Miss Fisher, in her turn, had not failed to observe in her shrewd way, how quickly Helène assimilated the information, and how alert the girl’s mind showed itself, in spite of its natural reserve. The remarks, too, she let fall evinced a taste and judgment quite rare. She insisted on taking Helène to her pension in a cab, and promising to look in on her in her exile, as she put it, left her in a happier state of mind than she had known in many a day.
Miss Fisher returned to her hotel in a very thoughtful mood. She knew enough of life to guess that her young acquaintance was a gently nurtured girl of a refined family, unhappily thrown upon her own scant resources, and in danger of being wrecked on the rocks. Her beauty, her gentle ways and voice, the pure, simple mind she had shown, all had made an indelible impression on her and had won her completely. She made up her mind to befriend her.
The next morning Helène was surprised to realize how eagerly she was looking forward to Miss Fisher’s coming. The short acquaintance, so unusually begun, had so quickly ripened under the benign influence of the American girl’s way of doing and saying things that Helène was quite conquered. It was all so novel and yet so humbly pleasant that she wished it would go on always.
This was the first of a number of meetings between the two. Miss Fisher sounded Helène, and soon became convinced she was really in earnest. She did not probe too deeply into the girl’s family history—only just enough to find that her judgment had been correct. She learned that Helène could speak English—and what a charming English it was, too! She was sure Madame Lucile would be delighted with her. She would be a real acquisition to the business, she felt convinced of it.
“See here, my dear,” she said suddenly on one of their walks, “why not come with me to New York? You tell me you have neither friends nor relatives and not even an admirer—so there’s nothing to keep you here. Come with me, and I’ll see that you get a position. New York is a beautiful city with more opportunities for a girl than any other place in the world. You needn’t be afraid; I’ll look after you. We can have a little apartment together and live the jolliest of lives. You are a born artist, as I saw from your drawings and sketches. I am sure you’ll get a good position with the people I’m with. Will you come? Say the word, and we’ll fix it up.”
Helène’s big blue eyes opened wide in astonishment at her friend’s words.
“Do you really mean it? Can I really do the things you say?”
“Of course you can,” and she put her arms around Helène and kissed her. “We’ll be a couple of the happiest girls in Manhattan. And no man shall come between us, either, miss—do you hear? Oh, I’m so happy.” And Miss Fisher forgot her dignity and jumped again. “I can just see Madame Lucile’s expression when she sees you. I’ll tell her I’ve brought the cleverest designer of hats in Europe—the peer of modistes! And won’t Miss Foucher, the head trimmer, stare! Hooray.”
It did not take Miss Fisher long to make all the necessary arrangements for the voyage. She had Helène’s berth engaged, a steamer trunk at her lodgings and a quantity of necessary purchases made in less time than it would have taken Helène even to think about them. The money she spent seemed enormous to Helène.
“Never mind, my dear. These things cost far more in New York, where you’ll want them—and you’re saving money by buying them here. It’s dollars in New York—not marks. Just you leave it to me.”