The Errand Boy [58]
but her own inclination prompted her to do as her son desired.
"You may tell Dan to come here. I wish to speak to him," she said.
Jonas went out and did the errand.
"Mrs. Brent wants to see me?" said Dan. "I have nothing to do with her."
"You'd better come in if you know what's best for yourself." said Jonas, with an exultation he did not attempt to conceal.
"Oh, well, I have no objection to meeting Mrs. Brent," said Dan. "I'll go in."
Mrs. Brent eyed the young gardener with cold animosity.
"You have been impudent to Master Philip," she said. "Of course you cannot remain any longer in his father's employment. Here are five dollars-- more than is due you. Take it, and leave the estate."
"I won't take your money, Mrs. Brent," said Dan independently, "and I won't take my dismissal from any one but Mr. Granville himself."
"Do you defy me, then?" said Mrs. Brent, with a firmer compression of her lips.
"No, Mrs. Brent, I don't defy you, but you have nothing to do with me, and I shall not take any orders or any dismissal from you."
"Don't be impertinent to my----" burst forth from Jonas, and then he stopped in confusion.
"To your--what?" asked Dan quickly.
"To my--nurse," faltered Jonas.
Dan looked suspiciously from one to the other.
"There's something between those two," he said to himself. "Something we don't know of."
CHAPTER XXXVII.
MRS. BRENT'S PANIC.
The chambermaid in the Granville household was a cousin of Dan, older by three years. She took a warm interest in Dan's welfare, though there was nothing but cousinly affection between them.
Fresh from his interview with Mrs. Brent, Dan made his way to the kitchen.
"Well, Aggie," he said, "I may have to say good- by soon."
"What, Dan! You're not for lavin', are you?" asked Aggie, in surprise.
"Mrs. Brent has just given me notice," answered Dan.
"Mrs. Brent! What business is it of her's, and how did it happen, anyway?"
"She thinks it's her business, and it's all on account of that stuck-up Philip."
"Tell me about it, Cousin Dan."
Dan did so, and wound up by repeating his young master's unfinished sentence.
"It's my belief," he said, "that there's something between those two. If there wasn't, why is Mrs. Brent here?"
"Why, indeed, Dan?" chimed in Aggie. "Perhaps I can guess something."
"What is it?"
"Never you mind. I'll only say I overheard Mrs. Brent one day speaking to Master Philip, but she didn't call him Philip."
"What then?"
"JONAS! I'm ready to take my oath she called him Jonas."
"Perhaps that is his real name. He may have it for his middle name."
"I don't believe it. Dan, I've an idea. I'm going to see Mrs. Brent and make her think I know something. You see?"
"Do as you think best, Aggie. I told her wouldn't take a dismissal from her.
Mrs. Brent was in her own room. She was not a woman who easily forgave, and she was provoked with Dan, who had defied her authority. She knew very well that in dismissing him she had wholly exceeded her authority, but this, as may readily be supposed, did not make her feel any more friendly to the young gardener. Jonas artfully led her indignation.
"Dan doesn't have much respect for you, mother," he said. "He doesn't mind you any more than he does a kitchen-girl."
"He may find he has made a mistake," said Mrs. Brent, a bright red spot in each cheek, indicating her anger. "He may find he has made a mistake in defying my authority."
"I wouldn't stand it if I was you, ma."
"I won't!" said Mrs. Brent decidedly, nodding vigorously and compressing her lips more firmly.
Soon after a knock was heard at Mrs. Brent's door.
"Come in!" she said in a sharp, incisive voice.
The door was opened and Aggie entered.
"What do you want of me, Aggie?" asked Mrs. Brent, in some surprise.
"I hear you've been tellin' Dan he'll have to go," said the chambermaid.
"Yes," answered Mrs. Brent, "but I fail to see what business it is of yours."
"Dan's me cousin, ma'am."
"That's nothing to me. He has
"You may tell Dan to come here. I wish to speak to him," she said.
Jonas went out and did the errand.
"Mrs. Brent wants to see me?" said Dan. "I have nothing to do with her."
"You'd better come in if you know what's best for yourself." said Jonas, with an exultation he did not attempt to conceal.
"Oh, well, I have no objection to meeting Mrs. Brent," said Dan. "I'll go in."
Mrs. Brent eyed the young gardener with cold animosity.
"You have been impudent to Master Philip," she said. "Of course you cannot remain any longer in his father's employment. Here are five dollars-- more than is due you. Take it, and leave the estate."
"I won't take your money, Mrs. Brent," said Dan independently, "and I won't take my dismissal from any one but Mr. Granville himself."
"Do you defy me, then?" said Mrs. Brent, with a firmer compression of her lips.
"No, Mrs. Brent, I don't defy you, but you have nothing to do with me, and I shall not take any orders or any dismissal from you."
"Don't be impertinent to my----" burst forth from Jonas, and then he stopped in confusion.
"To your--what?" asked Dan quickly.
"To my--nurse," faltered Jonas.
Dan looked suspiciously from one to the other.
"There's something between those two," he said to himself. "Something we don't know of."
CHAPTER XXXVII.
MRS. BRENT'S PANIC.
The chambermaid in the Granville household was a cousin of Dan, older by three years. She took a warm interest in Dan's welfare, though there was nothing but cousinly affection between them.
Fresh from his interview with Mrs. Brent, Dan made his way to the kitchen.
"Well, Aggie," he said, "I may have to say good- by soon."
"What, Dan! You're not for lavin', are you?" asked Aggie, in surprise.
"Mrs. Brent has just given me notice," answered Dan.
"Mrs. Brent! What business is it of her's, and how did it happen, anyway?"
"She thinks it's her business, and it's all on account of that stuck-up Philip."
"Tell me about it, Cousin Dan."
Dan did so, and wound up by repeating his young master's unfinished sentence.
"It's my belief," he said, "that there's something between those two. If there wasn't, why is Mrs. Brent here?"
"Why, indeed, Dan?" chimed in Aggie. "Perhaps I can guess something."
"What is it?"
"Never you mind. I'll only say I overheard Mrs. Brent one day speaking to Master Philip, but she didn't call him Philip."
"What then?"
"JONAS! I'm ready to take my oath she called him Jonas."
"Perhaps that is his real name. He may have it for his middle name."
"I don't believe it. Dan, I've an idea. I'm going to see Mrs. Brent and make her think I know something. You see?"
"Do as you think best, Aggie. I told her wouldn't take a dismissal from her.
Mrs. Brent was in her own room. She was not a woman who easily forgave, and she was provoked with Dan, who had defied her authority. She knew very well that in dismissing him she had wholly exceeded her authority, but this, as may readily be supposed, did not make her feel any more friendly to the young gardener. Jonas artfully led her indignation.
"Dan doesn't have much respect for you, mother," he said. "He doesn't mind you any more than he does a kitchen-girl."
"He may find he has made a mistake," said Mrs. Brent, a bright red spot in each cheek, indicating her anger. "He may find he has made a mistake in defying my authority."
"I wouldn't stand it if I was you, ma."
"I won't!" said Mrs. Brent decidedly, nodding vigorously and compressing her lips more firmly.
Soon after a knock was heard at Mrs. Brent's door.
"Come in!" she said in a sharp, incisive voice.
The door was opened and Aggie entered.
"What do you want of me, Aggie?" asked Mrs. Brent, in some surprise.
"I hear you've been tellin' Dan he'll have to go," said the chambermaid.
"Yes," answered Mrs. Brent, "but I fail to see what business it is of yours."
"Dan's me cousin, ma'am."
"That's nothing to me. He has