BY MRS. JOHN LILLIE.
Chapter VI.
"Miss Lee," said Mr. Tom, as Milly entered the store Wednesday morning, "will you please to take my place for two hours at the desk? I have something to do for father."
Milly had once or twice filled the same office, and so she quietly sat down upon Tom's stool, receiving his directions about the money wearily.
"I've been counting the money over," he said, rather insolently, "and I know just what is there."
Mildred glanced up with a slight surprise. She had not fully understood "Mr. Tom" of late. He and his sister, who served in the cloak-room, were both, as she knew, jealous of her indifference to them. Their conduct hitherto she had perfectly understood, but not their extreme suavity of the last week. Mary Hardman had determined to make an "intimate friend" of Mildred when it was known she had visited Miss Jenner, but the vulgar ostentation of her employer's daughter completely shocked Milly's better taste; and so, while she openly snubbed the brother, she took care to withdraw, though civilly, from the sister's advances. This had produced the effect of irritating Miss Hardman, wounding her self-love, and bringing out all the latent vulgarity in her nature, so that poor Milly was constantly subjected to annoyance and rudeness, which she bore only through fear of losing her place; but the new part toward her was more annoying than the old. Miss Hardman received her with smiles, while Tom was sarcastically polite to her on all occasions.
Mildred made no answer to his remark about the money. In fact, after an unusually fatiguing night with her mother, she was too weary to speak, and sat leaning her head on her hand, only moving to respond to the call of "Cash!" at the desk window. How good the money looked, Mildred thought, as she slipped the notes between her fingers! Over and again she had the sum she needed in her hands—if conscience was not in the way. "Yes," thought Milly, "that is how temptation steps in."
Deborah was standing in the kitchen window the next evening when Mildred came down from her mother's room, asking her to relieve her for ten minutes.
"My 'business' woman is coming in the gate, Debby," she said, with a nervous laugh; "but it will be her last visit, and after she goes away I will tell you all about her."