It was Mrs. Dowager Diamonds, alias Henrietta, alias Mrs. Edward

Ramsay!
"Clever! My, how clever!" she exclaimed, as though the sob in

my voice that I couldn't control had been a bit of acting.
She was feeling for her glasses. When she got them and hooked

them on her nose and got a good look at me--why, she just dropped
them with a smash upon the desk.

I looked for a minute from her to the Bishop.
"I remember you very well, Mrs. Ramsay. I hope you haven't

forgotten me. I've often wanted to thank you for your kindness,"
I said slowly, while she as slowly recovered. "I think you'll be

glad to know that I am thoroughly well-cured. Shall I tell Mrs.
Ramsay how, Bishop?"

I put it square up to him. And he met it like the little man he
is--perhaps, too, my bit of charity to the Cruelty children had

pleased him.
"I don't think it will be necessary, Miss Olden," he said

gently. "I can do that for you at some future time."
And I could have hugged him; but I didn't dare.

We had tea there in the Board rooms. Oh, Mag, remember how we
used to peep into those awful, imposing Board rooms! Remember how

strange and resentful you felt--like a poor little red-haired
nigger up at the block--when you were brought in there to be

shown to the woman who'd called to adopt you!
It was all so strange that I had to keep talking to keep from

dreaming. I was talking away to the matron and the Bishop about
the play-room I'm going to fit up out of that bare little place

upstairs. Perhaps the same child doesn't stay there very long,
but there'll always be children to fill it--more's the cruel

pity!
Then the Bishop and I climbed up there to see it and plan about

it. But I couldn't really see it, Mag, nor the poor, white-faced,
wise-eyed little waifs that have succeeded us, for the tears in

my eyes and the ache at my heart and the queer trick the place
has of being peopled with you and me, and the boy with the gouged

eye, and the cripple, and the rest.
He put his gentle thin old arm about my shoulders for a moment

when he saw what was the matter with me. Oh, he understands, my
Bishop! And then we turned to go downstairs.

"Oh--I want--I want to do something for them," I cried. "I
want to do something that counts, that's got a heart in it, that

knows! You knew, didn't you, it was true--what I said downstairs?
I was--I am a Cruelty girl. Help me to help others like me."

"My dear," he said, very stately and sweet, "I'll be proud to
be your assistant. You've a kind, true heart and--"

And just at that minute, as I was preceding him down the narrow
steps, a girl in a red coat trimmed with chinchilla and in a red

toque with some of the same fur blocked our way as she was coming
up.

We looked at each other. You've seen two peacocks spread their
tails and strut as they pass each other? Well, the peacock coming

up wasn't in it with the one going down. Her coat wasn't so fine,
nor so heavy, nor so newly, smartly cut. Her toque wasn't so big

nor so saucy, and the fur on it--not to mention that the
descending peacock was a brunette and . . . well, Mag, I had my

day. Miss Evelyn Kingdon paid me back in that minute for all the
envy I've spent on that pretty rig of hers.

She didn't recognize me, of course, even though the two red
coats were so near, as she stopped to let me pass, that they

kissed like sisters, ere they parted. But, Mag, Nancy Olden never
got haughty that there wasn't a fall waiting for her. Back of

Miss Kingdon stood Mrs. Kingdon--still Mrs. Kingdon, thanks to
Nance Olden--and behind her, at the foot of the steps, was a

frail little old-fashionedbundle of black satin and old lace.
I lost my breath when the Bishop hailed his wife.

"Maria," he said--some men say their wives' first names all the
years of their lives as they said them on their wedding-day--"I

want you to meet Miss Olden--Nance Olden, the comedian. She's the
girl I wanted for my daughter--you'll remember, it's more than a

year ago now since I began to talk about her?"
I held my breath while I waited for her answer. But her poor,

short-sighted eyes rested on my hot face without a sign.
"It's an old joke among us," she said pleasantly, "about the

Bishop's daughter."
We stood there and chatted, and the Bishop turned away to speak

to Mrs. Kingdon. Then I seized my chance.
"I've heard, Mrs. Van Wagenen," I said softly and oh, as nicely

as I could, "of your fondness for lace. We are going abroad in
the spring, my husband and I, to Malta, among other places. Can't

I get you a piece there as a souvenir of the Bishop's kindness to
me?"

Her little lace-mittened, parchment-like hands clasped and
unclasped with an almost childish eagerness.

"Oh, thank you, thank you very much; but if you would give the
same sum to charity--"

"I will," I laughed. She couldn't guess how glad I was to do
this thing. "And I'll spend just as much on your lace and be so

happy if you'll accept it."
I promised Henrietta a box for to-night, Maggie, and one to Mrs.

Kingdon. The Dowager told me she'd love to come, though her
husband is out of town, unfortunately, she said.

"But you'll come with me, won't you, Bishop?" she said, turning
to him. "And you, Mrs. Van?"

The Bishop blushed. Was he thinking of Beryl, I wonder. But I
didn't hear his answer, for it was at that moment that I caught

Fred's voice. He had told me he was going to call for me. I think
he fancied that the old Cruelty would depress me--as dreams of it

have, you know; and he wanted to come and carry me away from it,
just as at night, when I've waked shivering and moaning, I've

felt his dear arms lifting me out of the black night-memory of it.
But it was anything but a doleful Nance he found and hurried down

the snowy steps out to a hansom and off to rehearsal. For the
Bishop had said to me, "God bless you, child," when he shook

hands with both of us at parting, and the very Cruelty seemed to
smile a grim benediction, as we drove off together, on Fred and

NANCY O.
End

• thoroughly [´θʌrəli] ad.完全地，彻底地 (初中英语单词)
• bishop [´biʃəp] n.主教 (初中英语单词)
• assistant [ə´sistənt] n.助手；助理；助教 (初中英语单词)
• waiting [´weitiŋ] n.等候；伺候 (初中英语单词)
• old-fashioned [´əuld´feʃənd] a.老式的；过时的 (初中英语单词)
• bundle [´bʌndl] n.包，捆；包袱(裹) (初中英语单词)
• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
• softly [´sɔftli] ad.软化地；柔和地 (初中英语单词)
• abroad [ə´brɔ:d] ad.海外；到处；广泛 (初中英语单词)
• childish [´tʃaildiʃ] a.孩子的；幼稚的 (初中英语单词)
• charity [´tʃæriti] n.施舍；慈悲；博爱 (高中英语单词)
• cruelty [´kru:əlti] n.残忍；残酷行为 (高中英语单词)
• cripple [´kripəl] n.跛子 vt.使残疾 (高中英语单词)
• stately [´steitli] a.庄严的，雄伟的 (高中英语单词)
• peacock [´pi:kɔk] n.(雄)孔雀 vi.炫耀 (高中英语单词)
• haughty [´hɔ:ti] a.傲慢的，高傲的 (高中英语单词)
• pleasantly [´plezntli] ad.令人愉快地；舒适地 (高中英语单词)
• unfortunately [ʌn´fɔ:tʃunitli] ad.不幸；不朽；可惜 (高中英语单词)
• hurried [´hʌrid] a.仓促的，慌忙的 (高中英语单词)
• matron [´meitrən] n.主妇；护士长 (英语四级单词)
• preceding [pri(:)´si:diŋ] a.在先的；前面的 (英语四级单词)
• depress [di´pres] vt.压低；降低；使沮丧 (英语四级单词)
• rehearsal [ri´hə:səl] v.(使)排练；背诵 (英语四级单词)
• parting [´pɑ:tiŋ] a.&n.分离(的) (英语四级单词)
• imposing [im´pəuziŋ] a.壮丽的，堂皇的 (英语六级单词)
• comedian [kə´mi:diən] n.喜剧演员；滑稽人物 (英语六级单词)
• fondness [´fɔndnis] n.蠢事；溺爱；嗜好 (英语六级单词)
• doleful [´dəulful] a.悲哀的；忧郁的 (英语六级单词)