Astra Read online

  “No, she doesn’t know. I decided since she left. But I’ve written her all about it, so I suppose you will hear from her soon as to any directions she may have, since I am not to be here. I think you said she usually left you here in charge of the house before I came, didn’t she?”

  “Oh yes,” said Hannah loftily. “Every summer when they go away to the mountains. I and Nannie stays and cleans house.”

  “Well, then I guess you won’t miss me. And here are two little packages I got for you for Christmas. I sure hope you will have a very happy time.”

  The two prim maids eyed the prettily wrapped boxes that Astra handed out to them, and then the doorbell rang and Nannie hurried away to answer it.

  “That must be the men I sent for,” said Astra. “They said they would come early.”

  So there was little time for further talk. Astra had taken things firmly in hand, and the two maids felt relieved that they were not called upon to be always staying at home to be company for her.

  Soon Astra was riding away to the station in a taxi, and the two maids stood at the door and waved good-bye, all the while fingering the crisp bills that Astra had given each. She had felt she could ill afford to spare them, but yet she knew she must. It was her idea of what was right.

  But in spite of the fact that she was really glad to get away, she yet felt she was going into the world with no one behind to wish her Merry Christmas and no one ahead waiting to bid her welcome and make a happy holiday for her.

  So that was what Astra was going over as she finished her breakfast and sat forlornly staring out through the lace filigree of frost on the windowpane, into a wide white world that seemed so strange and unfriendly now after her experiences of the night before and the uncertainties of what the morning was to bring forth.

  Chapter 5

  Astra was seated in a big rocker in the ladies’ waiting room with her baggage at her side, comfortably established there by the old porter from the Pullman. How he got away from his duties on the train, she did not stop to question. He seemed somehow to have taken over the protectiveness of the young man who evidently felt himself responsible for Astra, at least until their mission on behalf of the dead man was completed.

  The old porter shuffled away and brought back the morning paper and asked if there was anything else she would like.

  “No, thank you,” said Astra with a smile. “You’ve been very kind. I shall be quite all right now.”

  “De gemman say please stay here till he come. He may haveta take de lady to her house befoh he can git away.”

  “Yes of course,” said Astra, “I understand.”

  She handed the porter a tip, though she rightly guessed that he had already had that attention. But he went away with a smiling face, ready to do a good turn to the next one that asked him.

  From where she sat, Astra could get a glimpse of the door that led to the street, and she thought she saw the young man going out in the wake of the more than straight back of the domineering widow of the dead man. They disappeared toward a line of cars, and he did not return at once, so she decided he had had to attend the widow to her home. Not a congenial task, she imagined.

  Then suddenly she had a feeling that she was very much alone in the world, and she must decide what she was going to do next. She had expected to have all day yesterday to do that in, but yesterday had brought unexpected duties, and now she had arrived at her journey’s end with no definite idea of plans for the future. Of course, she had been crazy to come off in such a scatterbrained way, but she had been so panic-stricken with the idea about getting away that she had just gotten out of the house and left her plans to the future. Now in a few minutes the younger man would return, and whatever he had for her to do that required her assistance and signature would likely be over soon. Then she must not seem to be uncertain about where she was going. This young man was a stranger, and she must not make him feel that she was alone and forlorn. He was polite and kind. He had already done more for her comfort than she should have allowed in exchange for the small services she had given him, and for a business that was not his own anyway. He was being philanthropic to a man who was a semi-stranger to himself, therefore she must be philanthropic, too, for the sake of a general interest in humanity.

  But what should she do?

  Well, she probably ought to go at once to her father’s friend, Mr. Sargent, and put the matter plainly to him whether he thought she should accept a job right away if she could get one or whether he thought her father would have preferred her to take a course in a school somewhere. But in preparation for what? Her father had often talked it over with her. He had felt she might do a sort of writing for which her life and training with him had fitted her.

  She looked out of the window near her and could just get a glimpse of a sign she remembered. A Christian Association Home for women! Well, perhaps that would be as good as a headquarters as any for a few days, at least until she was sure that this work for the dead man was done and she would not have to be called upon again in the matter.

  Then she began to go over in her mind the list of her old friends. It gave her a forlorn feeling to realize that Christmas was almost here and she would be absolutely alone. But then, she would have been just as much alone if she had stayed at her cousin’s home, and there was no point in sitting down and feeling sorry for herself. She must cheer up and try to make a pleasant day of it somehow. What difference did a special day make anyway? Christmas was like any other day, if one didn’t try to get sentimental about traditions. She simply must not get to thinking about it. God would have something for her to do somewhere, and as for a holiday alone, why, it would be a lovely time to read and perhaps to think out some nice plans for the rest of the winter.

  She gave a slight shake to her shoulders and sat up straighter. She was a little tired in spite of her good sleep. Yesterday afternoon and evening certainly had been exciting.

  She thought of her old acquaintances, schoolmates, and college friends. Some of them were married. There was Nesbitt Halliday, such a merry, amusing girl! It didn’t seem possible to think she had settled down to keeping house and taking care of babies like a normal married woman. She had been such a heedless girl. Sometime she would go and see her, and see she really had settled down. But there was no use in calling her up now. She had a tiny house and would be involved in Christmas doings for her children, of course. And she simply must not intrude on family Christmases anywhere, even if the people were old friends. Perhaps there was someone who was lonely whom she could comfort. There was Mrs. Pomfrey, who had a big house and plenty of room to take her in if she wanted to. But she was such a pill, always fretting and fussing. No, she didn’t want to get involved with Mrs. Pomfrey, kind as she was sometimes. And there was old Janet Crumb. She was always cheery. Perhaps she would be willing to take her to board for a while until she got her bearings and knew what she wanted to do. Of course Janet Crumb had a very tiny house, with only one bathroom, and it might be crowded there. If she was going to try to do that writing her father had suggested, she ought to have a comfortable place where she would not feel constricted. Idly, these thoughts drifted through her mind as she sat there waiting, and one by one her old friends were considered and dropped for the time. She would call them up later of course, but not before Christmas. Oh yes, some of them would be glad to have her for the holiday season, but somehow she did not want to go among them until she had thouroughly considered what she was going to do and could tell them. There would be too many suggestions given, and some feelings hurt, perhaps, if she did not accept what suggestions they offered. No, she must make a definite decision about what course she would take before she saw them.

  At any rate, the first call must be to Mr. Sargent. She must get in touch with him before she decided anything. She was in different circumstances now, not just boarding with a relative. She had a dim recollection that her father had said something about her allowance being larger when it came time for her to provide
a home for herself.

  After a little, she put her head back and closed her eyes, just to get away from thoughts, and then the events of last evening became vivid again and the disagreeable wife who had so insulted her came sharply into the foreground. The thought of her made Astra restless, and she opened her eyes and began to study people around her. Some tired little children, dirty and forlorn, breakfasting off soiled dejected bananas, squabbling over them on the station floor. A worn-out young mother with an even dirtier baby in her weary arms. How many people there were in the world who were tired and unhappy!

  Then her eyes sought the distance and she saw him—his hat in his hand, his overcoat unbuttoned, a tired look on his face, as if he had had very little sleep last night. Poor man, how many unpleasant duties sometimes came in to make and spoil a day for a gentleman. He certainly couldn’t have enjoyed taking that disagreeable woman back to her home.

  He came on straight toward the open door, and Astra couldn’t help thinking how well he walked, with a long, easy stride.

  Then suddenly the view of him was broken by a vision in a glamorous mink coat, one of the kind that fairly shouts how new and expensive it is.

  It was worn smartly, on a frame that was both youthful and full of grace and poise, and the small, smart turban that topped it was also trimmed with mink and very chic, tilted over the right eye.

  The mink coat had stopped to greet Cameron, and Astra could see his pleasant smile, his easy attitude. The girl must be one of his close acquaintances. He paused, and they talked together. The girl was evidently telling him something that surprised him. She lifted a wide mink muff heavy with tails and gestured with it. Astra could see that the young man look startled, was asking a question or two, gave a glance at the clock, talked another minute or two earnestly, and then with another glance at his watch, bowed and hurried toward the room where she sat.

  But as he came on, Astra was conscious that something had changed, and the mink coat had done it! How absurd! This young man was nothing to her, of course, just a passing stranger who had commandeered her for a bit of work. But there had been a pleasant exhilaration in seeing him come toward her a moment ago which had vanished with the advent of the mink coat. And with a glimpse of the startling handsome face of the girl who wore it, as she turned to go away through the door labeled TAXIS. Somehow, the whole tenor of things seemed to have changed now that there was a girl like that in the offing. Astra berated herself. What was she? A foolish little romantic fool? Why should she care? Of course he would have women friends, and it only showed that she had rated him adequately, that he should have friends like that. Anyhow, he was nothing to her. Why had she wasted idle thoughts on a stranger who had been merely kind? She would probably never see him again after this business was over, and she hoped it would be over soon. It was perfectly sickening that she should so pity herself for being lonely, just because it was almost Christmas and she had no place to go.

  When Charles Cameron entered the room where he had asked that Astra wait for him, her fine patrician face was lifted indifferently, almost a bit haughtily, and she greeted him most distantly.

  If she had known that Cameron was mentally comparing her to the brilliant beauty with whom he had just been talking and thinking how sweet and unspoiled Astra seemed in comparison, she certainly would have been amazed.

  “Are you all right?” he asked, and there was a pleasant, friendly concern in his voice that surprised her and dissipated the dignity in which she had been trying to envelop herself.

  She gave him a quick look and saw that there seemed to be real interest in his eyes. She answered his searching glance with a bright smile.

  “I? All right? Why yes, of course.” She gave a light, surprised laugh, and then suddenly she felt as if she were going to cry at the almost tender concern of his tone. If she hadn’t laughed she would have cried, she was sure, for it was such a sudden relief from her own lonely feeling, sitting there pitying herself as she thought of the approaching empty Christmas.

  And then because the feeling of quick tears hadn’t quite left her, she went on to say brightly, “I think it is yourself who should be asked if you are all right. From all I hear from the porter, your morning has been filled with tasks that couldn’t all have been congenial. If the old lady was as irate as she was last evening it certainly couldn’t have been a pleasant trip taking her home.”

  Cameron’s face softened into a grin, and he said with a sigh, “No, not too pleasant. It was mainly occupied in her attempt to extract information from me. Where had her husband known me? When did he speak to me and tell me he was sick? Why didn’t I send for her at once in the diner? What was your name, and how had I known you, and was I sure that you were honest? Why didn’t I take the dictation myself, and what was it about anyway?”

  “Oh! I’m sorry you had to bear that!” said Astra. “She started in on me like that, only she took a different line. She assumed that I was the offender, daring to take an interest in a sick man to whom I hadn’t been introduced!”

  “Yes, I know,” said Cameron, with a contemptuous grin. “She tried to convince me that I didn’t understand human nature or I never would have selected a good-looking, stylish, forward girl as a stenographer for a respectable dying man. Well, poor soul, she’s in a trying situation, and she is taking it out on whoever comes along. But I had the satisfaction of telling her plainly that she was very much mistaken about you. That I knew of your family, at least your father, and that she must positively stop talking about you, that you had been most kind. Then I began to ask her questions about whether her husband had been well during the past weeks and whether he had ever had symptoms of heart trouble before. That took her mind off other things while she tried to convince me that he had never been sick but had just worked himself up over everything and got to thinking he was an invalid. She raked up a few tears to convince me, and by that time we had reached the palatial mansion of which she is now mistress. But I certainly pity the servants over whom she reigns.

  “I may misjudge her, but it doesn’t seem to me that she is greatly grief stricken over the death of her husband. Hers is more the attitude that it is his own fault he died. She declares that if he hadn’t insisted on coming home from California this week instead of next, just because he got word that that good-for-nothing son of his by his first wife was going to stop in Chicago overnight, and he wanted to see him, he would have been alive today! So that’s the story. She evidently hates that stepson, and that’s why he was so anxious to get this transfer of that property he had bought arranged before there was danger of her hearing of it. Well, I guess that poor man is glad he’s in heaven today instead of still living to be nagged by her. For I do think he’s in heaven after that prayer of yours, and his heartfelt amen! I think it meant a lot to him, and I believe you’ll get your reward hereafter for coming to help the poor soul at the end. I’m sure neither the doctor nor I would have been able to make it all as plain as you did.”

  “Oh, I’m glad if you think I was any help to him,” said Astra quietly, with her eyes downcast.

  Cameron, too, was speaking embarrassedly, but with great earnestness. He was looking down at his gloved hands, as if he were not accustomed to speak of sacred things so intimately. And then they were both silent for a moment.

  “Well,” said Cameron, “I suppose we had better get on with our job, that is, if you feel all right. For the old man seemed to want this part of the business settled at the first possible moment, and I think myself it had better get finished before the old lady has time to do any more inquiring. By the way, did you have a good breakfast? We may be detained at lunchtime, you know. Wouldn’t you like to go and get a little more to eat before we go into action?”

  “Oh, no thank you,” laughed Astra, touched again at the thought of this stranger’s care for her comfort. How foolish she was getting, a strangulation in her throat from a mere passing kindness. “I had a fine breakfast, and I can last till a very late dinner, if necessa
ry.”

  Cameron smiled.

  “Well, you won’t have to do that, I’m sure. Just wait here a moment please, while I find out if the lawyer is in his office yet.”

  Astra watched the young man as he went over to the telephone booths. He was good-looking, yes. She hadn’t much time before to take notice of the little things that make up appearance. He was very good-looking, yet in a quiet, unobtrusive way. He didn’t seem to have spent a great deal of thought on his appearance, and yet he was perfectly groomed. There was nothing ostentatious about him. He was just a gentleman, the pleasant kind that one would like for a friend.

  And while he was telephoning, she made up her mind. She would go over to that Christian Association and see if she could get a room there, and make that her headquarters for a few days till she could look over the ground and see what she ought to do. As for Christmas, she wouldn’t try to arrange anything. Just get some good reading, go out perhaps to an oratorio or some good music somewhere, maybe to a church service, and wait until Christmas was over before she got in touch with her friends. They needn’t even know she was in town. They would all be busy in their own homes. It would be easy enough.

  Then Cameron returned.

  “Well, the lawyer will be in his office in three quarters of an hour. We won’t have much time to spare. What if we get you settled somewhere first. Had you decided where you want to go? Were you going to friends or a hotel?”

  “No,” said Astra quickly, “I’m not going to friends till after Christmas. I thought I would see if I could get in over at the Christian Association. I used to hear that it was a nice place, and it would be convenient for the present, I should think.”

  “Yes, it’s a very nice place, I understand,” said Cameron. “Suppose I telephone to see if they have any rooms, and then we can take a taxi over. I think you’ll be more comfortable during the morning to know that you have an abiding place, even if you decide not to stay there but a few hours.”