Partners (8 page)

"Of--course--" Her lips faltered as she spoke, and her eyes held a new kind of terror, mingled almost with haughtiness.

"All right, then. These are questions that any friend would have to know the answer to in order to be able to help you intelligently. First, is there someone, some dear friend or relative, either in this city or away, who would have a right to know that you are not well and are carrying a heavy burden?"

The eyes took on a guarded look.

"No," she said firmly. "No, no one!"

Reuben felt that he had got nowhere so far.

"Your brother told me that your mother was dead," he said, trying to make casual talk to cover what might have been an embarrassing pause. "And your father, is he gone, too?"

"Yes," said Gillian sadly. "Mother died a couple of years ago, and Father when Noel was a baby." She was quite impersonal in her tone, as if it were only a matter of form to answer him.

"And you have no brothers or sisters except Noel?"

"Nobody but us two."

"Well, excuse me, but isn't there perhaps an uncle or aunt, or some close friend you would like to have notified, who would perhaps come and cheer you up a little?"

"
No!
" she said sharply. "Oh, no,
please
!"

He looked at her, astonished that his question should so stir her.

"Excuse me," he said. "I don't mean to worry you. I only felt there was something that is troubling you, and we don't seem to have any way of getting at it and removing it so that you can get well. Now, believe me, I'm only asking these questions for your good. The doctor feels your mind must be at ease or you can't possibly get up and go to work again. You don't want to die and leave that little boy alone, do you?"

She put her hands up to her face in a quick motion as if to shield herself from a blow.

"Oh, no!" she said with a shiver of horror. "No, but--
I won't
! I'm not as sick as that. I guess I didn't eat enough."

"Well, but listen. Human flesh can't stand everything, no matter how willing a sacrifice it is. You have got to keep well for your brother's sake, even if you don't care to live for your own sake. You have a responsibility you cannot shirk. And you are carrying some kind of a worry that makes your heart have to do extra duty. The doctor says that extra burden
must
be lifted if you are to get well. Suppose you just put your pride aside and treat me as a friend. Tell me what it is that is troubling you, and I pledge my word to do my best to help get that burden out of the way. Come now, tell me. Is it a broken heart? Is there someone you love who has disappointed you?"

Suddenly Gillian laughed, almost hysterically.

"No!" she said decidedly and laughed again.

Reuben began to laugh with her.

"That's good!" he said. "I'm glad it's not that, because it would have been a delicate matter to arrange, perhaps, if it had been that. I didn't really think it was, you know, because you don't look like a lovelorn maiden!" And then he laughed again.

"But, you see," he went on, sobering down as he saw her struggling to brush away some tears that had appeared, "you see, I am determined to find out what it is that stands in the way of your quick recovery, and if I can't win your confidence, I will have to find some other way, just for the sake of the grand little kid you love. You see, when I first started this business, it was because Mr. Rand asked me to look out for you for the company, but after I got to know Noel, I had another reason. He's a great kid and deserves a happy life, and if I can do anything to make it so, I intend to do it. But, of course, you can hinder me a lot if you won't open up and tell me what is the matter, and it's no use your saying it's nothing, because both the doctor and I know that isn't true."

Gillian let a shy smile come through her tears now.

"Thank you," she murmured. "It's good to know you really like my little brother, and you certainly have been wonderful--I suppose I'd better tell you what has frightened me."

"That's the talk!" said Reuben. "I'll try to be worthy of your trust."

"You'll probably think I am awfully silly, but--it's that----I am fearfully
afraid
of something."

"
Afraid?
Afraid of what?" asked Reuben, trying to talk calmly, soothingly.

"Of something happening to Noel!"

"But why would you think anything would happen to Noel? What would you think
could
happen to Noel? I'm certainly interested to know of any danger threatening him and will do my best to protect him. But one has to understand to do much in a line like that."

"Yes, I'll tell you," said Gillian, catching her breath. "It's our uncle. That is, he isn't really an uncle. My grandfather on Father's side married a widow with one son long before he ever met my grandmother. She died when they had been married only a short time, and the boy went to live with her relatives. Then Grandfather married again and my father was born. He and Mother were very happy when they married, and we had a happy home. We never saw Father's stepbrother, as he was living way out West. And after our father died, we lost track of him entirely. Until our mother's health began to fail, and then one day he turned up and pretended to be very much interested in us. He knew that our father had been successful in a business way, and he offered to take charge of things for Mother. That wasn't necessary, as Father had arranged everything in trust for us. But Uncle Mason hung around and would offer to go to the office and get Mother's dividends when they were due and all that. Mother didn't like it but finally was so sick she had to let him go for once. I was rather young then, and of course in school, but Mother used to talk to me about the business arrangements and told me that if anything happened to her, when I was of age I was to look out for things myself and take care of Noel."

Gillian was panting for breath as she talked, and now the nurse came up and gave her a spoonful of medicine.

"Take it easy, little girl," she whispered. "I'll go and get you some orange juice, and then you'll feel better."

"I'm all right," said the girl wearily. "There isn't much more to tell. Uncle Mason stayed around until Mother died. After the funeral he called me one day and handed me over fifty dollars. He said something had happened to our investments and that was all that was left. He said I would have to get out and get a job. He was looking around for one for me, and when it came, I'd better do the best I could, for he couldn't afford to look after me. As for Noel--he called him 'that brat'--he said he couldn't support him. He was going back to his home in the West pretty soon, and he wanted to get everything settled up. So he was going to take Noel the very next day and put him in an orphanage, and then I wouldn't be hampered with him."

Gillian suddenly broke down and wept, her frail shoulders shaking at the memory. Reuben put out a comforting hand and laid it softly on the tumbled brown curls.

"You poor little girl!" he said softly.

Gillian was still instantly, and in a moment she lifted her tearstained face, giving him a sad little wintry smile, and then went quickly on with her tale.

"That night I took Noel and ran away out of the house while he was asleep. I went as far as I dared on the fifty dollars, and then I hunted up one of Father's old friends and asked him for a job. He was old and sick, and not in business anymore. He didn't live long after that, but he wrote a note to Mr. Glinden and I got my job. I had studied stenography and typing when I was in school, and I knew I could do good work. Mother saw to it that I had that. So I got the job, and we've been getting along till now, only sometimes I've been afraid Uncle Mason would turn up. You see, there was a big doctor's bill for Mother, and he didn't pay it. He said I'd have to pay it. So I've been saving, and now it's all paid. Only there hasn't been much left over for Noel and me. But if Uncle Mason has heard that I'm making money enough so I've paid that big doctor's bill, maybe he'll come around and claim half my money or something, and if he does, he'll send Noel away to an orphanage. I'm sure he will!"

Reuben reached out and gathered her two little cold hands in both his own warm ones.

"There, dear friend, don't you think of such a thing again! That isn't possible now, because you have plenty of strong, true friends who would take your part and look after you and that dear child as if they were their own.
I
certainly will, and so I know would Mr. Rand and Mr. Glinden. They are both good men. And if anyone tried to harm you or Noel, we would all rise up and protect you, and you mustn't be afraid anymore. Will you promise me you won't?"

She looked up from her imprisoned hands and faced him through her tears.

"Oh, that is good of you, but I couldn't have people put to all that trouble to take care of us! I must do it myself! And I wouldn't want you to tell anybody about my family affairs, please! You promised, you know! I've trusted you!"

There was a sweet pleading in her eyes, and he was instantly reminded of the boy Noel. Two dear children, they were. His heart was stirred within him. He was filled with a sudden longing to gather up this poor burdened, tired little girl and take her to some quiet lovely homeplace where she wouldn't have to worry anymore. He was startled at his own feelings. He had never felt so about any girl before, not even the girl out in his old hometown whose books he used to carry home from high school, and who used to root for him when he was on the high school football team. But he had sense enough not to show how he was stirred. Of course, it was only pity for her suffering, he told himself.

So he spoke reassuringly, pressing her hands with a comforting touch.

"Why, of course not!" he said. "I wouldn't think of mentioning it, unless of course it became a matter of averting some calamity from either Noel or yourself. In that case, I am sure you wouldn't want a little pride to stand in the way of doing everything I could for you both."

"Of course not!" she said, softly, submissively.

"But I don't anticipate any such happening," he said quite cheerfully. "However, before we leave this unpleasant subject, so that I shall always be wise enough to help you if needed, suppose you give me the name and address of that uncle. Also the address where you lived when he was with you and your mother was alive. I want her full name and your father's, too. It is just as well I should know those things in case there ever comes a time when I shall need them."

He got out his pencil and notebook with a businesslike air, and Gillian roused herself to give the needed data. The very act of doing something like her ordinary everyday work in the office seemed to calm her troubled spirits.

"One thing more," said Reuben as he closed his notebook. "Have you ever communicated with your trust company that was supposed to handle your finances?"

"No," she said apathetically. "I was afraid to. I thought they might tell my uncle where I was, and then he would come and make me go back and take the job he was getting me and send Noel to an orphanage."

Reuben was still for a moment, then he asked: "Are you quite sure your uncle always told the truth?"

"Oh!" said Gillian. "I don't know. I suppose he did. Yet my mother never trusted him. But I didn't dare take any chances."

"Do you happen to know whether he had any papers giving him the right to handle your mother's money?"

"Yes, I think once she wrote a note to the bank asking them to give him the money. Perhaps other times. I couldn't be sure."

"And did he ever give you any after your mother died except that fifty dollars before you came away?"

Gillian shook her head.

"No, but he had told me he would have to handle our money for us until I was of age. That was the day after my mother died."

"And that was how long ago?"

"Almost two years. I will be of age in December."

"And you never did anything about it?"

She looked up surprised.

"What could I have done? I wouldn't have dared go back there."

"Suppose you give me the name of that trust company. Can you remember it? And the address? It might be useful sometime. But don't worry. I won't do anything that might reveal your whereabouts to your uncle."

She gave him the address half-fearfully.

"But I wish you wouldn't bother about that!" she added pleadingly. "I don't need money now Mr. Rand has sent this nice check. I'm sure he's given me more than the work was worth."

"Don't worry! I'm sure he hasn't, and don't think any more about this matter now. Here comes your orange juice, and soon the doctor will be back. After that I can bring Noel in to see you, but you must be very quiet and rested or the doctor will think you're having too much excitement." He smiled pleasantly and went out as the nurse came over to the bed with the orange juice.

The doctor was in the reception room with Noel having a friendly talk and discovering a good many things for himself that went to make up the background of his puzzling patient. He turned to Reuben as he came in with a knowing look.

"Well, sir, how did you make out? What do you think of my patient?"

Reuben saw the quick look of fear dart into Noel's eyes and let his own smile blaze forth reassuringly.

"Why, she seems quite a little improved, doesn't she? Yes, we had a pleasant talk, and I think I have some light on the matter. I believe she is expecting you to come in and say whether this young man can visit her. She is very eager to see him, of course."

Noel's smile lighted his face, and he looked anxiously at the doctor.

The doctor smiled down at him.

"All right, young man, you win. I'll go in and give her the once-over right away, and then you can see your sister while Mr. Remington and I have a bit of conversation."

The doctor left them, and Reuben looked down to find the child's eyes fixed earnestly upon him, as if he were reading the thoughts of his guardian.

"Is my Gillian--all--right?" he murmured in a whisper.

"She's doing very nicely," said Reuben. "I don't think you need to worry. I think she's going to be better very soon. Now, you be gentle when you go in, and don't get excited, you know. We don't want to get on her nerves. She's just beginning to get a little rested."