Part 23 (1/2)

”Look here! Do you want me to go?”

”Go?” He was too surprised to do anything but echo her words.

”Yes.” The colour deepened in her cheeks, but her eyes met his without flinching. ”I know it's been unpleasant for you, all these weeks,” she went on deliberately. ”I know you'd much rather be alone with Faith, so if you'll say the word I'll go, and no complaints.”

There was a little silence, then Forrester said slowly:

”I suppose it hasn't occurred to you that if you go, Miss Fraser, Faith will probably go too.”

”Is that what she says?”

”Yes.”

Peg laughed.

”Well, don't take any notice of her. She's a silly kid; she says lots of things she doesn't really mean.” She came across the room and stood beside him. ”Look here; it's partly me who's to blame for her being so unkind to you,” she went on bluntly. ”I told her you were Ralph Scammel.

I told her that you were a selfish brute, and that you made us work as we did to get money for you.” For the first time her eyes fell, as she added: ”You needn't believe me, but I've often been sick about that--since!”

Forrester laughed.

”You need not be. It's more or less true. I am selfish, and I am Ralph Scammel, and I did work you and hundreds of other girls like you, to make money for me.”

”You're not a bit selfish,” Peg said almost violently. ”Look how good you've been to us! Took us from nothing, as you might say----”

”Oh--please!” Forrester stopped her in embarra.s.sment. ”I shall think you're going to ask me a favour if you say such kind things,” he protested, half in fun.

”Well, then, I'm not,” Peg declared. ”But I'm going to ask you a question, all the same.”

”What is it?”

”If I wasn't here, would you have your own friends to the flat? Oh, you needn't make excuses! I know I'm not so good as Faith! I knew it the first time I ever saw her! I used to tell her that she'd got no right to be at Heeler's. I know she's got something in her that I can't ever have, because her father was a gentleman, I suppose, and mine wasn't. So if you say the word, I'll pack up right away and be off! I can't say fairer than that, can I?”

There was a little silence. Then suddenly Forrester held out his hand.

”You're a brick--a real brick!” he said. ”And--and--I shall be grateful to you if you will stay, Miss Fraser.”

Peg gripped his hand hard.

”Oh, I'll stay, if you mean it,” she said. She spoke rather loudly in order to hide her real emotion, and turning quickly away began to talk hurriedly on some other subject. But later, when Forrester had gone from the room, she darted across to where he had thrown his coat down on a chair, and s.n.a.t.c.hing it up, pressed her lips to it.

”If you cared for me, as you do for her,” she said, in a fierce little whisper, and then bitterly: ”Oh, she's a fool--a blind little fool!”

CHAPTER IX

The house at Hampstead was ready at the end of August, and Peg moved to it from the flat with Forrester and his wife.

She and Faith were like a couple of children getting the house in order; Peg had not much taste, and she adored bright colours. She would have had a rainbow drawing-room if it had been left for her to decide, but Faith was determined to be mistress in her own house as far as its arrangement went, and on that subject she and her husband were for once agreed.