A woman's debt

by William Le Queux

She did not, however, propose to live on a small income all her life. Her great ambition was to go on the stage, but as her several attempts in this direction met with no result, she grew less ambitious, and in time blossomed into a music-hall artist who could generally rely upon engagements at moderate fees which made a very pleasant addition to her private income.

She was fairly launched in this career when Larchester died after a lingering illness, the cause of death being an internal malady which had been greatly aggravated by his dissolute habits, the doctor declaring that his organs were those of a man ten years his senior.

One would have predicted that a man of his type would have left his daughter absolutely penniless. Fortunately, this was not the case. At a very early age he had taken out a life-policy for fifteen hundred pounds, the premium being very low. To his credit, be it said, he had strained every nerve to keep it up, even knocking off his drink when the time approached for payment.

Under the guidance of her friend, who was a very shrewd young woman of business, Miss Larchester invested this capital sum judiciously; the interest would keep her from absolute starvation.

With the exception of Alma Buckley she had nobody to whom she could turn for advice or assistance. Her father had been a member of a highly respectable family, with members in the professions of the Church, the Army, and the Law, but they had early parted company with the dissolute artist, and had never seen either his wife or child. Her mother had been a country girl, the daughter of a small village shopkeeper whom Larchester had met in his wanderings in search of the picturesque, and fallen in love with. Of that mother’s kith and kin she knew nothing.

Miss Buckley, just beginning to feel her feet upon the music-hall stage about this period, had taken a cosy little flat in the neighbourhood of Southampton Row; it was handy for the halls, her connection being in London, only entailing a moderate cab fare to and from her home.

She insisted that, as there was plenty of room for two, Miss Larchester should take up her abode with her, saying that it was a bit lonesome in the day time, and she would be glad of a companion. Although pretty keen in business matters, in private life she was very generous, and she would not allow Lettice to contribute a farthing towards the rent, and herself bore the greater share of the housekeeping, being very fond of good living and not averse from occasional stimulant of an expensive kind such as champagne and old brandy.

Mrs. Morrice dwelt fully, but not unkindly, on this weakness of her generous friend, for to this unfortunate propensity was due the beginning of her own tragedy.

For some time before the death of the dissolute artist, his daughter had taken up painting under his tuition and attained some little proficiency in it, enough to enable her to supplement her tiny income with here and there a commission from one of Larchester’s old patrons, and occasional work in the lower branches of art.

Needless to say that, although this was better than nothing and relieved her from the intolerable ennui of idleness, it did not satisfy a girl who was fond of pleasure and all the amenities that money could bring, and at heart of an ambitious nature.