Fair Margaret - Page 144/206

'You can't,' she said. 'You've never even asked me where it is, and

while you are out of your mind, I shall certainly not tell you. You

seem to forget that when I undertook to bring suit against Alvah Moon

you gave me a general power of attorney to manage your affairs. I shall

do whatever is best for you.' 'I don't understand business,' Margaret answered, 'but I'm sure you

have no power to force Monsieur Logotheti's money upon me. I won't take

it.' 'You have taken it and I have given a receipt for it, my dear, so it's

of no use to talk nonsense. The best thing you can do is to give up

this silly idea of going on the stage, and just live like a lady, on

your income.' 'And marry my benefactor, I suppose!' Margaret's eyes flashed. 'That's

what he wants--what you all want--to keep me from singing! He thought

that if he made me independent, I would give it up, and you encouraged

him! I see it now. As for the money itself, until I really have it in

my hands it's not mine; but just as soon as it is I'll give it back to

him, and I'll tell him so to-day.' The carriage rolled through the pretty woods of Fausses Reposes, and

the sweet spring breeze fanned Margaret's cheeks in the shade. But she

felt fever in her blood and her heart beat fast and angrily as if it

were a conscious creature imprisoned in a cage. She was angry with

herself and with every one else, with Logotheti, with Mrs. Rushmore,

with poor Lushington for making such a fool of himself just when she

was prepared to like him better than ever. She was sure that she had

good cause to hate every one, and she hated accordingly, with a good

will. She wished that she might never spend another hour under Mrs.

Rushmore's roof, that she might never see Logotheti again, that she

were launched in her artistic career, free at last and responsible to

no one for her actions, her words or her thoughts.

But Mrs. Rushmore began to think that she had made a mistake in letting

her know too soon who had bought out Alvah Moon, and she wondered

vaguely why she had betrayed the secret, trying to account for her

action on the ground of some reasonably thought-out argument, which was

quite impossible, of course. So they both maintained a rather hostile

silence during the rest of the homeward drive.