Astra (11 page)

They went to court as scheduled, and the doctor and nurse walked in soon after them.

The proceedings at court were very brief and simple. The lawyer had everything arranged. There were no hitches and no interruptions. No unwelcome stepson appeared, and no irate widow with another lawyer. It was all carried off in a quiet, quick manner. The doctor and the nurse took the next plane returning to New York. Cameron and Astra went down to the street together.

“And that finishes it, doesn’t it?” she said as they reached the street door. She had a feeling that now she would be seeing Cameron no more, and it seemed as if she ought to ask him a question or two about getting a job if she needed one. She felt strangely desolate at the thought that there would be no one now, when he was gone, even to greet her with just a businesslike good morning.

“Well, not quite,” said Cameron. “I have a little business to settle up with you for the Faber estate. Yes, those were my orders. Mr. Faber spoke a few words to me after you left us. He rallied. It seemed as if there were things he felt he must say before he left this world, and one of those things was to ask me to thank you and see that you were paid. He told me what to give you.”

“But I don’t think I should be paid for a little favor to a dying man. It doesn’t seem ethical to me.”

Cameron smiled appreciatively.

“I understand, of course. You can call it a gift of gratitude if you want to, but I think you’d better take it. You surely can make better use of it than that fury of a widow of his would. Don’t you think so? And then there’s another thing—it wasn’t just the matter of a little stenography and typing, and the trouble you’ve had to take to go to the lawyer and to court. That, he would pay for, of course. But he was most grateful to you for that prayer. Remember, if it had been his minister, or any passing minister who had prayed for him in his dying moment, Mr. Faber would want a substantial gift of money presented to him. And he spoke of the prayer especially. Of course, his breath was almost gone, and he could only gasp detached words, but evidently your prayer made a great impression upon him. It seemed as if it had taught him the way to expect entrance at the heavenly gate.”

“Oh!” said Astra, her eyes suddenly brimming with quick, unbidden tears. “That is pay enough for what I did. I don’t want anything else!”

Some men coming out of the courthouse just then turned and looked curiously at her. Cameron drew her away toward the edge of the pavement and summoned a taxi.

“I understand,” he said comfortably, “but would you mind coming over to my office a few minutes so I can tell you a few things? And there’ll be some papers for you to read and sign.”

She let him put her in a taxi, and when they were on their way again she looked up, a resolute expression on her face.

“Please,” she said wistfully, “I’d rather not sign any more papers. I wouldn’t like Mrs. Faber to know even my name or find out where I am.”

“Of course not!” said Cameron. “I wouldn’t think of suggesting anything that would give her a clue about you. But I would like to hand young Mr. Faber papers showing what his father asked us to do. Of course the lawyer will deal with that, too, in his statement, but I felt that Paul Faber merited a little more personal statement from us who came closest to his father in his last hours. If you object after reading what I have dictated, you need not sign it.”

“Oh, of course I’m willing to sign anything you think I ought to be sent to him. I thought maybe it was something for the family. I really wouldn’t like to meet that woman again. She was insulting. You don’t think I should go to the funeral, do you?”

“Why no, of course not. Now we’ll get this business over as quickly as possible, and then I suppose you’ll be very glad to be seeing the last of me. I hope I shall not have to be troubling you any more with annoying requests.”

“Oh, I’m sorry I objected!” said Astra. “You haven’t been in the least annoying. It has been very interesting, the whole affair, and you have been most kind. I’m afraid I am going to feel quite stranded after you are gone. You have made me feel as if you were an old friend. And I have discovered that the friends with whom I expected to spend Christmas are sick and gone to Florida, so I am quite on my own for a few days until I hunt up some of my other friends. You see, the business you have provided has really helped to fill rather lonely days. You mustn’t feel you have annoyed me, please.”

“Well, that’s nice,” said Cameron, smiling genially. “That’s better than I had counted on. Now, here we are at the office. Shall we go in?”

Astra found the statements she was asked to sign were very simple indeed, just the story of how she was called to take dictation. When she had signed them, Cameron handed her an envelope.

“Just take that home with you. It’s nothing I am responsible for, so you don’t have to open it now. It’s what I was told to give you, and there’s no one alive now to argue it out except the old man’s wife, so I advise you to accept it and not worry any more about it. Now, my secretary thinks she found a handkerchief or glove or something you must have left when you were here typing. If you’ll just step into the outer room, she’ll give it to you. Sorry I can’t see you back to your hotel, but I have a man waiting for me who is in a hurry to get back to New York. I guess you won’t have any trouble finding your way. I told Miss Harmer to order a taxi for you. I hope you won’t have too desolate a Christmas. Sorry I can’t do something to make it a pleasant one, but I promised my stepmother I’d spend the day with her. This will be rather a lonely time for her, the first Christmas since my father’s death. But I’ll be calling you up before I leave, just to wish you Merry Christmas anyway. You are going to stay in the same place until after the holidays?”

“I think so,” said Astra, putting on a brave little smile. Then Cameron’s secretary appeared at the door with a tall gentleman behind her carrying a briefcase, and Astra followed her back to her desk and retrieved the lost glove. She thanked the secretary and turned to go out, with the other girl’s pleasant, formal little Christmas wishes ringing in her ears. Suddenly a great loneliness enveloped her, and she had to swallow hard to keep down the tears which were imminent. What was the matter with her? She wasn’t a crying girl, and she had been through a lot of utter loneliness since her father died. Why should just going away from a stranger with whom she had been working for a few brief days knock her out so? This feeling of having left her only friend, whom she would probably not see again, and the holidays upon her. Long, lonely holidays without a soul to speak to! Oh, but this was foolish!

She dashed the tears and went out to her taxi, which drove up just then, gave her address, and set herself firmly to get her emotions under control before she had to get out and go into the brightly lighted hallway.

When she got out of the taxi, she was met at the door by a telegraph boy with a yellow envelope for her, and her hand was trembling so that she could scarcely sign for it. But she managed to get quietly to the elevator and up to her room. When she sank down into a chair by the window to read it, she found she was trembling from head to foot. Then she read her telegram. It was from her cousin Duke Lester in California.

Suddenly Astra’s tears were turned into merriment, and she put her head back against the chair and laughed aloud. How very like Duke that telegram sounded! But how in the world did he find out she was gone yet, and how did he know where to reach her?

Then she remembered. Those maids must have telegraphed him at once as soon as she was away. And he had sent his message in care of Mr. Sargent. The Sargent secretary had sent it to her. Careful examination of the telegram confirmed her conclusions.

Yes, the telegram had been sent in Mr. Sargent’s care. Well what should she do next? She could not reach either of the Sargents now to ask advice, and if she did not reply to this telegram at once, it would be just like Duke to carry out his threat and send the police after her. Then where would she be? In disgrace! Steady,
steady
! She must think what to do. She must pray for guidance. One wrong move now could make all sorts of trouble for her. And she certainly did not intend ever to go back to the Lester home again! The answer to that telegram must be both dignified and convincing. Of course, if Mr. Sargent were at home and well enough to talk with her, it would be all right. Or if Will Sargent were there. But she couldn’t let this go long enough to get to either one. Not only the police, but Cousin Duke himself would come on and deal with her. When Cousin Duke was roused, he could be quite unpleasant and most unreasonable. No, there must be someone whose name would represent authority. Someone Duke would recognize as one who had a right to speak for her.

Stay! Wasn’t there a lawyer? Mr. Sargent’s lawyer? Wouldn’t he know definitely about this business of guardian? She was sure her father would have never have made Duke her guardian, not the way he felt about him. She had always thought of Mr. Sargent as her guardian. He must be, of course! What in the world did Duke mean? If she could only remember the name of Mr. Sargent’s lawyer!

Then she remembered the little book her father had told her to read often. Of course she had read it many times in a casual way, although not all the way through. She understood pretty well how much money she was to receive each quarter and the general formula of the coupons and so on that she had to sign at set times, but there was a great deal in that little book that she seldom looked at, and then only to glance over as she hunted out some particular item. Perhaps there was some note about a guardian that she had never taken into her consciousness.

So she got up quickly, took off her hat and coat, and went to her suitcases to find the little book.

W
hen Cameron bowed his New York visitor out of his office with just time to catch his train, he turned back to his desk with a sense of having left something unfinished. But when he looked about he realized that it was only Astra he had left unfinished. And Astra was gone! Perhaps he would never see her again, and he had a feeling that he had said good-bye to her in a most casual way. She had worked hard and helped him through a trying place, and he wanted her to feel that he was grateful, yet he had let her go with a common little wish for a pleasant holiday! It wasn’t the way he wanted to leave her. He wanted to make her feel that he was her friend, to offer to help her somehow. She had been so willing and of such good understanding. Well, he couldn’t help it that this particularly important man should turn up just when he was trying to tell her what Mr. Faber had said. How much did he tell her anyway? Not much, he was sure. He thought she had a right to know about the last brief scene when he had been summoned to the deathbed. Well, he must call her up and make an appointment. Perhaps take her to dinner somewhere and have an opportunity for a good long talk. Somehow he felt that she was a girl worth knowing. She must be, with a father like hers. He remembered articles he had read by the eminent Mr. Everson. It must be the same one, for the girl was different from most modern girls. She had a real background, and a girl couldn’t have that and come out just like every other girl. Well, he must keep in touch with her, get to know her better. Then his secretary came in with a pile of important letters from the afternoon mail, and there was no further time for thought. But he went on to his end-of-day work with still that feeling of having left something important unfinished.

Presently the telephone interrupted. It was the smooth, silken voice of Camilla Blair.

“Is that you, Charlie? Oh I’m glad I caught you. I was afraid you might have left the office, and then I would have a lot of trouble to find you. Why, you see, I’m in town for overnight with not a thing in the world to do, and I wondered if you wouldn’t take me to dinner somewhere and then we could go dancing around here and there. You’ll know the best places, and I’m bored to death. I do want to have a little fun. All my friends around here are off to Florida. I thought you wouldn’t mind if I called you up.”

Cameron had a passing wonder what it was about that girl’s cultured voice that could be so irritating to him, and then he set his mind to work for an answer when she should have finished her request.

So he caught her at one of her questions as an opening.

“Why, no, I’m afraid I don’t know the best places, Camilla. You know I haven’t time for running around dancing. I’d be glad to amuse you somehow if things were so that I could, but it couldn’t be by dancing, for I never learned to dance.”

“Charlie! You can’t mean it! Why, how simply unbelievable! I can’t understand how your sisters let you come up with that deficiency. But that’s all right, I can teach you to dance. I’ve taught a lot of friends, and I just know you’ll learn quickly, you are so graceful. There are places where we can go and let you try out the different steps a few minutes, where we shan’t be noticeable. I just know you’ll do beautifully.”

“Well, you’re very kind Camilla, and far more sanguine than I would be if I were to allow you to attempt it; but you see, even if all that were true, the fact remains that I do not care to learn to dance. It isn’t in my line at all, and I would have no use for the knowledge after I had learned.”