Brenda, Her School and Her Club

by Oliver Optic

  XXI

  MISS SOUTH AND JULIA

  "You can say what you like," said Belle to Brenda when the latter toldher of Julia's adventure with the dog, "but I think that it wasdownright mean in her to go to Madame du Launy's in that sneaking kindof way."

  "Why, Belle, it wasn't sneaking. What was she to do with the little dog?She couldn't leave it on the street."

  "Well, she knew how anxious we all were to see the inside of that house,and the least that she could do was to invite some of us to go withher."

  "Oh, Belle, if you are not the most unreasonable girl in the world,"exclaimed Nora, who had heard the latter part of this speech. "Youcouldn't expect her to invite one of us Four, when at that very momentwe were having our meeting; and it's you who won't let the rest of usinvite her to sew with us. For my part, I am glad that Julia has gotahead of us."

  Here Brenda spoke up in a tone rather more judicial than she wasaccustomed to employ. "I think that you are wrong, too, Belle; I don'tbelieve that Julia had ever given Madame du Launy a thought before, andI'm almost sure that she didn't expect to be invited into the house whenshe took the little dog home."

  "Oh, she knew what she was doing," replied Belle; "you can't make mebelieve anything else, and I only hope she'll invite you to go therewith her some day. You must be sure to let me know if she does."

  "Oh, of course," responded Brenda carelessly, "but then I am not soanxious myself to see Madame du Launy, I never did care so very much forold ladies."

  "It isn't Madame du Launy," interposed Belle, "it's the house. Didn'tJulia tell you that it was perfectly beautiful?"

  "I don't know that she said so very much about it. She hasn't said muchto me. You'd better ask her yourself, if you wish to know all about it,"said Brenda in reply, while Nora added a little mischievously, "Yes,here she comes, with Edith and Ruth."

  But Belle with a scornful "No thank you," passed on into the house.

  As a matter of fact Brenda was just a little envious of what to herseemed Julia's good fortune in this particular instance; but hercousin's charm of disposition and manner had already begun to have aneffect on her, and she was also weary of hearing Belle so constantlyfind fault with her. After all blood is thicker than water, and Brendahad a little more than her share of true family pride. By noon, however,her annoyance with Belle had disappeared, and she listened eagerly tosome plans which Belle was arranging for the afternoon.

  It happened that very day that Miss South and Julia were to make one oftheir journeys to the North End, and on the way Julia very naturallytold her teacher of her visit to Madame du Launy. The latter listenedwith great interest, but made rather less comment than Julia hadexpected. Yet she asked one or two questions that surprised Julia. "Didyou like the picture of the young girl over the drawing-roommantelpiece?"

  "Why, is there one there, did I speak of it?" said Julia.

  Miss South, Julia could not help noticing it, really blushed as shereplied,

  "Well, you may not have mentioned it, but I had heard----"

  "Oh, yes," interrupted Julia, without waiting for her to finish. "Oh,yes, I do remember; a young girl with long, fair curls. I sat just wheremy eye fell on it, and I could not help thinking that it was rather asad picture, at least the girl had a sad expression, and it seemed too,as if I had seen some one who looked very much like her. Why, have youever seen that portrait, Miss South?"

  "Oh, no," answered Miss South. "Oh, no, but I have heard of it, and--"but she did not finish the sentence, and altogether she seemed to be ina rather silent mood, although she encouraged Julia to talk freely aboutMadame du Launy.

  "Madame du Launy must be dreadfully lonely," said Julia, "living alonein that great house. I believe it is true as the girls at school saythat no one ever goes to see her."

  "Not to see a great many people does not always mean loneliness,"replied Miss South. "You know that I have not a great many acquaintancesin Boston, but still I am never lonely. Of course," she continued, "Ihave you girls, but that is not the same thing as having friends of myown age to exchange visits with me."

  "Yes," responded Julia sympathetically, "and since I have known so muchabout you I have often thought that it must be very hard to be alonethis way in a large city. Of course you have your brother to thinkabout--but he is so far away, out there on the railroad in Texas,--whyyou are worse off than I am, for I have my uncle and aunt--and Brenda--"she ended with a smile.

  "As I have said, Julia," continued Miss South, "I am not so very lonely,although I have not a single relation in Boston, at least not one towhom I can turn; yes, I might as well say, not one."

  "How did you ever happen to come here, then?" asked Julia.

  "Oh, I had just finished my normal course in New York, when I met MissCrawdon one summer. She needed an assistant, and made me a very goodoffer. Besides I had always wished to come to Boston, and as long asLouis and I had to be separated, it seemed to me that I might as well behere as anywhere else. I should have liked to go to Texas with Louis,but his work keeps him so much on the railroad that we should not havebeen much good to each other. Of course when he is a railway presidentwe shall live together--but he is only twenty-two now, and it is foolishto think of that at present."

  For the first time since the beginning of her acquaintance with MissSouth, Julia felt decidedly anxious to ask questions about her earlylife. Perhaps Miss South had an insight into her mind. At any rate shesaid, in a half tone of apology, "Since you are interested, Julia, Iwill tell you a little about myself. When my brother was ten years old,and I fourteen, our father died. Our mother had died several yearsbefore. The little bit of money which our father left was hardly enoughto support us until we were educated. Fortunately he had a friend, alawyer, who looked after it very carefully, and although he had to spendmost of the capital for us as well as the interest, we were both able tolive comfortably, though in a very economical way, until I was eighteen.At this time we had but a few hundred dollars left, and Louis was gladenough to take a situation in a railroad office offered to him by theefforts of the same kind friend. He was soon earning his board, andevery year he has had an increase of salary, with a steady promotion. Iwent first to the State University in the state where I had grown up andwas able to afford myself a good normal course. Since I came to Boston Ihave been able to save a little from my salary. You can see, then, thatI am not very badly off--only I do wish sometimes that I had a fewrelations."

  "Haven't you any, really?" asked Julia.

  "None--at least practically none near enough to take any interest in me.You see my mother was an only child, at least her brother and sisterdied young, and so was my father. Besides he was an Englishman, and whatdistant cousins of his there are, live in England."

  Julia would have liked to ask more, but just at that moment a littlefigure darted into view, and flung himself upon her. It was Manuel, inall the glory of a new pair of trousers, new at least to him, thougheven an eye inexperienced in tailoring could see that they had been cutdown from garments originally made for a much larger person. But to himthey were absolutely the finest pair of trousers that he had ever seen,because they were the first that he had ever worn. After this there wasno danger that any one could imagine that he was his own little sister,a mortifying mistake that strangers were in the habit of making.

  Miss South and Julia followed him down the crooked street, which theirseveral visits had made very familiar to them, and stood behind him ashe pushed open the narrow door. At the very first glance into the room,Miss South, who was ahead, felt a little disheartened. Everything was indisorder, although she had been making such efforts this winter to getMrs. Rosa to see the necessity for cleanliness and neatness. But whenshe and Julia went inside she felt that perhaps she had been a littletoo severe in her judgment. Mrs. Rosa lay back in her chair lookingsicker and weaker than they had ever seen her, and though she put outher hand in greeting, she seemed unable to rise.

  "How is this?" exclaimed Miss South.

  "Oh, mi
ss, I believe I'm real sick," was the reply; "I haven't eatennothing for such a long time. I can't eat nothing, and I can't hardlyraise my voice to the children. Here you, Manuel, don't eat that breadand molasses before the ladies."

  Then Mrs. Rosa lay back in her chair in a fit of violent coughingbrought on by her efforts to be polite and parental at the same time.

  "Aren't you almost ready to go to the hospital, now, Mrs. Rosa?"enquired Miss South, sympathetically. "I think that it is altogether toohard for you to try to stay here to manage these children and take careof yourself."

  Mrs. Rosa shook her head. "Not the hospital, miss; I should die, I'msure, if I should go there."

  "But you can't stay here, if you grow worse, and indeed, I am sure thatyou cannot get any better, if you stay here. Then your children would bemuch worse off than they would be if you should be parted from them fora little while. The doctors at the hospital might make you perfectlywell." Mrs. Rosa shook her head feebly, and Miss South felt decidedlydiscouraged. Even when Julia added her voice in a gentle persuasive way,Mrs. Rosa refused to be convinced. No, she would stay where she was fora while. By and by perhaps she would go somewhere, but she could nottell; she couldn't leave the children, and the nurse had told her thatshe could not take them with her to the hospital.

  "Well, wouldn't you go to the country if we could find a place for youthere?" asked Julia gently; "perhaps we could find a house where you andthe children all could go, for you can't get well if you stay here."

  At this suggestion, Mrs. Rosa's face brightened a trifle, but from herreply it was hard to tell whether she would be perfectly willing toleave her own unwholesome abode, even for the country.

  "You ought to make Angelina keep this room cleaner," said Miss South.

  "Oh, I can't make Angelina do nothing," she answered; "Angelina is solazy I don't know what to do with her. She just reads library books allthe time."

  Again Mrs. Rosa leaned back in a fit of coughing, and Miss South andJulia, after leaving one or two little delicacies that they had broughther, went away less cheerful than they had been.

  "It's rather dreadful, isn't it?" said Julia.

  "Yes," replied Miss South, "especially as it would not require a greatdeal of effort or money to make that family perfectly comfortable."

  "How much?" asked Julia.

  Miss South laughed. "You are very practical," she said. "Perhaps I oughtto have said that it is effort in the right direction that is neededrather than money."

  "Nobody can do very much, I am afraid," said Julia, "while Mrs. Rosa isso obstinate. It seems as if some one ought to have the right to obligeher to move."

  "Well, personal liberty is one of the privileges that foreigners livingin this country appreciate the most. Yet Mrs. Rosa ought not to feelthat she can do just as she likes, since she is living on charityaltogether now."

  "I was wondering--" began Julia.

  "Yes," continued Miss South, "her church pays half her rent, andprovides her coal; the Provident Association supplies her withgroceries. Some of her Portuguese neighbors help her with food fromtheir own table, and one or two charitable people give shoes and oldclothes to the children. The dispensary doctor treats her withoutcharge, and she has the occasional services of a district nurse. IfAngelina would only follow out some of the directions left by the nurse,the whole family would be much more comfortable."

  "I had no idea," said Julia, "that so much would be done for one poorfamily; and you haven't spoken of what you do yourself, Miss South."

  "Oh, my part is very small; I just keep a general oversight, and bycalling on Mrs. Rosa once or twice a week, I try to see that things runsmoothly."

  "There isn't so very much, then, for Brenda and the other girls to do.You know that they are working for a sale from which they hope to raisea lot of money for Manuel and his family."

  "Yes, I have heard about it," replied Miss South, "and I should be thelast one to discourage them in their efforts; but I am sure that if Mrs.Rosa had been depending on their help she would have suffered thiswinter. They are too spasmodic."

  "What do you think then that there will be for them to do with the moneythey raise at the Bazaar, for I am sure that they have largeexpectations?"

  "Oh, there are many practical things. This matter of moving the familyto the country, for example. To accomplish this will take more moneythan you might think, and I do not myself know any charitable agencywith money to expend in this way."

  "But do you think that you can move them?"

  "Why not? It may be hard, but if Mrs. Rosa should find it impossible toget help from the people who have been helping her, she may be glad tofall in with our plan."

  "Well, it's all very interesting," said Julia, "and it may be that I canhelp you in some way. Of course I do not wish to interfere with Brenda'splans, and I shall have to find out what she intends to do. If I weregoing to have anything to do with the Bazaar directly, it would bedifferent."

  "Haven't you been admitted yet into the sacred circle of 'The Four'?"said Miss South, smiling. "I thought that you would have been beforethis."

  "No," replied Julia a little sadly. "No, I suppose that they think thatI should not have so very much time for fancy work, and I dare say it isbetter that I should spend what spare hours I have in some other way,but still----"

  "But still," said Miss South, finishing out her sentence, "but still itisn't altogether agreeable to be left out."

  "No," answered Julia, "it isn't."

  While they were talking they had been riding up Hanover street, andleaving the car in Washington street, they did two or three errands inone of the large shops.

  "Shall we walk home now, or ride?" enquired Miss South.

  "Oh, I would much rather walk," answered Julia, "if it is all the sameto you;" and so they walked on through Winter street, intending to crossthe Common. Leading off Winter street there is a side street on which isthe back entrance of the music hall. Now just as they reached the cornerof this street, they saw two girls near the theatre door, walking intheir direction.

  "Why, how much that looks--why it is Brenda," exclaimed Julia, "and thatis Belle with her," she continued in surprise; "I wonder what they aredoing down here."

  Even as she spoke, the two figures at which she had been looking amoment before disappeared within a doorway.

  "Would you like to meet them and ask them to walk home with us?"enquired Miss South.

  "Why, I don't know," replied Julia. "I am afraid that they may not wishto come with us; it almost seems as if they are hiding from us. You sawthem, didn't you, that first time, Miss South?"

  "Yes, indeed, I recognized them both, but isn't it unusual for them tobe down town alone?"

  "It's against the rules for Brenda, I know, at least I have heard myaunt say that she did not care to have her go down town without her. Iimagine that probably they have some one with them. Brenda is rathercareful about disobeying, as a general thing."

  "Oh, then it's probably all right," said Miss South, "and we might aswell go on."