A City Schoolgirl and Her Friends

by May Baldwin

  CHAPTER XVIII.

  STELLA'S SURPRISING REQUEST.

  'I shall breakfast a little earlier than usual to-morrow morning, Vava,'said Stella when they were going to bed that night.

  'Doreen says she catches the 8.40, so we shall be in plenty of time ifwe have breakfast at eight o'clock,' objected Vava.

  'You can go with Doreen by that train, but I shall take the 8.20,'replied her sister.

  Vava coloured up, for she remembered in a flash that it was to securethat unlucky letter of hers that her sister was going up to town soearly. 'Oh that letter!' she said, in such dejected tones that Stellawas sorry for her.

  'Never mind, Vava; I will not let Mr. Jones have that letter, so youneed not worry,' she said.

  'Don't you think I had better come with you?' suggested Vava.

  'No! What for? I shall know your handwriting; there is no need for youto be there, and I should think it would be rather uncomfortable foryou,' said Stella, lifting her eyebrows.

  'I sha'n't feel uncomfortable. I feel quite at home with Mr. Jones, andI think I could ask for the letter back much better than you,' persistedVava.

  'Why?' inquired Stella, getting annoyed at her sister's persistence.

  'Because it is my letter, and one has more right to ask for one's ownletter than for other people's. Perhaps he'll refuse to give it to you;he'll think it will get me into a row,' suggested Vava.

  'In that case I shall walk straight out of his office,' declared Stella,very angry at this last suggestion of Vava's.

  'For goodness' sake don't do that, Stella! Leave the letter alone. Mr.Jones is much too gentlemanly to take any notice of what I said;besides, he knew it all before,' said Vava.

  But Stella, who had calmed down, ignored this advice. 'You did not meanany harm, Vava, and it must be very difficult for an impulsive girl likeyou to think before you say or do things; you will know better when youare older,' was all she said.

  But Vava saw her sister start off with many misgivings, which sheimparted to the housekeeper. 'Mr. Jones won't like Stella going andlooking over his private correspondence. You know City men don't liketheir lady-clerks taking liberties of that kind,' she declared.

  'Miss Stella is not one to take a liberty,' affirmed the housekeeper.

  'She may not think it a liberty, but it is one, and I should not besurprised if they quarrelled over it, because she really is ratherdisagreeable to him; and I don't see why she need have made all thatfuss, nor why she would not let me go myself,' argued Vava.

  'Miss Vava, my bairn, you think too much of yourself and your wits. Iknow you are quicker than your elder sister, but that's not to say youhave more brains; and, even if you had, you have not as much knowledgeas she has,' Mrs. Morrison admonished her.

  Vava was just going to say that she had more sense about some things,but happily she abstained; and having finished her breakfast she went tothe window to look out for Doreen, who had promised to call for her.

  The other two girls went to town by a later train; so Vava, seeingDoreen coming out of her gate, called out good-bye to Amy and Eva, andwent to meet her friend.

  'Isn't Miss Wharton coming with us?' Doreen inquired, ratherdisappointed, for she admired Stella greatly.

  'She has gone; she had some business to do at the office, so she wentearly,' explained Vava.

  'She does work hard, and so do you. Miss Courteney said the other daythat we might take an example from you in that; you do what you have todo with all your might, and so quickly too, and yet you are not a bitserious by nature,' commented Doreen.

  Vava was very pleased at this praise; but, remembering nursie's lectureon not thinking too much of herself, she replied, 'I can't do things byhalves, I suppose because I have too much energy. I wish sometimes I didnot go at things so hard. I don't take time to think, and so I make alot of mistakes.'

  'We all make mistakes; I've made some mistake in this problem, and Ican't get it right,' said Doreen, taking out her algebra.

  'I can tell you how to do that,' said Vava, for it was one Mr. Jones hadhelped her with; and the two were soon deep in algebra, which lastedthem until they got to the City.

  'What a short journey!' said Vava as they alighted at the City station.

  And yet that morning Stella had said to herself what a long journey itwas. All the same, when she got out at that City station she wished shewere just leaving home. To the proud, sensitive girl the business beforeher was very unpleasant, and she had magnified its importance till shefelt as if she must get that letter or leave the office.

  Mrs. Ryan was dusting the office when she arrived, and was surprised tosee her. 'Mr. Jones did not expect you to-day, miss. He stopped late onSaturday answering a lot of letters himself, and said he should not behere till late this morning, as you would not be coming,' she toldStella.

  'There was no need for me to stay at home, as we got the house nearlystraight on Saturday. We had a delightful surprise; our old nurse andhousekeeper was there. She is going to keep house for us, so we shall bevery comfortable,' said Stella, smiling.

  'I am glad to hear that; she will look after you, and it's much betterto have some older person with you, for you are all very young to behouseholders,' said the old woman, going on with her dusting.

  'Have the letters come, Mrs. Ryan?' inquired Stella anxiously.

  'Yes, they get here by eight o'clock; they are in the letter-box,'replied the housekeeper.

  'Where is the letter-box?' asked Stella.

  Mrs. Ryan looked a little surprised at the question as she replied, 'Onthe door.'

  Stella looked at the door, but saw none.

  'Not that door; the door of the outside office,' explained Mrs. Ryan.

  Stella was a little uncomfortable, but she felt she must get Vava'sletter before any one came in, and she went to the letter-box, which, ofcourse, was locked, as she might have expected if she had but thought alittle. But Stella Wharton was not easily turned from a purpose she hadformed; and, coming back to the housekeeper, she asked the woman if shehad the key or knew where it was kept.

  If Mrs. Ryan had been surprised before she was doubly surprised now, andsaid in rather shocked accents, 'No, I have not the key, nor do I knowwhere Mr. Jones keeps his; and, if you'll excuse my saying so, MissWharton, I should not tell you if I did know, for City gentlemen don'tcare to have their correspondence meddled with. I know you only want toget to your work; but I know more about City ways than you, and I adviseyou not to do more than is your work. The head-clerk always unlocks theletter-box, and brings the letters into Mr. Jones when he arrives.'

  Stella listened to this speech in silence. She did think of taking thegood woman into her confidence; but a dislike of talking about herprivate concerns prevented her, so she said nothing. Going to her room,she took off her hat and coat, and sat down to wait until the head-clerkshould appear and she should hear him unlocking the letter-box, a noiseshe remembered hearing about ten o'clock every morning. The half-hourseemed very long, and she grew so nervous that she gave a great startwhen she heard a step, and presently two or three more, and then thesound of the letter-box being opened.

  She waited a moment, and then, summoning up her courage, she went up tothe head-clerk, to whom, as it happened, she had never spoken, and askedhim politely if she might have Mr. James Jones's letters.

  The man, who had been in the employment of the firm for twenty-fiveyears, stood, his hands full of letters, and stared at her. In all hisyears of service such a request had never been made to him. He had beenrather flattered by Stella speaking to him at all, for she appeared, asa rule, not to be aware of the existence of any of them; but thisrequest was so unusual that the man did not answer at once.

  'Did Mr. James give you orders to open his correspondence?' he thenasked; for every one in the office had such a high opinion of Stellathat they would not have been surprised at any token of trust, and thisoccurred to the head-clerk as the possible explanation.

  'Oh no, I do not want to open them,' sa
id Stella, colouring and lookingembarrassed.

  They were standing just within the door of the large general office; butthe head-clerk, after glancing at the other clerks, several of whom hadarrived and were listening with curiosity, stepped outside the door,and, leading the way to Stella's office, said, 'May I speak to you for amoment, Miss Wharton?'

  Stella, with her proudest and coldest manner, said, 'Yes.'

  The man entered and shut the door. He still had the packet of letters inhis hand as he said, 'Excuse me, Miss Wharton, but I do not quiteunderstand what you want.'

  'I wanted Mr. Jones's letters; the letters addressed to Mr. James Jones,the junior partner,' replied Stella.

  'By whose authority do you ask? I am sorry to appear rude; but, you see,this is a serious matter. I should not like to refuse a request ofyours, as the firm have a very high opinion of you, and, I know, trustyou implicitly; but it is against all rules and regulations to give theletters of the partners into any hands but their own. Trade secrets, youknow, Miss Wharton,' he wound up, with a smile.

  Stella wished she had never asked for the letters, and replied in hercoldest voice, 'I did not know it was against the rules. I have not Mr.James Jones's authority to ask for his correspondence, and of course Ido not wish you to give it to me. I will wait till he comes, thank you;'and, so saying, she uncovered her typewriter as a sign that theconversation was at an end.

  But the head-clerk stood there perplexed. Why had she asked for theletters? Ought he to give them? Would Mr. James be annoyed if he refusedthem? 'If you think Mr. James would wish you to have them'----he begandoubtfully.

  But Stella cut him short. 'It is of no consequence, thank you,' shesaid.

  The head-clerk still lingered. 'Is it some special letter'----he began.

  Stella interrupted him. 'That is my business,' she said curtly.

  'I only thought you might have some letter that you were expecting whichwanted answering,' he said, half-offended, for Stella's manner was notconciliatory.

  'No, thank you; I will wait until Mr. James comes,' she repeated.

  It was evidently no good talking to Stella, whom the head-clerkdesignated to himself a haughty young woman. And, vexed that this firstencounter with her should have been such an unfortunate one, he wentaway, but decided to take counsel with one of the other heads of thefirm if he should arrive first; or, if not, to see Mr. James and makehis peace with him, if necessary, before Stella made any complaint.

  As fortune would have it, the senior partner, Mr. Baines, arrived soonafter, and to him the head-clerk took his tale.

  Mr. Baines heard him in silence. 'Mr. James says she's a very goodclerk, and I should imagine she is trustworthy; but one never knows.I've never seen the young lady myself. They say she is good-looking andvery proud,' he remarked at last.

  'She is both, sir; in fact, she's the prettiest young lady I've everseen in my life. But proud!--proud isn't the word for it; she positivelyfreezes you up. She looked so odd when I asked her why she wanted theletters that, upon my word, I didn't half like it; one never knows withwomen, not the best of them, sir,' said the head-clerk.

  Mr. Baines laughed. 'Anyway, I should not worry about it; you did quiteright not to give the letters to her, and if Mr. James says anything tome about it I shall take your part. If he had wished her to open hiscorrespondence he should have given her his written authority; it wouldnever do if any clerk who liked could ask for our letters, and so Ishall tell him,' he declared.

  The head-clerk went away, and hoped that he had done right. And Stellawaited, with what patience she could, for Mr. James Jones's arrival,which was not until half-past ten, when she heard his step along thepassage--there was no mistaking it, because it was so light and springy,the step of a man who loved and lived as much as was possible in thecountry. In fact, Stella had owned to herself that if she had met him insociety she should have taken him for a country gentleman or a sailor,certainly not for a business man, which he clearly was from choice,since Mrs. Ryan said that he was very rich, and that he could retirefrom business to-morrow.