The excitement and incidental to the trial having quieted down, affairs at the boarding house soon resumed their normal aspect. Paula became more active daily in her Settlement duties, and was already well known as one of the most prominent and energetic workers in that organization. in the public eye as the heiress to a large fortune, the great interest she took in the condition of the poor attracted much attention in the newspapers. They printed her portrait with comments, sent reporters to interview her, and printed statements, unauthorized, to the effect that when she came into her inheritance she would devote her millions to the cause of charity. All day long she was busy downtown on her mission of mercy and even at night was frequently called away either to address some or attend a committee meeting.
Mr. Ricaby, ever and , always escorted her on these occasions, not realizing himself, perhaps, that he took keener pleasure in these nocturnal excursions than a interest in the case would warrant. Paula was grateful for his company, but that was all. For a pretty girl, full of life and sentiment, she was singularly heart whole. Of the deeper passions which disturb other normal healthy girls of her age she seemed entirely free. Men had declared her cold. The opposite sex appeared to have no attraction to her. But this was a mistaken impression. She was not cold. It was simply that the right man had not yet appeared. Certainly, Leon Ricaby with his grave manner and shattered illusions was not her ideal. She found him devoted, but dull. She found no pleasure in his society. Parkes was shallow and impossible. The most interesting man she knew was Tod Chase. He was original and he interested her. His breezy manner and cheerful way[Pg 150] of looking at things was just what her own life lacked. His presence, his , and broad grin the and made her feel happier. She believed, too, that he was a friend. He had not called since her refusal to go and live with her uncle, but she had no reason to believe that he of her action. Perhaps he was afraid to on her. She had offered to take him down to the slums to show him just how the poor people lived. Any day he might come to claim the promise.
But with all her courage Paula was far from happy. Often she wished that her father had not left her a cent, and that she was back in Paris, copying the old masters in the Louvre. All she had gone through could not have failed to affect her nervous system. She was singularly . Try as she would, she was unable to shake off the idea, which soon became an , that something serious was about to happen, that some , compared with which all that had until now occurred were trifles, was hanging over her head. Never so much as now had she realized her utter loneliness and defencelessness. Mr. Ricaby and the Parkes were very kind and sympathetic, but at best they were only acquaintances. She had no real claim upon them. There was nothing to about. Her uncle and Bascom Cooley gave no sign of life, yet still she worried. She tried to centre all her attention on her work, but always the silent question arose in her mind: "What is being plotted in the dark?" The of unnerved her so much that she was soon rendered unfit for work of any kind.
One evening about two weeks after the retreat of Messrs. and Cooley, she was sitting alone with Mr. Ricaby in Mrs. Parkes' . She had been busy at the Settlement all day and returned home so tired that she was glad when, after dinner, the call of her attorney gave her an excuse for not going to a lecture which she had promised to attend.
"What do you think?" she asked anxiously. "Will they leave me alone now?"
The lawyer shook his head :
"You don't know Bascom Cooley. He never admits defeat. Baffled in his attempt to keep you under close control in the Marsh house, he will scheme to gain his ends in some other way. While you are free to come and go as you please you are a to their plans. Besides, all this newspaper talk about your intention to spend millions on your Settlement work must have made them furious. They will seek other means to[Pg 152] you into passive . They are both scoundrels, and there is not the slightest doubt in my mind that they have entered into a to make unlawful use of your money. But until they show their hands we can do nothing."
The young girl sighed. Would all this trouble, the plotting and counterplotting, never end? How weary she was of it all! Mr. Ricaby heard the sigh and guessed the reason.
"Don't be discouraged," he said. "It's only the things which are worth having that are worth fighting for. Think of all the good you can do with your money when you get it."
Paula's dark eyes flashed.
"You are right," she murmured. "It is ungrateful of me to fret like this. You are so kind." She hesitated a moment, as if there were something on her mind to which she feared to give utterance. Then timidly she said: "Everything will come out all right, no doubt, but I can't shake off an uncomfortable feeling that there's still more trouble coming. I don't like that man Bascom Cooley. He talks and acts as if he had the power to do anything, even to compelling me by force to do what I don't wish to do." With a little she added: "I had a horrible dream last night."
Mr. Ricaby laughed.
"Come—come, Paula! Don't let this thing take hold of you like that. What was the dream?"
The young girl's large eyes, turned toward him, were with panicky terror. Her face was still paler and the muscles about her sensitive mouth spasmodically. In a low, frightened voice, she went on:
"I dreamed that my uncle came to see me. He said that I must go and live with him. I replied that I would not, and I ordered him from the house. Instead of going, he merely laughed, and, opening the door, to a man who stood waiting outside. The man entered. He was a gaunt, sinister-looking person, with a cruel mouth and big, hollow, staring eyes that seemed to pierce me through. A smile was on his face. My uncle at me. 'There she is!' he said. 'Take her away. She's mad.' I gave a scream, and woke up."
Mr. Ricaby laughed .
"You must have been eating something which disagreed with you," he said. "Surely you don't allow yourself to be frightened by anything so silly as that?"
Paula nodded.
"It was all so vivid that it seemed true. Suppose——"
She hesitated.
Join or Log In!
You need to log in to continue reading
