Part 10 (1/2)
”What will my mother say?”
”She will say you are a naughty girl, and punish you for what you have done. If you go with me, she will be so glad to see you when you get back, that she won't say a word. She will find out what you are made of then; if you go back now, she will see that you are nothing but a chicken at heart, and she will punish you, as you deserve to be for deserting your friend.”
”My mother would feel awfully if I did not come back to-night,”
continued Kate, thoughtfully, even sadly; and she was sincere now.
”She will get over it.”
”She would feel dreadfully.”
”So much the better; the worse she feels the more glad she will be to see you when you do go back.”
Kate saw that it was useless to reason with her companion on this point; besides, there was a certain sacred feeling in her heart which f.a.n.n.y could neither understand nor appreciate, and she was unwilling to expose it to the rude reproaches of one who seemed to have no heart.
She was too timid, rather than too conscientious, to engage in such a gigantic scheme of wickedness as that which f.a.n.n.y had indicated; and we must do her the justice to add, that the blessed influence of a mother's love, stronger and deeper in her heart than principle, a.s.serted its sway, and to give her mother a week of pain and anxiety was revolting to her.
She was fully determined not to go to New York city, and to get home as soon as she could. But f.a.n.n.y had so much to say about ”backing out,”
and ”deserting her friend,” that she deemed it prudent not to mention anything about her resolution. She knew her companion well enough to believe that it would be useless to attempt to persuade her to abandon her brilliant scheme; and f.a.n.n.y was so resolute and self-willed that she might find a way to compel her to go with her, whether she was willing or not.
”Do you want to know how much money I have got?” asked f.a.n.n.y, after a silence of some minutes, during which Kate had been thinking what she should do.
”I should like to know,” replied Kate, who, however, was really indifferent after she had decided not to partake of the good things which the stolen money could purchase.
”You take the tiller then, and I will count it. Keep it just as it is,”
said f.a.n.n.y, resigning her place to her fellow-voyager.
The boat was going along very easily with the wind on the starboard quarter, and did not need much attention. She was approaching Pennville, and the cruise was nearly finished. f.a.n.n.y took the roll of bills from her pocket, and proceeded to count it. The notes were nearly all ”greenbacks,” with a few small bills on the state banks. There were twenties, tens, and fives, and the thief was almost frightened herself when she ascertained the amount she had obtained.
”One hundred, one hundred five, one hundred and ten,” said f.a.n.n.y, as she counted the money; ”one hundred and ten----”
”Why, f.a.n.n.y Grant!” cried Kate, horrified at the greatness of the sum.
”Fifteen, twenty, twenty-five, thirty----”
”They will send you to the state prison for stealing so much money!”
added Kate, trembling as the large numbers were mentioned.
”The more the better,” replied f.a.n.n.y, trying to keep cool, though she was much agitated herself, as, measuring the crime by the amount of the money, she realized how guilty she had been.
She finished the counting; and the whole sum was one hundred and seventy-three dollars and eighty-five cents.
”There is a great deal more than I thought there was,” said she.
”Why did you take so much?” asked the terrified Kate.
”I didn't know how much there was.”
”You will have all the constables in the county after you before night.”