Page:The Granite Monthly Volume 1.djvu/99

 LOUISA'S DELUSION.

��91

��"It does me good to hear you say that. You must break the news after I am gone."

"Well, I'll try, but keep up good cour- age, and remember that 'every back is tit- ted to its burden.' "

"I wish the burdens could be fitted to the backs once in a while, I know I'd have mine lighter," and Louisa kissed her sister and went away, leaving a troubled remeinberance of her sad face to haunt her for many a day.

The novelty of her life at the "Beach House" roused her out of her gloomy re- flections. She worked hard, but was much interested in the glimpses of fash- ionable life she caught in the dining room. She had read of such existence in books, had often dreamed of it when she was a child, but the reality fascinated her. The darkened dining hall was beau- tiful, she thought, with the long regular lines of snowy tables, glittering with glass and silver, blushing with ripe ber- ries, and cool with fresh, dewy lettuce, the slender goblets holding fancifully folded napkins that looked like calla lil- ies or white roses, or anything but com- mon place, badly hemmed, square pieces of linen. The silk dresses, the flashing jewels and subtle perfumes, the subdued hum of low, refined voices, floating among and above the jingling of the knives and forks and the splashing of ice water — the sounds that somebody has called "discordant dining-room accou- stics," — these things gave her a keen sense of delight. She found it hard to concentrate her attention upon details at first, but persistent observation taught her when leaning back signified a wish of the languid belle to have her dishes re- moved, and when she merely, needed rest after the exhausting process of eat- ing, and by unyielding perseverance she succeeded in getting her gouty old gen- tleman's tea to a satisfactory degree of strength and weakness.

One evening when she had been at the Beach House about three weeks, she saw the curled and scented head-waiter con- ducting a new group to her table. There was a sweet-faced woman with abundant silver hair, a stately grave man of about thirty-five and a lovely little girl perhaps

��twelve years old. Louisa knew from the grand flourish with which her superior drew out the chairs and filled the goblets, and, indeed, from his condescension in performing these offices himself instead of entrusting them to her, that the party were "first class," and she overheard snatches of their conversation as she passed in or out.

"I feel so sorry that Miss Hawkes had to leave us just now," the lady said. "Alice was getting interested in her les- sons, and I am afraid it will be a long time before we can find as good a teacher as she was."

Louisa kept thinking of the remark all day and the thought that first occurred to her became a purpose. Why couldn't she teach the little girl? She knew she was a very good scholar, having supple- mented her three terms' instruction at Hilton Academy by hard study at home. That afternoon she learned their loca- tion, and having donned her best dress, a modest black alapaca, she tapped with a beating heart at the door of the "first corner room up one flight." They were all in, and Louisa, somewhat confused, stammered out that she had noticed their remarks at dinner and had come to apply for the situation "as governess to the lit- tle girl."

The lady looked surprised, but the gen- tleman remarking that it would be a "reg- ular godsend if she could teach Alice," at once began questioning her.

Louisa was delighted with herself for her readiness in answering, and mentally returned thanks for her excellent mem- ory that had proved a faithful servant this time.

By and by the gentleman said, "I think you will do. I wish Alice to have a surefoundation of rudimentary knowledge before she tries her hand at accomplish- ments. She will not learn music for two years yet, and she knows French enough for the present."

"But I thought you wished her to get an idea of German," his mother inter- posed.

"O, to be sure, do you understand German, Miss?"

"Gibson," supplied Louisa. "I know something of it," she continued, her face

�� �