by L. T. Meade
CHAPTER XXV.
DAISY'S PROMISE.
Mr. Danesfield always forwarded the girls' allowance in such a waythat Primrose could easily obtain it--he did not trouble her withcheques or bank notes, but sent a money-order, which she could cash atthe nearest post-office.
The three went out gleefully that day, and obtained their much neededmoney--then Primrose bought a new pair of boots for Daisy, and allowedJasmine to spend sixpence on scribbling paper. Having obtained thisdelightful possession, Jasmine determined to begin her great work offiction without a moment's delay; she felt that she had listened quitelong enough to Miss Egerton's gentle warnings--that she had beendiscouraged sufficiently, and that what she had really to do was toprove the stuff which was in her, and to take the world by storm. Shehesitated a little as to whether her great work was to appear beforethe world in the form of a novel or a poem. She thought that toproduce a second "Evangeline" would be a matter of but slightdifficulty, but on the whole she was inclined to give the world herexperience in the fiery and untrammelled words of prose.
"My theme burns within me," she said to herself. "I won't be kept backby metres or rhymes, or numbers of feet, or any of those tiresomerules which Miss Egerton tries to instil into me. Oh, I shall be happyover my work! I will forget that we are poor, and forget that we livein attics. I will work with Miss Egerton in the daytime, and I willhelp Primrose in her house-keeping, and take Daisy for a walk, butmorning and evening I will get into my Palace Beautiful, and writeaway, and forget the sordid cares of life."
The little maid had really a certain amount of genius to guide her,and although all her ideas were crude and unpractised, she managed tobe happy in the castle which she built, and her dark eyes grew brightonce more, and her pretty face resumed its animated and contentedexpression.
Primrose, who worked very steadily at her china-painting, was muchcheered at this time with one or two small, but _bona-fide_ orders forwork. They came not through Mr. Jones, who pocketed her money andexhibited her wares in a dusty and uncertain fashion, but through MissEgerton, who was proving herself a real friend to the girls. Primrosewas immensely cheered by these little orders, and, in consequence,Christmas Day--the girls' first Christmas Day without a home and amother--passed not uncheerfully. Things might have gone well with thethree but for an incident which occurred just at the beginning of theNew Year.
One morning Daisy awoke shivering, and complaining of fresh cold. Sherefused, however, to stay at home by herself, and begged of Jasmine towrap her up, and take her across to Miss Egerton's, but when the twogirls reached the kind mistress's door they were informed that she hadbeen suddenly sent for to the country, and would not be back until thefollowing day.
"You must go back now, my pet," said Jasmine. "I'll take you backmyself, and I'll build up such a nice fire for you, and you shall lookat the dear old scrap-book which we made when we were all happy atRosebury."
"I wish we were back at Rosebury," said little Daisy, in a very sadand plaintive voice. "I don't think London is at all a cheerful place.We made a great mistake about it, didn't we, Jasmine? Oh, Jasmine,darling, you are not going to leave me by myself, for I really don'tfeel well this morning."
"I'll come back ever so quickly, Eyebright, but I really think I mustdo Primrose's shopping for her, now that I am not going to MissEgerton. Primrose is working very hard at her china-painting order,and it is not fair she should be interrupted. You won't be selfish,will you, Eyebright? You know we arranged long ago that the way youwere to help matters forward was not to hinder us older girls in ourwork."
"I know," answered Daisy, with a patient sigh. "I won't be selfish,Jasmine. Just kiss me before you go."
Jasmine went away, and Daisy, taking the Pink into her arms, sat downclose to the fire. She was not exactly nervous, but she scarcely likedto be left in the attics by herself. She wished Mrs. Dove would comeup, or even that Tommy Dove, who was a rude boy, and whom, as a rule,she particularly disliked, would pay her a visit. Any company, howevershe reflected, would be better than none, for she was feeling heavyand depressed with her cold. The warm feel of the Pink's furry littlebody, elapsed tightly in her arms, comforted her not a little. Sheremembered with some satisfaction that Jasmine had locked the door,and she began already to count the moments for her sister's return.
An hour passed, and still Daisy listened for Jasmine's light andspringing step on the attic stairs.
She was very tired now, and her head ached. She thought she would gointo the bedroom and, lying down on her little white bed, sleep awaythe weary moments. Taking the Pink with her, she did so, wrapping thecounterpane well up over them both.
In a very few moments the child was in a heavy slumber.
She awoke, after what seemed to herself a very short nap, to hearsounds in the bedroom. She stirred sleepily, and, opening her eyes,said--
"Oh, Jasmine, what a time you've been away!"
No answer from Jasmine, but a smothered exclamation from some oneelse; a heavy tread on the uncarpeted boards, and Dove, his face red,his shoes off, and something which looked like a screw-driver in hishands, came up and bent over the child.
"Oh! what are you doing here, Mr. Dove?" exclaimed little Daisy. Theman bent down over her, and stared hard into her wide open blue eyes.
THE MAN BENT DOWN OVER HER. Palace B]
"I didn't know you was here, missie; it was very cunning of you tofeign sleep like that--it was very cunning and over sharp, but itdon't come round me. No, no; you has got to speak up now, and say whatyou has seen, and what you hasn't seen. I allow of no nonsense withlittle girls, and I can always see through them when they mean to tella lie. You know where the children who tell lies go to, so you'dbetter speak up, and the whole truth, missie." Dove spoke in a veryrough voice, and poor Daisy felt terribly frightened.
"I didn't see anything," she began, in her innocent way. "I was fast,fast asleep. I thought you were Jasmine--Jasmine should have been backlong ago. I have a bad cold, and I was trying to pass the time bygoing to sleep. I haven't seen anything, Mr. Dove."
"Let me look into your eyes, miss," said Dove; "open them wide, andlet me look well into them."
"Oh! you frighten me, Mr. Dove," said Daisy, beginning to cry. "I wasvery lonely, and I'd have liked you to come up half an hour ago; butyou look so queer now, and you speak in such a rough voiced--what isthe matter? Perhaps you were bringing up some of those books forJasmine. Oh! I don't know why you should speak to me like that."
Dove's brow cleared; he began to believe that the child had reallybeen asleep, and had not seen the peculiar manner in which he had beenemploying himself for the last ten minutes.
"Look here, miss," he said, "I don't mean to be rough to you, youpretty little lady. Look here, what I was after was all kindness. Ionly spoke rough as a bit of a joke. I has got some lollipops in mypocket for a nice little maid; I wonder now who these yere lollipopsare for?"
"For me, perhaps?" said Daisy, who, although she could not haveswallowed a sweety to save her life at that moment, had sense enoughto know that her wisest plan was to propitiate Dove.
"You're fond of lollipops then, missie? you didn't think as 'twasbecause poor Dove guessed that, that he travelled up all these wearystairs? Kind of him, wasn't it? but you're real fond of lollipops,ain't you, missy?"
"Some kinds," answered Daisy, who was really a most fastidious child,and who shrank from the sticky-looking sweetmeats proffered to her byDove. "I like the very best chocolate creams; Primrose brings them tome sometimes, but they are rather expensive. Oh! and I like stickysweets too," she continued seeing an ominous frown gathering on Dove'sbrow. "I'm very much obliged to you, Mr. Dove." Then making a greateffort, she put out her little white hand to take one of the sweeties.
But Dove drew back quickly.
"No, no," he said, "not till they're arned--by no means until they'rearned. You don't suppose as a poor man--a poor man with a largefamily, and an only love of a wife--can afford to bring sweeties allfor nothing t
o rich little ladies like yourself. No, no, miss; you arnthem, and you shall have them."
"But I'd rather not, please," said Daisy, "I'm not _very_ hungry forsweeties to-day on account of my cold, and I think, on the whole, youhad better keep them, Mr. Dove. Indeed, I don't know how to earnthem--Primrose and Jasmine say I'm too young to earn."
Here Dove drew himself up to his full height, and stared hard at thechild.
"There's one way of arning," he said, "and one only. Look you here,Miss Daisy Mainwaring, you are young, but you ain't no fool. Ef youplease, miss, you has got to make me a promise--you has got to saythat you will never tell, not to Miss Primrose nor to Miss Jasmine,nor to no one, that you've seen me in this room. I don't wish it to beknown. I has my reasons, and _whatever_ happens, you are never totell. Ef you make me the promise true and faithful, why you shall havethe sweeties, and I'll stick up for you, and be your friend throughthick and thin. You'll have Dove for your friend, Miss Daisy, and Ican tell you he ain't a friend to be lightly put aside. But if youever tell--and however secret you do it, I have got little birds whowill whisper it back to me--why, then Dove will be your enemy. Youdon't know what that means, and you won't like to know. I was my ownboy Tommy's enemy once, and I locked him up in the dark fortwenty-four hours, where no one could hear him screaming. Now, miss,you had better make me your friend; I'm real desperate in earnest, soyou promise me."
Daisy's face had grown deadly white, her breath came in gasps, hereyes were fixed on the cruel man.
"You promise me, miss?"
"Oh yes, Mr. Dove."
"That's right, missy. Now you say these words after me:--'Mr. Dove, Ipromise never to tell as you came up to my room to give me the nicesweeties. I'll never tell nobody in all the wide world, so help me,God.'"
"Oh, I don't like that last part," said little Daisy. "I'll sayit--I'll say all the words, only not the last ones, and I'll keep mypromise as true as true; only please, please, please, Mr. Dove, don'task me to say the last words, for I don't think it's quite reverent tosay them just to keep a secret about sweeties."
"Well, missy, as you please. Now put your hands in mine, and say allthe other words."
Daisy did so.
"That's right, miss; now my mind's easy. I have got your promise,miss, and I'll keep the little birds a-watching to find out if everyou go near to breathing it. There's a dark cellar, too, most handyfor them children who turn out to be Dove's enemies, and _you_ knowwhere the people who tell lies go to. Now, good-bye, miss--eat up yoursweeties."