Читать книгу Ambition's Slave - Fred M. White - Страница 14

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ALICE came at length to a gloomy thoroughfare with high tenement houses on either side that excluded the light of day. Here are suites of rooms let off to the struggling respectable classes, artisans, tailors, workers in wax and other flowers, and the many trades by which half the world ekes out a precarious livelihood. In one of these tiny flats Alice Price worked hard day in and day out at a typewriter.

The room was barely furnished, a cheap lamp stood beside the typewriter, there was nothing there to denote anything but the direst poverty save for a lovely bunch of lilies in a tawdry glass jar. The poor girl who usually slaved at the typewriter looked not unlike a lily herself. She was young, and under ordinary circumstances would have been beautiful, but the dull despair of her eyes had taken all the flash and colour out of them, her face was rarely pale—the pallor that speaks out plainly of the want of proper food. And yet there was something very attractive about the girl, for she was little more. Alice flung herself into a chair with a sigh, her head was aching, her meeting with Desborough and his identification of her had disturbed her and robbed her of her sense of security. She would not go there again. And then she looked at the little packet of money Desborough had thrust into her hand at parting. And there was more to come from that quarter, and money was so hard to earn.

"Eleven shillings," the girl sighed. "It seemed so much and yet so little. And the promise of regular work. I cannot—cannot turn my hack on it. I suppose God wills it this way. If only Mr. Desborough will be discreet and silent."

There was a hurried knock at the door and a man entered. He was a tall, well-set man, with a cheery, pleasant face and a pair of resolute grey eyes. The girl smiled and held out her slim white hand.

"How good you are always to think of me," she said. "Come in, Mr. Denton."

Harvey Denton needed no second invitation; it was easy to see that something besides mere good-heartedness brought Denton to Paradise Buildings. There was a yearning look in his eyes that told its own story. He glanced down tenderly into the pale, flower-like face.

"There is nothing in the least kind about it, Alice," he said. "You know perfectly well why I come here. My darling, if you would only take my advice and get rid of that man."

Alice Price laid a trembling hand upon the speaker's lips.

"Hush!" she whispered, "you must say no more about that. You promised me. That man is my husband. It suits him to say that such is not the fact, that he had a wife alive at the time he married me, but he is my husband, and my duty is plain; and if I did what you ask I should bring shame and disgrace upon my mother and sister. They think that I am dead; it is far better that they should keep that delusion. I know that you love me, dear."

"God knows that I do," Denton said hoarsely. "And you cared for me. I believe that you care for me still, only you are bound to what you consider your duty. And that man fascinated you; his indomitable will swallowed your weaker one altogether. And your father found out everything too late to save you. Your mother—"

"My mother knows nothing, and never shall," Alice said, with a determination that caused her voice to tremble. She looked strong and brave enough now. "Harvey, you found me out by accident. If you had not come here on one of your journalistic missions you would never have known. You have been very kind to me, and you will not betray my secret."

The sweet face was pleading, and Denton yielded. But it was all very hard, when so near at hand. Alice had relations who would have received her with open arms, and surrounded her with every luxury. He put aside sentiment resolutely.

"I've brought some more work for you," he said. "It's my own 'copy' which you are used to. They are some facts that I got up for Clifford Desborough, which he wants for that big case of his; but you have already done some 'copy' on the same case. If you could let him have the 'copy' to-morrow."

Alice nodded resolutely. She felt sick and tired tonight, but work meant money, and it meant that there was no time for idle repining.

"It shall be done," she said. "I have already seen Mr. Desborough to-night; but I am sorry that I went, sorry my usual little messenger failed me. It was very unfortunate, but Mr. Desborough recognized me."

Denton looked uneasy. He had not anticipated this. His heart softened and grew sad as he noted the pretty, pallid face. If he could only have induced Alice to let him help her more materially. But he had tried it once before, and it had nearly severed their friendship. Alice had sternly set her face against accepting more than the market price for her work. If he could only scheme a way!

Alice half turned her head away, and the slim fingers played with the keys of the typewriter. Denton sighed.

"I suppose I must go," he said. "I am afraid that we must wait and hope for the best. But if your mother and sister knew, I am sure—"

"But they must not know, Harvey; they must never know. One word, and they would be here at once. And it would break my mother's heart. I made my bed deliberately, and I must lie upon it. I left home and friends and everything that life holds dear for the sake of a scoundrel who thought he had married a fortune. He did not know that my sister had everything and I nothing. Good-night, dear old boy, and may God bless you."

Denton kissed the slim, white hand in silence. He did not dare to trust his voice at present. And there were tears on the keys of the typewriter as Alice bent over them, tears that she brushed away and then went on with her work resolutely.

She worked on mechanically for some time, till her fingers grew stiff and her weary eyes could hardly make out the keys. Her mind was in a whirl: she tried vainly to understand why it was that Mr. Desborough puzzled her. Why had he been so strange in his manner, and why had the name of Eli Price so strangely agitated him? Even in the seclusion of his own chambers he had bade her be silent, and had suggested that walls have ears. Then he had made her write down her address, as if fearful that somebody else was close by listening. But one thing Alice felt very certain about—Desborough would not betray her to her mother and sister. Alice put her typewriter up, and resolutely made up her mind not to think any more about it for the present. There was a stealthy footstep on the stair, and presently it stopped before the door. The latch turned, and a man came in. At the sight of him all the blood receded from Alice's face, and left her white to the lips.

Price bowed ironically and smiled. In spite of his disguise, Alice recognized him instantly.

"Paradise Buildings," he said mockingly. "Many thanks for the information. Our friend the popular barrister didn't want me to know that. But you blurted it out, and the escaped convict being in hiding in the back room heard all he wanted to know."

Alice said nothing. She was too dazed and stunned by this unexpected blow. This man had humiliated and disgraced her enough. When the prison doors had closed upon him she had held herself to be free for some years to come. Then here he was back again, under her own roof, an escaped convict, a fugitive from justice, and she would be compelled to shield him. She could only sit there with a face white and ghastly, and regard her tormentor with sad eyes.

"That swell friend of your family is up to something," Price went on. "It was his duty when accident took me to his rooms to give me up to justice. And why didn't he give me up to justice? Because for some reason or another he doesn't want me to give evidence on that trial I came up for. I don't know what his little game is, but I mean to find out. And when I do find out there will be money in it for me. And that chap won't betray you to your friends. Why?"

Price asked the question again, and at length Alice found words to reply.

"Because he is a gentleman," she said.

"Rot. Because he's interested in that haughty sister of yours, because he means to marry her and have possession of all her money. Desborough is in a big position, and likely to be in a bigger one, but he is as desperately hard up as I am. But never mind about that. Go and get me a bottle of brandy and some cigars. The public-houses are not closed yet."

Alice hesitated, and the man made a significant gesture with uplifted hand. He threw on the table a sovereign from his ill-gotten gains.

"None of your pride," he muttered. "I thought I had broken you of that. Get the brandy and get the cigars, and then I'll tell you what I mean to do next. There's a fine night's work before you, my girl, if you only knew it. That white face and those mournful eyes of yours will make our fortunes yet."

With trembling limbs Alice crept down the stairs. She passed into the street, but the cool night air failed to revive her. Just for an instant the world seemed to go spinning round her, and her reason was gone. When she came to herself her head was half reclining on a man's shoulder. As Alice drew back she found herself face to face with Harvey Denton.

"Oh, leave me," she cried. "If you only knew, if you only knew."