Other Things Being Equal [30]
hand swept in agony over her sad, childish face.
"Then you ought to go out for a nice walk. You have no idea how pleasant it is this morning."
"I can't, indeed I can't! and, oh, why should I?"
"You can and you must, because you must go to work soon."
Two frightened eyes were raised to hers.
"Yes," she added, patting the hand she held; "you are a teacher, are you not?"
"I was," she replied, the catch in her voice still audible.
"What are you used to teaching?"
"Spanish, and English literature."
"Spanish--with your blue eyes!" The sudden outburst of surprise sent a faint April-like beam into Rose's face.
"Si, Senorita."
"Then you must teach me. Let me see. Wednesdays, --Wednesday afternoon, yes?"
Again the frightened eyes appealed to her; but Ruth ignored them.
"And so many of my friends would like to speak Spanish. Will you teach them too?"
"Oh, Miss Levice, how can I go with such a past?"
"I tell you," said Ruth, proudly rearing her head, "if I introduce you as my friend, you are, you must be, presentable."
The pale lips strove to answer her.
"To-morrow I shall come with a number of names of girls who are 'dying,' as they say, to speak Spanish, and then you can go and make arrangements with them. Will you?"
Thus pushed to the wall, Rose's tear-filled eyes were her only answer.
Ruth's own filled in turn.
"Dear little Rose," she said, her usual sweet voice coming back to her, "won't it be lovely to do this? You will feel so much better when you once get out and are earning your independent, pleasant living again. And now will you forgive me for having been so harsh?"
"Forgive you!" A red spot glowed on each pallid cheek; she raised her eyes and said with simple fervor, "I would die for you."
"No, but you may live for me," laughed Ruth, rising; "will you promise me to go out this morning, just for a block or two?"
"I promise you."
"Well, then, good-by." She held out her hand meaningly; a little fluttering one was placed in hers, and Ruth bent and kissed the wistful mouth. That pure kiss would have wiped out every stain from Rose's worshipping soul.
"I shall see you to-morrow surely," she called back, turning a radiant face to the lonely little figure in the doorway. She felt deliriously happy as she ran down the stairs; her eyes shone like stars; a buoyant joyfulness spoke in her step.
"It is so easy to be happy when one has everything," she mused. She forgot to add, "And gives much." There is so much happiness derived from a kind action that were it not for the motive, charity might be called supreme selfishness.
Chapter XI.
She told her mother in a few words at luncheon that she had arranged to take Spanish lessons from a young protege of Dr. Kemp, who had been ill and was in want.
"And I was thinking," she added with naive policy, "that I might combine a little business with pleasure this afternoon, --pay off some of those ever urgent calls you accuse me of outlawing, and at the same time try to get up a class of pupils for Miss Delano. What do you think?"
"That would be nice; don't forget Mrs. Bunker. I know you don't like her, but you must pay a call for the musical which we did not attend; and she has children who might like to learn Spanish. I wonder if I could take lessons too; it would not be exciting, and I am not yet so old but I may learn."
"You might ask the doctor. He has almost dismissed himself now; and after we get back from the country perhaps Jennie would join us two in a class. Mother and daughter can then go to school together."
"It is very fortunate," Mrs. Levice observed pensively, sipping her necessary glass of port, "that C_ sent your hat this morning to wear with your new gown. Isn't it?"
"Fortunate!" Ruth exclaimed, laughing banteringly; "it is destiny."
So Mrs. Levice slipped easily into Ruth's plan from a social standpoint, and Ruth slipped out, trim and graceful, from her mother's artistic manipulations.
Meanwhile Mrs. Levice intended writing some delayed letters till her
"Then you ought to go out for a nice walk. You have no idea how pleasant it is this morning."
"I can't, indeed I can't! and, oh, why should I?"
"You can and you must, because you must go to work soon."
Two frightened eyes were raised to hers.
"Yes," she added, patting the hand she held; "you are a teacher, are you not?"
"I was," she replied, the catch in her voice still audible.
"What are you used to teaching?"
"Spanish, and English literature."
"Spanish--with your blue eyes!" The sudden outburst of surprise sent a faint April-like beam into Rose's face.
"Si, Senorita."
"Then you must teach me. Let me see. Wednesdays, --Wednesday afternoon, yes?"
Again the frightened eyes appealed to her; but Ruth ignored them.
"And so many of my friends would like to speak Spanish. Will you teach them too?"
"Oh, Miss Levice, how can I go with such a past?"
"I tell you," said Ruth, proudly rearing her head, "if I introduce you as my friend, you are, you must be, presentable."
The pale lips strove to answer her.
"To-morrow I shall come with a number of names of girls who are 'dying,' as they say, to speak Spanish, and then you can go and make arrangements with them. Will you?"
Thus pushed to the wall, Rose's tear-filled eyes were her only answer.
Ruth's own filled in turn.
"Dear little Rose," she said, her usual sweet voice coming back to her, "won't it be lovely to do this? You will feel so much better when you once get out and are earning your independent, pleasant living again. And now will you forgive me for having been so harsh?"
"Forgive you!" A red spot glowed on each pallid cheek; she raised her eyes and said with simple fervor, "I would die for you."
"No, but you may live for me," laughed Ruth, rising; "will you promise me to go out this morning, just for a block or two?"
"I promise you."
"Well, then, good-by." She held out her hand meaningly; a little fluttering one was placed in hers, and Ruth bent and kissed the wistful mouth. That pure kiss would have wiped out every stain from Rose's worshipping soul.
"I shall see you to-morrow surely," she called back, turning a radiant face to the lonely little figure in the doorway. She felt deliriously happy as she ran down the stairs; her eyes shone like stars; a buoyant joyfulness spoke in her step.
"It is so easy to be happy when one has everything," she mused. She forgot to add, "And gives much." There is so much happiness derived from a kind action that were it not for the motive, charity might be called supreme selfishness.
Chapter XI.
She told her mother in a few words at luncheon that she had arranged to take Spanish lessons from a young protege of Dr. Kemp, who had been ill and was in want.
"And I was thinking," she added with naive policy, "that I might combine a little business with pleasure this afternoon, --pay off some of those ever urgent calls you accuse me of outlawing, and at the same time try to get up a class of pupils for Miss Delano. What do you think?"
"That would be nice; don't forget Mrs. Bunker. I know you don't like her, but you must pay a call for the musical which we did not attend; and she has children who might like to learn Spanish. I wonder if I could take lessons too; it would not be exciting, and I am not yet so old but I may learn."
"You might ask the doctor. He has almost dismissed himself now; and after we get back from the country perhaps Jennie would join us two in a class. Mother and daughter can then go to school together."
"It is very fortunate," Mrs. Levice observed pensively, sipping her necessary glass of port, "that C_ sent your hat this morning to wear with your new gown. Isn't it?"
"Fortunate!" Ruth exclaimed, laughing banteringly; "it is destiny."
So Mrs. Levice slipped easily into Ruth's plan from a social standpoint, and Ruth slipped out, trim and graceful, from her mother's artistic manipulations.
Meanwhile Mrs. Levice intended writing some delayed letters till her