Part 10 (1/2)
”Goodness!” said Bertha; ”what does this mean? Have you had any domestic calamity since I saw you last?”
”No, not any except what you are making,” replied Florence. ”I wish you would go away, Bertha: I hate to see you again. I wish you would leave me in peace.”
”Well, darling, we return to Aylmer's Court to-morrow, so you will not be long worried by us. I have just been seeing that nice young fellow, Maurice Trevor, off to town.”
”Indeed,” answered Florence.
”Don't you like him extremely?” continued Bertha, giving her companion a quick glance.
”I scarcely know him,” replied Florence.
”But you do just know him. How did you become acquainted with him?”
”My mother introduced him.”
”Ah! just like the little widow,” said Bertha, in a thoughtful voice.
”Well, Flo, you and I have a good deal to say to each other. Let us walk to the other end of the sands, where we shall be alone.”
Florence hesitated. For a moment she looked as if she were going to refuse; then she said, in an almost sulky tone: ”Very well.” They turned in that direction and walked slowly. At last they reached the spot where Mrs. Aylmer had discovered Kitty and Florence the day before.
”It was here I first saw him,” thought Florence Aylmer to herself.
”What a true, good expression he had in his blue eyes. How upright he looked! How different from Bertha! Oh, what a miserable wretched girl I am! Why do I not tell Bertha that I do not fear her? Why should I put myself in her power?”
At last they reached the rocks.
”It is nice here, and quite romantic,” said Bertha; ”we can come to our little arrangement. You have made up your mind, of course, Florence, that you will not speak to Mrs. Aylmer of what you know about me?”
”I do not see why I should keep your secret for you,” said Florence; ”I do not particularly want to injure you, much as you injured me in the past; but at the same time why should I make a promise about it? The time may come when it will be to my benefit to tell Mrs. Aylmer what I know.”
”At the present moment she would not speak to you. She hates you as she hates no one else in the world. Your very name is as a red rag to her.
If I want to rouse her worst pa.s.sions, I have but to allude to you. Even if you told her, she would not believe a word against me.”
”I am not so sure of that. Mrs. Aylmer may be forced to listen to me, and if you rouse my evil feelings I may tell her just to spite you, Bertha.”
”But you will not,” said Bertha. ”You want money badly. You would like to be independent.”
”That is quite true.”
”You have had a fairly good education and you want to earn your own living?”
”I mean to earn it.”
”But you will require a little money until you do. Now, look here, Florence: I don't want to injure you. I know I did long ago; I did it for my own benefit. I was cast penniless on the world, and I was forced to invent all kinds of subterfuges to make my way. I pity girls who are placed as I was placed. I have now managed to get into a comfortable nest. As I said before, I am in your nest. It suits me, and I do not mean to go out of it; but I pity you, and I should like to help you.
Will you borrow a little money from me?”
”Borrow money from you? No, no,” said Florence; but she trembled as she said the words.
”I can quite conveniently lend you fifty pounds,” continued Bertha, gazing as she spoke across the summer sea. ”It is not much, but it is something. With fifty pounds in your pocket you can go, say to London or to any other large town and advertise what you are worth. You have, I presume, something to sell: some knowledge, for instance, which you can impart to others; or perhaps you have a talent for writing. Don't you remember our wonderful essay?”