Other Things Being Equal [29]
Ruth, as she came a step nearer.
"What of that?" Asked the girl, lifelessly, her dull eyes wandering everywhere but to the face of her strange interlocutor.
"I am Ruth Levice, a friend of Dr. Kemp. Will that introduction be enough to make you shake hands with me?"
She advanced toward her, holding out her hand. A burning flame shot across Rose Delano's face, and she shrank farther back among her pillows.
"No," she said, putting up a repellent hand; "it is not enough. Do not touch me, or you will regret it. You must not, I say." She arose quickly from her chair and stood at bay, regarding Ruth. The latter, taller than she by head and shoulders, looked down at her smiling.
"I know no reason why I must not," she replied gently.
"You do not know me."
"No; but I know of you."
"Then why did you come; why don't you go?" The blue eyes looked with passionate resentment at her.
"Because I have come to see you; because I wish to shake hands with you."
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why do you wish to do that?"
"Because I wish to be your friend. May we not be friends? I am not much older than you, I think."
"You are centuries younger. Who sent you here? Dr. Kemp?"
"No one sent me; I came of my own free will."
"Then go as you came."
"No."
She stood gracefully and quietly before her. Rose Delano moved farther from her, as if to escape her grave brown eyes.
"You do not know what you are doing," cried the girl, excitedly; "have you no father or mother, no one to tell you what a girl should not do?"
"I have both; but I have also a friend, --Dr. Kemp."
"He is my friend too," affirmed Rose, tremulously.
"Then we have one good thing in common; and since he is my friend and yours, why should we not be friends?"
"Because he is a man, and you are a woman. He has then told you my story?"
"Yes."
"And you feel yourself unharmed in coming here--to such a creature as I?"
"I feel nothing but pity for you; I do not blame you. But, oh, little one, I do so grieve for you because you won't believe that the world is not all merciless. Come, give me your hand."
"No," she said, clasping her hands behind her and retreating as the other advanced; "go away, please. You are very good, but you are very foolish. Bad as I am, however, I shall not let you harm yourself more; leave my room, please."
"Not till I have held your hands in mine."
"Stop! I tell you I don't want you to come here; I don't want your friendship. Can't you go now, or are you afraid that your sweetheart will upbraid you if you fail to carry out his will?"
"My sweetheart?" she asked in questioning wonder.
"Yes; only a lover could make a girl like you so forget herself. I speak of Dr. Kemp."
"But he is not my lover," she stated, still speaking gently, but with a pale face turned to her companion.
"I--I--beg your pardon," faltered the girl, humbly drooping her head, shamed by the cold pride in her tormentor's face; "but why, oh, why, then, won't you go?" she continued, wildly sobbing. "I assure you it is best."
"This is best," said Ruth, deliberately; and before Rose knew it she had seized her two hands, and unclasping them from behind her, drew them to her own breast.
"Now," she said, holding them tightly, "who is the stronger, you or I?" She looked pleasantly down at the tear-stained face so close to hers.
"O God!" breathed the girl, her storm-beaten eyes held by the power of her captor's calmness.
"Now we are friends," said Ruth, softly, "shall we sit down and talk?"
Still holding the slender hands, she drew up a chair, and seating the frail girl in the armchair, sat down beside her.
"Oh, wait!" whispered Rose; "let me tell you everything before you make me live again."
"I know everything; and truly, Rose, nothing you can say could make me wish to befriend you less."
"How nobly, how kindly he must have told you!"
"Hush! He told me nothing but the truth. To me you are a victim, not a culprit. And now, tell me, do you feel perfectly strong?"
"Oh, yes." The little
"What of that?" Asked the girl, lifelessly, her dull eyes wandering everywhere but to the face of her strange interlocutor.
"I am Ruth Levice, a friend of Dr. Kemp. Will that introduction be enough to make you shake hands with me?"
She advanced toward her, holding out her hand. A burning flame shot across Rose Delano's face, and she shrank farther back among her pillows.
"No," she said, putting up a repellent hand; "it is not enough. Do not touch me, or you will regret it. You must not, I say." She arose quickly from her chair and stood at bay, regarding Ruth. The latter, taller than she by head and shoulders, looked down at her smiling.
"I know no reason why I must not," she replied gently.
"You do not know me."
"No; but I know of you."
"Then why did you come; why don't you go?" The blue eyes looked with passionate resentment at her.
"Because I have come to see you; because I wish to shake hands with you."
"Why?"
"Why?"
"Why do you wish to do that?"
"Because I wish to be your friend. May we not be friends? I am not much older than you, I think."
"You are centuries younger. Who sent you here? Dr. Kemp?"
"No one sent me; I came of my own free will."
"Then go as you came."
"No."
She stood gracefully and quietly before her. Rose Delano moved farther from her, as if to escape her grave brown eyes.
"You do not know what you are doing," cried the girl, excitedly; "have you no father or mother, no one to tell you what a girl should not do?"
"I have both; but I have also a friend, --Dr. Kemp."
"He is my friend too," affirmed Rose, tremulously.
"Then we have one good thing in common; and since he is my friend and yours, why should we not be friends?"
"Because he is a man, and you are a woman. He has then told you my story?"
"Yes."
"And you feel yourself unharmed in coming here--to such a creature as I?"
"I feel nothing but pity for you; I do not blame you. But, oh, little one, I do so grieve for you because you won't believe that the world is not all merciless. Come, give me your hand."
"No," she said, clasping her hands behind her and retreating as the other advanced; "go away, please. You are very good, but you are very foolish. Bad as I am, however, I shall not let you harm yourself more; leave my room, please."
"Not till I have held your hands in mine."
"Stop! I tell you I don't want you to come here; I don't want your friendship. Can't you go now, or are you afraid that your sweetheart will upbraid you if you fail to carry out his will?"
"My sweetheart?" she asked in questioning wonder.
"Yes; only a lover could make a girl like you so forget herself. I speak of Dr. Kemp."
"But he is not my lover," she stated, still speaking gently, but with a pale face turned to her companion.
"I--I--beg your pardon," faltered the girl, humbly drooping her head, shamed by the cold pride in her tormentor's face; "but why, oh, why, then, won't you go?" she continued, wildly sobbing. "I assure you it is best."
"This is best," said Ruth, deliberately; and before Rose knew it she had seized her two hands, and unclasping them from behind her, drew them to her own breast.
"Now," she said, holding them tightly, "who is the stronger, you or I?" She looked pleasantly down at the tear-stained face so close to hers.
"O God!" breathed the girl, her storm-beaten eyes held by the power of her captor's calmness.
"Now we are friends," said Ruth, softly, "shall we sit down and talk?"
Still holding the slender hands, she drew up a chair, and seating the frail girl in the armchair, sat down beside her.
"Oh, wait!" whispered Rose; "let me tell you everything before you make me live again."
"I know everything; and truly, Rose, nothing you can say could make me wish to befriend you less."
"How nobly, how kindly he must have told you!"
"Hush! He told me nothing but the truth. To me you are a victim, not a culprit. And now, tell me, do you feel perfectly strong?"
"Oh, yes." The little