"I'm very sorry you've been ill," she said, in her pretty modulated
voice. "As you probably feel that you got your illness in the Works, I
should like you to take this. Please consider it as coming from my
father--and buy yourself something--"
All the blood in the little creature's body seemed to rush headlong to
her face. She shrank away as from something more painful than a blow.
But all that she said was:
"_Oh!... Ma'am!_"
It was Miss Heth's turn to show a red flag in her cheek.
"You don't want it?"
"I--why ma'am,--I _couldn't_ ..."
"As you like, of course."
She dropped the spurned gift back into her bag, with studied
leisureliness, and rose at once, though she had made no purchase.
Standing, she made a slight inclination of her prettily-set head. And
then Miss Heth was walking away through the crowded aisle with a
somewhat proud bearing and a very silken swish.
And Kern Garland swung round on her seat at Gentlemen's Furnishings,
staring wide-eyed after her, her finger at her lip ...
No fairy coming-true here, indeed, of that gorgeous fever-dream in which
Miss Heth with lovely courtesy informed Miss Garland that she had been a
lady all the time. But consider the Dream-Maker's difficulties with such
far-flown fancies as this: difficulties the more perplexing in a world
where men's opinions differ, and some do say that she in the finest
skirt is not always the finest lady ...
Yet times change, and we with them. It is a beautiful thing to believe
in fairies. In the valley, men have met angels. Kern sat staring at Miss
Heth's retreating back: and lo, a miracle. When the lovely lady had gone
perhaps ten steps down the aisle, her pace seemed to slacken all at
once, and she suddenly glanced back over her shoulder. And then--oh,
wonder of wonders!--Miss Heth stopped, turned around, and came swishing
straight back to the seat beside Kern Garland.
"That was silly of me," said the pretty voice. "You were quite right not
to take it if you didn't want it ..."
Kern desired to cry. But that would be very ridiculous, in a store, and
doubtless annoying to Others. So the little girl began to wink hard,
while staring fixedly at a given point. You could often pass it off that
way, and nobody a whit the wiser.
"I've happened to have the Works on my mind a little of late," added
Carlisle, almost as if in apology. "But I--I'm really glad to see
you again."
She perceived the signs of agitation in the little work-girl, and
attributing it all to the twenty-dollar bill, saw that she must pave the
way to a conversation. And conversation, now that the ice was broken,
she eagerly desired, fascinated by the thought that this girl knew at
first-hand everything about the Works.
"Let me see--your name is Corinne, isn't it?"
Kern's eyes, wider than ever, shot back to the lady's face. A new
wonder here!--Miss Heth said it just like in the Dream: _Co-rinne_.
"Yes, ma'am," said Co-rinne, with a little gulp and a sniff.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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