Innocent sat still, satchel in hand, looking wistfully about her. The
room appealed to her taste in its extreme simplicity--and it
instinctively suggested to her mind resigned poverty making the best of
itself. There were one or two old miniatures on little velvet stands
set on the mantelpiece--these were beautiful, and of value; some
engravings of famous pictures adorned the walls, all well chosen; the
quaint china bowl on the centre table was full of roses carefully
arranged--and there was a very ancient harpsichord in one corner which
apparently served only as a stand for the portrait of a man's
strikingly handsome face, near which was placed a vase containing a
stem of Madonna lilies. Innocent found herself looking at this portrait
now and again--there was something familiar in its expression which had
a curious fascination for her. But her thoughts revolved chiefly round
a difficulty which had just presented itself--she had no real name.
What name could she take to be known by for the moment? She would not
call herself "Jocelyn"--she felt she had no right to do so. "Ena" might
pass muster for an abbreviation of "Innocent"--she decided to make use
of that as a Christian name--but a surname that would be appropriately
fitted to her ultimate intentions she could not at once select. Then
she suddenly thought of the man who had been her father and had brought
her as a helpless babe to Briar Farm. Pierce Armitage was his name--and
he was dead. Surely she might call herself Armitage? While she was
still puzzling her mind over the question the door opened and a little
old lady entered--a soft-eyed, pale, pretty old lady, as dainty and
delicate as the fairy-godmother of a child's dream, with white hair
bunched on either side of her face, and a wistful, rather plaintive
expression of mingled hope and enquiry.
"I'm sorry to keep you waiting," she began--then paused in a kind of
embarrassment. The two looked at each other. Innocent spoke, a little
shyly:
"I saw your advertisement in the 'Morning Post,'" she said, "and I
thought perhaps--I thought that I might come to you as a paying guest.
I have to live in London, and I shall be very busy studying all day, so
I should not give you much trouble."
"Pray do not mention it!" said the old lady, with a quaint air of
old-fashioned courtesy. "Trouble would not be considered! But you are a
much younger person than I expected or wished to accommodate."
"You said in the advertisement that it would be suitable for a person
studying art, or for a scholarship," put in Innocent, quickly. "And I
am studying for literature."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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