Meanwhile Miss Leigh's little house in Kensington was the scene of
mingled confusion and triumph. The "paying guest"--the little
unobtrusive girl, with all her wardrobe in a satchel and her legacy of
four hundred pounds in bank-notes tucked into her bosom--had achieved
a success beyond her wildest dreams, and now had only to declare her
identity to become a "celebrity." Miss Lavinia had been for some days
in a state of nervous excitement, knowing that it was Innocent's first
literary effort which had created such a sensation. By this time she
had learned all the girl's history--Innocent had told her everything,
save and except the one fact of her parentage,--and this she held back,
not out of shame for herself, but consideration for the memory of the
handsome man whose portrait stood on the silent harpsichord. For she in
her turn had discovered Miss Lavinia's secret,--how the dear lady's
heart had been devoted to Pierce Armitage all her life, and how when
she knew he had been drawn away from her and captivated by another
woman her happiness had been struck down and withered like a flowering
rose in a hard gale of wind. For this romance, and the disillusion she
had suffered, Innocent loved her. The two had become fast friends,
almost like devoted mother and daughter. Miss Leigh was, as she had
stated in her "Morning Post" advertisement, well-connected, and she did
much for the girl who had by chance brought a new and thrilling
interest into her life--more than Innocent could possibly have done for
herself. The history of the child,--as much as she was told of it,--who
had been left so casually at a country farm on the mere chance of its
being kept and taken care of, affected her profoundly, and when
Innocent confided to her the fact that she had never been baptised, the
gentle old lady was moved to tears. No time was lost in lifting this
spiritual ban from the young life concerned, and the sacred rite was
performed quietly one morning in the church which Miss Leigh had
attended for many years, Miss Leigh having herself explained beforehand
some of the circumstances to the Vicar, and standing as god-mother to
the newly-received little Christian. And though there had arisen some
question as to the name by which she should be baptised, Miss Leigh
held tenaciously to the idea that she should retain the name her
"unknown" father had given her--"Innocent."
"Suppose he should not be dead," she said, "then if he were to meet you
some day, that name might waken his memory and lead him to identify
you. And I like it--it is pretty and original--quite Christian,
too,--there were several Popes named Innocent."
The girl smiled. She thought of Robin Clifford, and how he had aired
his knowledge to her on the same subject.
"But it is a man's name, isn't it?" she asked.
"Not more so than a woman's, surely!" declared Miss Leigh. "You can
always call yourself 'Ena' for short if you like--but 'Innocent' is the
prettier name."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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