mary's patience was fairly well tried before she had an opportunity of seeing mrs. speed. she heard the latter cry out in astonishment at the sight of lady dashwood; she heard the two take their way up the uncarpeted stairs; she could hear restless footsteps overhead. it was quite an hour before they came down. mary could not quite hear what was passing, but she heard enough to know that mrs. speed was in tears.
the tears gave way to a sullen red as mary came out of the dining-room. she said nothing as the girl beckoned her into the room and shut the door.
"we need not waste any time," mary said, "you will guess what i came for."
"who told you where to find me?" was the terrified question in a whisper. "you don't mean to say that in keppel terrace they know already----"
"i am not concerned as to what keppel terrace knows or thinks," mary said coldly. "i came back to our rooms last night very late with miss colam. to our great surprise and consternation we found the house empty. our own things had gone with the rest. you might have left them, as they did not belong to you. miss colam, who has had more experience in the seamy side of life than i have, says that this midnight flitting is quite usual with a certain class of people. she gave me an experience of a friend of hers, but in that case her belongings were left behind. what did you suppose that we were going to do?"
the woman shook her head sullenly. with her wider knowledge of the world she seemed to think that she had an easy prey in mary.
"i don't know," she said, "and i didn't care. i've been too badly used by the world to have much sympathy left for other people. and i had to move. the agent told me that he was going to put an execution in today, and i had no time to lose. i don't want to keep your traps and things; i daresay they are here somewhere. come again in a few days' time, and i will see what i can do for you. i'm busy now."
the speaker advanced half threateningly towards mary, with an intention of bustling her out of the room. mary's eyes flashed angrily as she stood before the door.
"now listen to me," she said in clear, incisive tones. "as a landlady of experience in such matters you must know that it is almost impossible for miss colam and myself to obtain other lodgings without our boxes and things. last night we slept out of doors because we had nowhere to go. you think that because you live so far away from keppel terrace you can do as you like. if i go from here now without our belongings i shall at once see the agent of the keppel terrace property and tell him where you are to be found. i can easily get the address of the agent from the people next door to your last house. i don't know much about the law, but you can be punished for this kind of thing, i feel quite certain. now what are you going to do?"
the battle was over almost as soon as it had begun. the woman lost her threatening air and her face became pleading. the easy tears fell from her cheeks. "i'm sure i don't want to do anything wrong," she said, "only you don't know all the trouble and anxiety that i've been put to. when i came to london first i had money in the bank and a good house of furniture, very different from the miserable sticks i have about me now. i was doing well. oh, you think you know what trouble is and misery, but wait till you see the son you have loved and slaved for grow up to be a curse and a blight to you; i sacrificed everything for that boy and he has ruined me. he gets money from everybody, he has had all mine, and i go on giving him more. he never comes near me unless he wants something. if you knew everything, you would be sorry for me."
mary made no reply for the moment. she was piecing the puzzle rapidly together in her mind. she was wondering what the connection was between the erring son and the man who called himself sir vincent dashwood. she would have asked a question or two, but it did not seem discreet to do so at this moment.
"at present i need all my sympathy for miss colam and myself," mary said coldly. "you will be good enough to find our boxes. there is a desk of mine that i need, a little desk in a leather case. i shall be glad to know that it is safe."
"i think i saw it a little while ago," mrs. speed said eagerly. she seemed quite anxious to make amends now. "i fancy it was in one of the bedrooms. i hope you will believe me, miss when i tell you that i had clean forgotten all about you two young ladies. you see, i had to get away at a moment's notice. there was the house to find and the van to arrange for. one way and another i was fairly worked off my feet. if you'll come along with me now, i'll see what i can do for you. there's a great pile of boxes upstairs."
most of the missing boxes were identified at last, but they were more or less buried under a great heap of things. mary gave a sigh of relief to find that the precious writing-case was intact and the lock unbroken. and there was a box of hers on the top of the pile, and in that she knew was all that she would require for a day or two. if she could get that away she would be able to supply connie with what was necessary in the way of linen. and it would be as well to leave the rest until she had procured fresh lodgings.
"get your woman to call a cab," she said, "i'll take this box with me and the others can remain till we are ready for them. directly we have somewhere to go i will send you a telegram with the address, and you will give our belongings to one of the carriers."
"you may depend on that, miss," mrs. speed said eagerly, "i'm sorry this happened, i am indeed. if i had only thought of it i would have given you a hint before. now i'll go and see if i can get a cab for you."
the cab was procured at length and the precious box hoisted on the top. lady dashwood was patiently waiting at the end of the road. the cab pulled up, and mary hailed her friend eagerly. a great weight had fallen from her mind, she could see the way clear for the future now. if misfortune dogged her, she had made up her mind to go back to the dower house. but now she was spared that blow to her pride.
she wondered, with a tender smile on her lips, if ralph darnley would call this the proper kind of pride. in her mind mary decided that he would. it would be possible now to arrange to stay for the present under the same roof with grace cameron. then mary remembered with dismay that her ready cash had been locked up in a box, and that the box in question was not on the top of the cab. not that she was afraid of anything happening to the money; still, money was urgently needed.
the jewels were safe anyway--they reposed in the cab on the seat opposite to mary. and lady dashwood was seated by her side. the girl was in high spirits: tired as she was, she was happier than she had been for years. it came to her now that she had an object in life, something definite to live for. she was doing good in the world; her eyes had been opened to the nobility of life as lived by the brave poor. what a poor thing the dashwood pride seemed by comparison.
"you must know that i have been entirely successful," mary said gaily. lady dashwood had never heard her speak in this tone of voice before. "i have bearded the lioness in her den and actually got the better of her. i am more than pleased with the success of my scheme and the way in which i have worked it out, lady dashwood. please don't tell me that you are going back home by an early train."
"i should like to go back at once and take you with me, child," lady dashwood said. "you don't know how lonely i am without you! and yet i am quite sure that you are learning a valuable lesson in these sordid surroundings."
mary's face flushed with pleasure. a few days before she would have resented a suggestion like that from lady dashwood or anybody else. her mind had been closed to everything, had been too proud to learn. and now lady dashwood's remark was a compliment.
"yes," she said softly, "i am learning a great lesson--the lesson of humanity. it is astonishing how my mental vision has cleared already. i blush with shame to think of the uselessness of my past life. but you will come with me and see the dear companions who have taught me this lesson?"
"i think i will," lady dashwood said, "i need not get home till the last train. i have half promised to dine informally with an old friend of mine in stratton street. i shall have plenty of time to see your friends. i am quite sure that they are ladies; you could not be happy with them otherwise."
"oh, they are," mary cried, "and now i am going to tell you all about them and their hopes and ambitions. grace's story is quite a pretty romance in its way. it will tell you all about her, so that you need not betray your lack of knowledge."
mary rambled on in a pleasant way until the cab reached its destination. there was a pure, womanly ring in her voice that lady dashwood noted with gladness. she had always deemed mary too hard and cold, too unsympathetic to the weaknesses and failings of other people. the elder lady's eyes were moist as she descended from the cab, and mary guessed the reason. and then it came to her, too, that she would have been glad if ralph darnley had been with them.
