of the lewis family the first who came home that special evening was carrie. she walked straight into the little sitting-room, where kitty malone's letter lying on top of the blotter immediately attracted her attention. it need not be said that she instantly read it, and not only once but twice.
"ha! ha! elma, i have got you into my power at last," she said to herself. "so that accounts for the money. now, what did you borrow it from that queer irish girl for? but now that i know a thing or two. i may be able to draw on you to a considerable extent. return it! not you—you are not likely to; but i think i'll be able to frighten you. i shall certainly do my utmost."
it will be seen from these remarks that carrie was by no means an amiable girl. she ran up to her room, took off her hat, and surveyed herself in the pale blue dress which had been purchased with some of poor kitty's money. she then returned to the sitting-room, and folding up the letter, deliberately put it into her pocket. as she was doing so maggie came in to lay the tea.
"oh lor! miss carrie," cried the maid-of-all-work as she spread the not-too-clean cloth upon the table, "whatever 'as become of that bit of writin' that was lyin' atop of the blotter here?"
"what bit of writing?" asked carrie, turning calmly round and surveying her.
"oh, a letter miss; i don't know what was in it, but it was a money transaction, as important as the bank of england, and it was to be give to miss helma the very instant she come 'ome. didn't you see it, miss, when you come in?"
"no, i didn't," said carrie promptly. "i saw no letter of any kind. here's the blotter, there is nothing on it. it may have got between the folds, however." she took up the thick pad of blotting-paper and shook it, but no letter dropped out.
"there," she said. "i have not the least doubt that fido jumped on the table and took it up and ate it."
"oh lor! miss, you don't think so?"
"i should not be surprised. fido can never resist paper; he is always pulling it about and chewing it."
maggie looked frantically under the table for even stray pieces of the letter, but she could not find any.
"if he had ate it," she said at last, fixing carrie with a very determined stare—"if he had ate it he would have left some bits about. i don't believe it; i believe you 'as took it miss carrie. oh, miss, for shame; and it was as important as the bank of england—a money transaction, miss, what ought not to be trifled with. i can't read writin', though i can read books fair enough; but the young lady was awful put about."
"what young lady?" asked carrie. "you had better tell me everything."
"oh, it was that irish young lady, miss malone. she come here with the most beautiful 'at on (no, it was wot they calls a talk), and the wiolets in it they might 'av growed, i could a'most smell 'em; and she come in distracted like, and writ the letter, and told me i was to give it to miss helma the very moment she returned, and that miss helma was to take her the money to-night—what money is more than i can tell, for i didn't think miss helma ever had any. and she said it was an important transaction. and i said, 'is it like the bank of england, miss?' and she said, 'yes, to be sure.' why, miss carrie, you have not gone and hid the letter, 'ave you? that would be real mean of you."
"look here," said carrie; "what did you say about those violets?"
"why, she gave 'em to me, miss; she took 'em out of her cap, and she give 'em to me, and i was to give the letter to miss helma. it was a fair and honest bargain, and i must keep my part of it miss."
"would you like some roses to put with the violets?" said carrie, making a careful calculation.
"roses, miss? that would be prime, and very seasonable, wouldn't they miss?"
"yes, violets and roses look very pretty together, and i'll pin them into your hat and furbish it up. and, look here, maggie, you can go out with your young man on sunday. i'll manage it—i can. i will stay at home."
"oh, miss carrie, you don't mean it?"
"yes, i do. i'll manage it; but i'll do it only on a condition."
"what is that miss?"
"that you don't every ask me another question with regard to that letter, and that you never, never on any account breathe a word of it to elma. if you do, why——"
"oh, miss, it don't seem fair."
poor honest maggie walked to the window and struggled for a few minutes with her temptation. the thought, however, of roses to add to the violets, the thought also of joe, whom she dearly loved, to walk with her on the following sunday, proved far too seductive. she struggled with her enemy for a few minutes, and then she fell once and for all.
"i'll have the roses, miss carrie. i can't resist them and the thought of joe on sunday. joe is so passionate loving, miss, i can't resist 'im." and then maggie rushed out of the room.
she flew to her attic, threw herself by the side of her bed and burst into sobs.
"but i oughtn't to 'ave done it," she said several times—"i oughtn't to 'ave done it. if it worn't for the roses and for joe i'd 'ave stood up to her; but as it is i was too tempted. but all the same i oughtn't to have done it—no, i oughtn't to 'ave done it!"
meanwhile carrie up in her bedroom was thinking hard. here indeed was a revelation! so elma possessed eight pounds, or nearly eight—for carrie knew that her blue dress, and the lobster, and the lettuces, and the stout had not cost a great deal of that valuable sum of money.
"at the present moment," she concluded, making a careful computation in her mind, for she was a smart enough girl in certain ways—"at the present moment elma must possess the sum of seven pounds or thereabouts." what in the world did that irish girl lend it to her for? what an utter fool she must have been! but as to elma's paying it back! as to elma getting rid of those riches—carrie thought she saw her way of preventing that. in order to do so, however, it was all-important that elma should not see poor kitty's passionate little appeal to her; for although elma was anything but an amiable girl, carrie was certain that mere fright would make her return the money.
carrie stayed some time in her room; she was thinking out a plan. how could she prevent elma returning the money to kitty malone? she considered rapidly. never before had she felt so full of energy and of resource; it suddenly occurred to her as extremely unlikely that elma would carry about so much money on her person. suppose she, carrie, had a thorough good hunt for it now on the spot. suppose she found it, then would it not be her duty, by taking possession of it, to guard elma from giving it away? carrie made up her mind quickly; she determined to have a search for the money at once. in the somewhat meagerly-furnished bedroom there were not a great many hiding-places, and carrie began her search systematically. elma and she had a little set of drawers each; there were no locks to these drawers. with all her faults, elma absolutely trusted her own family. it never occurred to her even in her worst moments that carrie would examine her drawers; she also believed that maggie was perfectly honest.
carrie now began to search. she opened elma's drawers and looked through them. soon she found what she sought for. in the small right-hand drawer at the top corner was a little parcel. it felt heavy. carrie opened it and there lay seven shining sovereigns. there were also a couple of shillings and a few pence; but carrie's eyes were principally fixed upon the sovereigns. bright and new they looked, almost as if they had just come from the mint. carrie danced a pirouette there and then.
"i have found the treasure," she gasped. "now i must take it where it will be safe. i know what i'll do. i'll give it to sam raynes to keep for elma. it will be a nice excuse for seeing him again, and i'll tell him it is money of my own, and ask him to bank it for me. he'll be ever so pleased; he will think all the more of me if he supposes i am wealthy. yes, i'll take it to sam; he shall keep it for me."
flushed, excited, her heart beating high, carrie once more pinned on her hat. she ran downstairs. as she passed through the hall her mother was letting herself in with a latchkey.
"my dear carrie," she said, "you are not going out again at this hour of night?"
"i shan't be long, mother. i am just going into summer terrace to see the raynes."
"i wish you would not go out so late, carrie; it really isn't——"
but carrie had slammed the door without even waiting for her parent's last words. she soon reached the terrace, which was within three minutes' walk of her own house. florrie raynes let her in.
"my dear carrie," she said, "what do you want? oh, you naughty girl; you knew sam would be in."
"well, i want to speak to him. can i see him just for a moment?" gasped carrie, panting and breathless, pushing the hair from her forehead as she spoke.
"yes, come right in," said florrie; "you need not apologize. he is only having a cigar, and he'll be right pleased to see you."
as she spoke she opened the door of a small sitting-room and pushed carrie in, slamming it behind her. the echo of her rude laughter as she performed this unladylike feat was heard down the passage.
sam was seated in front of an open window smoking a cigar. when he saw carrie he removed it from his mouth and came forward in a somewhat nonchalant way to meet her.
"now, car," he said, "what's up? any news? can we have a jolly time next
sunday?"
"yes," answered carrie panting slightly, "and for as many other sundays as you like. see here, sam, i cannot wait a minute now. you know you once told me that i was a frivolous little thing, that i was extravagant, and all that. now, what will you say if i ask you to put seven pounds in the bank for me?"
"seven pounds!" cried sam; "'pon my word! where in the world did you get it, car?"
"it's out of my savings," replied carrie.
"well, i must say—" sam gave her a look of the broadest admiration he had ever yet bestowed upon her. "you can bank it for me, can you not?"
"yes, that i can. but i say, car, would you like me to speculate with it? i might double it, you know."
"oh, do what you like with it, only keep it safe," answered carrie. "i shall want to draw a little of it from time to time. now, good-by, sam. i can't wait another moment."
she laid the money on the table. sam's large and somewhat fat hand closed greedily over it, and the next moment it was conveyed to his waistcoat pocket.
"this will come in very handy for myself," he muttered; but carrie did not hear the words—she ran home breathless and excited. she thought she had managed splendidly.
