all the way back to the forest not one word passed the lips of joe. but when the two children, panting from their rapid run, reached the hut, he threw himself on the ground, covered his face for a brief instant, then asked cecile to come to his side.
"for i've a story to tell yer, little missie," said joe.
cecile obeyed him at once. a great terror was over her, but this terror was partly assuaged by his first words.
"i ha' got some'ut to tell yer, missie cecile," said joe barnes, "some'ut 'bout my old life, the kind o' way i used to live in paris and lunnon."
at the words cecile raised her little flower face with a sigh of relief; she was not going to hear of any fresh trouble; it was only an old, old woe, and joe needed comfort.
"dear joe," said the little girl, "yes, tell me about paris and london."
joe felt himself shrinking away from the little caressing movement cecile made. he looked at her for an instant out of two great hollow eyes, then began in a dull kind of voice.
"it don't make much real differ," he said, "only i thought as i'd like fur yer to know as it wor a werry bitter temptation.
"i remember the last night as i slept along o' my mother, missie cecile, how she petted me, and fondled of me.
"then i wor stolen away, and my master brought me to paris. we lived in a werry low part o' paris, high up in a garret. i wor taught to play the fiddle—i wor taught by blows; and when they did not do, i wor made real, desperate hungry. i used to be given jest one meal a day, and when the others as did better nor me wor eating, i had to stand by and wait on 'em. then, when i knew enough, i wor sent into the streets to play, and when i did not bring in enough money, i wor beat worse nor ever. one day my master sold me to an englishman. talk o' slaves! well, this man give my master a lot o' money fur me. i seed the money, and they told me as i wor apprenticed to him, and that i could not run away, for ef i did, the law 'ud bring me back. my new master tuk me to england. he tuk me to lunnon. it wor bad in paris, but in lunnon it wor worse. i wor farther from my mother. i wor out o' my own country, and i did not know a word of english.
"oh! i did find out wot hunger and cold and misery wor in london. nobody—nobody give me even a kind word, except one poor lad worse off nor myself. he belonged to hour company, and he broke his leg. my master would not send him to 'orspitle, and he died. but afore he died he taught me a bit of english, and i picked up more by and by. i grew bigger, and the years went on. oh! it wor a dreadful life. i did nothink but long for my mother and pine for the old home, and once i tried to run away. i wor found the first time, and kep' in a dark cellar on bread and water for a week arter.
"then i seed you and maurice at the night-school. i heerd you say you wor goin' to france, and when i heerd sech plucky words from sech a little mite as you, missie, why i thought as i'd try to run away again; and the second time, no matter how, i succeeded. i had wot i called real luck, and i got to france, and there, jest outside calais, i met you two, and i thought as i wor made. oh, missie cecile, but for the purse o' gold—but for the purse o' gold, i might ha' been made."
here joe paused, again covered his face, and groaned most bitterly.
"the purse of gold is quite safe with miss smith in paris," said cecile, in a tone of surprise. "dear joe, i don't quite understand you. those were dreadful days, but they are over. you will soon see your old mother again. all the dreadful days are over, joe dear."
"ah! missie, but that's jest wot they ain't. but i likes to hear you say 'dear joe' once again, for soon, when you know all, you'll hate me."
"then may i kiss you before i know all? and i don't think i could hate you, jography."
"ah! yes," said joe, receiving the little kiss with almost apathy, "you has a werry tender heart, missie cecile, you always seems to me like an angel, but even you'll hate joe barnes arter you know all. well, yesterday, you remember how we lost little maurice. we missed him when we woke in the morning. we thought as he had strayed in the forest, and would soon be back, and you went one way to look for him, and i went another. i had not gone a hundred yards when jest behind our hut i saw anton! yes, missie, our old enemy anton had come back again.
"'anton' i said; and then, missie, oh! my dear, dear little missie cecile, i must jest tell it in few words. he said as he had stole little maurice, that he had him safe, and that we should never, never get him back unless i give him—anton—the purse of gold. i said as i had not it—that neither of us had it. but he drew out o' me about the little bit o' paper and he said as the paper 'ud do as well as the purse. he said that ef he did not get the bit o' paper, maurice should go back and be sold to my dreadful old master. either that, or, ef i liked it better, maurice might come back to you, and i should be sold. he gave me till four o'clock this morning to think on it. maurice was to go away to the dreadful life, or i was to go back to the dreadful life, or he was to get the paper that 'ud make miss smith give up the russia-leather purse. missie, i said once that i'd rayther be cut in little bits nor touch that purse of gold. i meant wot i said. but, missie cecile, last night the temptation wor too strong fur me, much too strong. maurice must not go to sech a life, nor could i; never to see my mother no more; always, always to be a slave, and worse nor a slave; all hope gone. oh, missie cecile! i did love my old mother more nor christ. i ain't worthy of your christ jesus. in the morning i tuk the piece of paper out o' yer frock, darlin'. as the clock in the village struck four i did it. i ran away then, and i found anton waiting for me where he said as he 'ud wait."
"and maurice?" asked cecile. she was sitting strangely, unnaturally quiet, and when she was told that the paper was stolen she did not even start.
"ah, missie! that's the worst, the worst of all; fur i did it—the cruel, the bad thing—for nothink. for when anton and i went back to a caravan by the roadside to get maurice (for anton had hid him there), he wor gone. a man wot had charge of the caravan and horses said he must have run away in the night. i ha' stole yer money, and i ain't brought back maurice. that's my news, missie."
"yes," said cecile vaguely, "that's the news." she was still quiet—so quiet that one would suppose she scarcely felt. this was true; the blow was so sudden and sharp that it produced no pain as yet, but her usually sweet and tranquil blue eyes had a dazed and startled look, and her hands were locked tightly together.
joe, frightened more by a calm so unnatural than he would be by any exclamation, threw himself on the ground at her feet.
"oh, miss cecile—my little lady, my little princess, who i love—i know i ha' broke yer heart; i know it bitter well. but don't, don't look like that. i know i ha' broke yer heart, and you can never, never forgive me—but oh! don't, don't look like that."
"yes, jography, i do forgive you," answered cecile. "it was a dreadful temptation; it was too strong for you, poor jography. yes, perhaps my heart is broken; but i quite forgive you. i have not much pain. all the bad news does not hurt as it ought. i have a weight here," pointing to her breast, "and my head is very light, and something is singing in my ears; but i know quite well what has happened: little maurice is gone! little, little darling maurice is quite and really lost! and lovedy's purse is stolen away! and—i think perhaps the dream is right—and there is—no—jesus christ. oh, joe, joe—the—singing—in my head!"
here the tightly folded hands relaxed their strained tension, the blue eyes closed, and cecile lay unconscious at joe's feet.
