She had anticipated some trouble about the preparation of meals, but Mrs. Brown made a proposition which wonderfully removed all difficulties.
"Mrs. Mordaunt," she said, "your family is about the same as mine. I have a son who is employed in a newspaper office down town, and you have two young children. Now, suppose we club together, and each pay half of the table supplies. Then one day you can superintend the cooking—you will only have to direct my servant Maggie—and the next day I will do it. Then, every other day, each of us will be a lady of leisure, and not have to go into the kitchen at all. What do you say?"
[Pg 126]
"The arrangement will be so much to my advantage that I can say only one thing—I accept with thanks. But won't you be doing more than your share? You will be furnishing the fuel, and pay Maggie's wages."
Mrs. Mordaunt found that the expense was not beyond her means. Her income for the care of Althea was fifty dollars a month, and Dan paid her four dollars a week out of his wages, reserving the balance as a fund to purchase clothes. She went herself to market and selected articles for the table, and, for the first time since her husband's failure, found herself in easy circumstances.
There was no need now to make vests at starvation prices. She had thought of continuing, but Dan insisted upon her giving it up entirely3.
"If you want to sew, mother," he said, "you can make some of Althea's clothes, and pay yourself out of the ten dollars a month allowed for her clothes."
This was sensible and proper, and Mrs. Mordaunt decided4 to follow Dan's advice. She lost no time in obtaining books for the little girl, and commencing her education. Althea knew her letters, but nothing more. She was bright and eager to learn, and gained rapidly under her new teacher.
[Pg 127]
Naturally, Dan and his mother were curious as to Althea's early history, but from the little girl they obtained little information.
"Do you remember your mother, Althea?" asked Dan, one evening.
"Yes," said the little girl.
"When did you see her last?"
"Not long ago. Only a little while before you brought me here."
"Your mother isn't dead, is she?"
"No; but she's gone away."
"Why did she go away?"
"She is sick. That's what auntie told me. Poor mamma cried very much when she went away. She kissed me, and called me her darling."
"Do you know where she went?"
"No; I don't know."
"Perhaps her lungs are affected5, and she has gone to a warmer climate," suggested Mrs. Mordaunt. "She may have gone to Florida, or even to Italy."
"Where is your father?" asked Dan, turning to Althea.
"Father is a bad man," said the child, positively6. "He made mamma cry. He went away a good while ago."
"And didn't he come back?"
"He came back once, and then mamma cried[Pg 128] again. I think he wanted mamma to give him some money."
Dan and his mother talked over the little girl's revelations, and thought they had obtained a clew to the mystery in which the child's history was involved. Althea's mother might have married a man of bad habits, who wanted to get possession of her fortune, and rendered a separation necessary. Ill health might have required her to leave home and shift the care of the little girl upon strangers. It seemed rather odd that she should have been handed over to utter strangers, but there might have been reasons of which they knew nothing.
"We won't trouble ourselves about it," said Dan. "It's good luck for us, even if it was bad luck for Althea's mother. I like the idea of having a little sister."
Althea's last name was not known to her new protector. When Dan inquired, he was told that she could pass by his name, so Althea Mordaunt she became.
Both Dan and his mother had feared that she might become homesick, but the fear seemed groundless. She was of a happy disposition7, and almost immediately began to call Mrs. Mordaunt mother.
"I call you mother," she said, "but I have a mamma besides; but she has gone away."
[Pg 129]
"You must not forget your mamma, my dear," said the widow.
"No, I won't. She will come back some day; she said she would."
"And I will take care of you till she does, Althea."
"Yes," said the child, nodding. "I am glad I came to you, for now I have a brother Dan."
"And I have a little sister," said Dan.
While Dan was away, and now he was away after supper regularly, Althea was a great deal of company for Mrs. Mordaunt.
In the pleasant afternoons she took the little girl out to walk, frequently to union Square Park, where she made acquaintance with other little girls, and had a merry time, while her new mother sat on one of the benches.
One day a dark-complexioned gentleman, who had been looking earnestly at Althea, addressed Mrs. Mordaunt.
"That is a fine little girl of yours, madam," he said.
"Thank you," said Mrs. Mordaunt.
"She does not resemble you much," he said, inquiringly.
"No; there is very little resemblance," answered Mrs. Mordaunt, quietly, feeling that she must be on her guard.
[Pg 130]
"Probably she resembles her father?" again essayed the stranger.
Mrs. Mordaunt did not reply, and the stranger thought she was offended.
"I beg your pardon," he said, "but she resembles a friend of mine, and that called my attention to her."
Mrs. Mordaunt bowed, but thought it wisest not to protract8 the conversation. She feared that the inquirer might be a friend of the father, and hostile to the true interests of the child.
For a week to come she did not again bring Althea to the park, but walked with her in a different direction. When, after a week, she returned to the square, the stranger had disappeared. At all events, he was not to be seen.
We pass now to Dan and his interests.
Mr. Talbot heard of his engagement with anything but satisfaction. He even ventured to remonstrate9 with Mr. Rogers.
"Do you know that this boy whom you have engaged is a common newsboy?" he asked. "I have bought a paper more than once of him, in front of the Astor House."
"So have I," answered Mr. Rogers, quietly.
"Then you know all about him?"
"Yes."
[Pg 131]
"It is none of my business, but I think you could easily get a better boy. There is my nephew——"
"Your nephew would not suit me, Mr. Talbot."
The book-keeper bit his lip.
"Won't you give him a trial?" he asked.
"I have engaged Dan."
"If Dan should prove unsatisfactory, would you try my nephew?"
"Perhaps so."
It was an incautious concession10, for it was an inducement to the book-keeper to get Dan into trouble.
It was Dan's duty to go to the post-office, sometimes to go on errands, and to make himself generally useful about the warehouses11. As we know, however, he had other duties of a more important character, of which Mr. Talbot knew nothing.
The first discovery Dan made was made through the book-keeper's carelessness.
Mr. Rogers was absent in Philadelphia, when Talbot received a note which evidently disturbed him. Dan saw him knitting his brows, and looking moody12. Finally he hastily wrote a note, and called Dan.
"Take that to — Wall street," he said, "and don't loiter on the way."
The note was directed to Jones & Robinson.
[Pg 132]
Jones read the note.
"You come from Mr. Talbot?" he asked.
"Yes, sir."
"Tell him we will carry the stocks for him a week longer, but can't exceed that time."
"Perhaps you had better write him a note," suggested Dan, "as he may not like to have me know his business."
"Very well."
So Dan carried back the note.
"I believe I have made a discovery," he said to himself. "Mr. Talbot is speculating in Wall street. I wonder if he speculates with his own money or the firm's?"
His face, however, betrayed nothing as he handed the note to the book-keeper, and the latter, after a searching glance, decided that there was nothing to fear in that quarter.
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1
chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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positively
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| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
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7
disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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protract
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| v.延长，拖长 | |
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remonstrate
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| v.抗议，规劝 | |
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concession
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| n.让步，妥协；特许(权) | |
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11
warehouses
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| 仓库，货栈( warehouse的名词复数 ) | |
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12
moody
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| adj.心情不稳的，易怒的，喜怒无常的 | |
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13
brokers
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| n.（股票、外币等）经纪人( broker的名词复数 )；中间人；代理商；（订合同的）中人v.做掮客（或中人等）( broker的第三人称单数 )；作为权力经纪人进行谈判；以中间人等身份安排… | |
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