly. "For shame!" cried Eve, in a hot fury. "It's an actual sin to talk in that way. If a handsome young man loves you, and you love him, why, you ought to marry him if he hadn't a dollar in the world!" Gertie and the worldly-wise Bess laughed at their younger sister's enthusiasm. "Now, there's Rex Lyon, for instance," persisted Eve, absolutely refusing to be silenced. "I would wager a box of the best kid gloves either one of you would marry him to-morrow, if he were to ask you, if he hadn't a penny in his pocket." "Pshaw!" reiterated Gertie, and Bess murmured something about absurd ideas; but nevertheless both sisters were blushing furiously to the very roots of their hair. They well knew in their hearts what she said was perfectly true. "Eve," said Bess, laying her hand coaxingly on the young rebel's arm, "Gertie and I want you to promise us something. Come, now, consent that you will do as we wish, that's a good girl." "How can I promise before I know what you want?" said Eve, petulantly. "You might want the man in the moon, after you've tried and failed to get his earthly brethren, for all I know!" "Eve, you are actually absurd!" cried Bess, sharply. "This is merely a slight favor we wish you to do." "If you warn her not to do a thing, that is just what she will set her heart upon doing," said Gertie, significantly. By this time Eve's curiosity was well up. "You may as well tell me anyhow," she said; "for if you don't, and I ever find out what it is, I'll do my very worst, because you kept it from me." "Well," said Gertie, eagerly, "we want you to promise us not to give Daisy Brooks an introduction to Rex Lyon." A defiant look stole over Eve's mischievous face. "If he asks me, I'm to turn and walk off, or I'm to say, 'No, sir, I am under strict orders from my marriageable sisters not to.' Is that what you mean?" "Eve," they both cried in chorus, "don't be unsisterly; don't put a stumbling-block in our path; rather remove it!" "I shall not bind myself to such a promise!" cried Eve. "You are trying to spoil my pet scheme. I believe you two are actually witches and guessed it. What put it into your heads that I had any such intentions anyhow?" "Then you were actually thinking of going against our interest in that way," cried Gertie, white to the very lips, "you insolent little minx!" "I don't choose to remain in such polite society," said Eve, with a mocking courtesy, skipping toward the door. "I may take a notion to write a little note to Mr. Rex, inviting him over here to see our household fairy, just as the spirit moves me." This was really more than Gertie's warm, southern temper could bear. She actually flew at the offending Eve in her rage; but Eve was nimble of foot and disappeared up the stairway, three steps at a bound. "What a vixen our Gertie is growing to be!" she cried, pantingly, as she reached the top step. She saw a light in Daisy's room, and tapped quietly on the door. "Is that you, Eve?" cried a smothered voice from the pillows. "Yes," replied Eve; "I'd like very much to come in. May I?" For answer, Daisy opened the door, but Eve stood quite still on the threshold. "What's the matter, Daisy, have you been crying?" she demanded. "Why, your eyelids are red and swollen, and your eyes glow like the stars. Has Gertie or Bess said anything cross to you?" she inquired, smoothing back the soft golden curls that clustered round the white brow. "No," said Daisy, choking down a hard sob; "only I am very unhappy, Eve, and I feel just--just as if every one in the world hated me." "How long have you been up here in your room?" asked Eve, suspiciously, fearing Daisy had by chance overheard the late conversation down-stairs. "Quite an hour," answered Daisy, truthfully. "Then you did not hear what I was talking about down-stairs, did you?" she inquired, anxiously. "No," said Daisy, "you were playing over a new waltz when I came upstairs." "Oh," said Eve, breathing freer, thinking to herself, "She has not heard what we said. I am thankful for that." "You must not talk like that, Daisy," she said, gayly, clasping her arms caressingly around the slender figure leaning against the casement; "I predict great things in store for you--wonderful things. Do not start and look at me so curiously, for I shall not tell you anything else, for it is getting dangerously near a certain forbidden subject. You know you warned me not to talk to you of love or lovers. I intend to have a great surprise for you. That is all I'm going to tell you now." Eve was almost frightened at the rapture that lighted up the beautiful face raised to her own. "Has any one called for me, Eve?" she asked, piteously. "Oh, Eve, tell me quickly. I have hoped against hope, almost afraid to indulge so sweet a dream. Has any one inquired for me?" Eve shook her head, sorely puzzled. "Were you expecting any one to call?" she asked. She saw the light die quickly out of the blue eyes and the rich peachlike bloom from the delicate, dimpled cheeks. "I know something is troubling you greatly, little Daisy," she said, "and I sympathize with you even if I may not share your secret." "Every one is so cold and so cruel to me, I think I should die if I were to lose your friendship, Eve," she said. Eve held the girl's soft white hand in hers. "You will never die, then, if you wait for that event to happen. When I like a person, I like them for all time. I never could pretend a friendship I did not feel. And I said to myself the first moment I saw you: 'What a sweet littly fairy! I shall love her, I'm sure.'" "And do you love me?" asked Daisy. "Yes," said Eve; "my friendship is a lasting one. I could do almost anything for you." She wondered why Daisy took her face between her soft little palms and looked so earnestly down into her eyes, and kissed her lips so repeatedly. Poor Daisy! if she had only confided in Eve--reckless, impulsive, warm-hearted, sympathetic Eve--it might have been better for her. "No matter what you might hear of me in the future, no matter what fate might tempt me to do, promise me, Eve, that you, of all the world, will believe in me, you will not lose your faith in me." The sweet voice sounded hollow and unnatural. "There are dark, pitiful secrets in many lives," she said, "that drive one to the very verge of madness in their woe. If you love me, pray for me, Eve. My feet are on the edge of a terrible precipice." In after years Eve never forgot the haunted look of despair that crossed the fair face of Daisy Brooks, as the words broke from her lips in a piteous cry. _

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