apparently brighter days had dawned upon helen and her father. with mr. sharp’s loan and helen’s weekly salary they were no longer obliged to practice the pinching economy which, until now, had been a necessity. helen could now venture to add an occasional luxury to their daily fare without being compelled to consider anxiously how many dollars yet remained in the common purse. the landlady’s call for the rent was now cheerfully received. helen always had the amount carefully laid aside. no one rejoiced more sincerely in their new prosperity than the worthy landlady, who though forced to look after her own interests, had a large heart, full of kindly sympathy for those who were doing their best in the struggle of life.
“i only wish all my lodgers were equally prompt, my dear,” she said, one day. “it’s really disagreeable to call on some of them; they look as if you were the last person they wanted to see, and pay down their rent just for all the world as if it was something you had no right to, but were trying to exact from them. now you always look cheerful, and pay me as if it was a pleasure for you to do it.”
“and so it is,” said helen, blithely. “but it wasn’t so always. i think, mother morton, that the pleasure of paying away money depends upon whether you are sure of any more after that is gone.”
“i don’t know but you are right,” said the landlady. “but i know it isn’t so with some. there’s mrs. ferguson 107used to occupy my first floor front, living on her income, of which she didn’t spend half. i suppose she never had less than two or three hundred dollars on hand in her trunk lying idle, but she’d put me off as long as she could about paying, for no earthly reason except because she hated to part with her money. i stood it as long as i could, till one day i told her plainly that i knew she had the money, and she must pay it or go. she took a miff and went off, and i didn’t mourn much for her. but, bless my soul! here i am running on, when i ought to be down stairs giving orders about the dinner.”
mr. ford invested a portion of his borrowed capital in a variety of articles which he conceived would assist him in his invention. although to outward appearance success was quite as distant as ever, it was perhaps a happy circumstance for mr. ford that he constantly believed himself on the eve of attaining his purpose. indeed, he labored so enthusiastically that his health began to suffer. the watchful eyes of helen detected this, and she felt that it was essential that her father should have a greater variety and amount of exercise. she determined, therefore, to propose some pleasant excursion, which would have the effect of diverting his thoughts for a time from the subject which so completely engrossed them.
accordingly, one saturday morning, having no duties at the theatre during the day, she said to her father, as he was about to settle himself to his usual employment, “papa, i have a favor to ask.”
“well, my child?”
“i don’t want you to work to-day.”
“why,” said mr. ford, half absently; “it isn’t sunday, is it?”
“no,” said helen, laughing; “but it is saturday, and i think we ought to take a holiday.”
108“to be sure,” said mr. ford, thinking that helen needed one. “i ought to have spoken of it before. and what shall we do, helen? what would you like to do?”
“i’ll tell you, papa, of a grand plan; i thought of it yesterday, as i was looking at the advertisements in the paper. suppose we go to staten island in the steamboat.”
“i believe i should enjoy it,” said mr. ford, brightening up. “it will do both of us good; when shall we go?”
“let me see, it is eight o’clock; i think we can get ready to take the nine o’clock boat.”
having once determined upon the plan, mr. ford showed an almost childish eagerness to put it into execution; he fidgeted about nervously while helen was sweeping the floor and setting the room to rights, and inquired half a dozen times, “most ready, helen?”
helen hailed with no little satisfaction this sign of interest on the part of her father, and resolved that if she could accomplish it these excursions should henceforth be more frequent.
by nine o’clock they were on board the boat. a large number of passengers had already gathered on the deck. the unusual beauty of the morning had induced many to snatch from the harassing toils of business a few hours of communion with the fresh scenes of nature. both decks were soon crowded with passengers. helen, to whom this was a new experience, enjoyed the scene not a little. she felt her spirits rising, and it seemed to her difficult to imagine a more beautiful spectacle than the boat with its white awnings and complement of well-dressed passengers. they had scarcely found comfortable seats on the promenade deck before the signal was given, and the boat cast loose from the wharf. there is nothing more nearly approaching the act of flying than the swift-gliding movement of a steamboat as it 109cleaves its way easily and gracefully through the smooth water.
mr. ford looked thoughtfully back upon the spires and roofs of the city momentarily receding.
“how everything has changed,” he said slowly, “since i last crossed in a row-boat more than twenty years ago! and all this change has been effected by the tireless energy of man. does it not seem strange that the outward aspect of inanimate nature should be so completely altered?”
half an hour landed them at the island. helen took her father’s hand and assumed the office of guide. they gazed with interest at the gay crowds as they availed themselves of the means of amusement which the place afforded. helen even left her father long enough to take her turn in swinging, and, flushed with the exercise, returned to him. they next sauntered to a wooden inclosure, where wooden horses, each bearing a rider, were revolving under the impulse of machinery. the riders consisted partly of boys, and partly of others who were compelled to labor hard on other days, but had been tempted, by the cheapness of the trip, to a day’s recreation.
leaving helen and her father to amuse themselves in their quiet way, we turn our attention to others.
among those who were rambling hither and thither as caprice dictated, was a young man whose pale face and attenuated figure indicated some sedentary pursuit. his face, though intellectual, was not pleasing. there was something in the lines about the mouth which argued moral weakness.
is this description sufficient to bring back to the reader’s recollection jacob wynne, the copyist, whose services had been called into requisition by lewis rand?
he was better dressed than when last introduced to the reader. the money furnished by rand in return for his services 110had supplied the means for this outward improvement. on his arm leaned a young girl, or rather a young woman, for she appeared about twenty-five years of age. he was conversing with her in a low tone, but upon what subject could not be distinguished. she listened, apparently not displeased. they walked slowly, now in one direction, now in another. if they had not been so occupied with one another, they might have observed that they were followed at a little distance by a woman who kept her burning gaze fixed upon them steadily, apparently determined not to lose sight of them a single moment.
this woman seemed out of place in the festive scene into which she had introduced herself. she presented a strong contrast to the gay, well-dressed groups through which she passed without seeming to heed their presence.
she was dressed in a faded calico dress, over which, notwithstanding the heat, a ragged shawl was carelessly thrown. on her head was a sun-bonnet, so large that it nearly concealed her features from view. one or two who had the curiosity to look at the face, so carefully concealed, started in alarm at the hard, fierce expression which they detected there. her face was very pale, save that at the centre of each cheek there glowed a vivid red spot. it was evident that the heart of this woman was the seat of conflicting passions. she continued to follow jacob wynne, with what object it was not evident. it seemed that she did not wish to make her presence known to him, at least in his present company, since, on his casually turning his glances in her direction, she drew her bonnet more closely about her features, so as to elude the closest scrutiny, and with apparent carelessness turned away. when she saw that his attention was again occupied by his companion she resumed her espionage.
at length they separated for a few minutes. jacob’s 111companion expressed a wish for a glass of water. leaving her seated on the grass, he hastened away to comply with her request. the woman who had followed them so closely, as soon as she saw this, moved rapidly towards the companion he had left, and dropped into her lap a few words written in pencil upon a slip of paper. the latter, picking it up in surprise, read as follows: “beware of the man who has just left you, or you will repent it when too late. he is not to be trusted.”
she looked up, but could see no one likely to have given it to her. at a little distance her eyes fell upon a shabbily-dressed woman who was walking rapidly away, but it never crossed her mind that she had anything to do with the warning just given. if she had watched longer she would have seen the meeting of this woman with jacob wynne, for it was of him she had gone in pursuit. the latter was returning with a glass of water when she threw herself in his path. with a glance of surprise he was about to pass by, when she planted herself again in his way.
