第24章 Glimpses of Tragedy.(1)

Stanton threw away his half-burned cigar--an act which proved him strongly moved--and strode rapidly towards the main entrance near which a little group had already gathered,and among the others,Ida Mayhew.Not a hair of anybody's head was hurt,but an event had almost occurred which would have more than satisfied Stanton's spite against 'Yankee school-ma'ams,'and would also have made him very miserable for months to come.

He had ordered his bays to the farther end of the piazza where they were smoking,as he proposed to take Van Berg out for a drive.His coachmen liked to wheel around the corner of the hotel and past the main entrance in a dashing showy style,and thus far had suffered no rebuke from his master for this habit.But on this occasion a careless nursery maid,neglectful of her charge,had left a little child to toddle to the centre of the carriage drive and there it had stood,balancing itself with the uncertain footing characteristic of first steps.Even if it could have seen the rapidly approaching carriage that was hidden by the angle of the building,its baby feet could not have carried it out of harm's way in time,and it is more than probable that its inexperience would have prevented any sense of danger.

But help was at hand in the person of one who never seemed so preoccupied with self as to lose an opportunity to serve others.

Two of the ladies,who had casually formed Miss Burton's acquaintance at dinner,still lingered in the door-way to talk with her,wondering in the mean time why they remained so long,and meaning to break away every moment,but the expression of the young lady's eyes was so pleasant,and her manner,more than anything she said,so like spring sunshine that they were still standing in the door-way when the rumble and rush of the carriage was heard.The others did not notice these sounds,but Miss Burton,whose eyes had been following the child with an amused interest,suddenly broke off in the midst of a sentence,listened a second,then swiftly springing down the steps,darted towards the child.

Quick as she had been it seemed as if she would be too late,for,with cries of horror,the startled ladies on the piazza saw the horses coming so rapidly that it appeared that both the maiden and the child must be trampled under their feet.And so they would have been,had Miss Burton sought to snatch up the child and return,but with rare presence of mind she carried the child across the carriage track to its farther side,thus making the most of the impetus with which she had rushed to the rescue.

The exclamations of the ladies drew many eyes to the scene,and all held their breath as the horses dashed past,the driver vainly endeavoring to pull them up in time.Having passed,even Stanton was compelled to admit that the "school-ma'am"appeared to very great advantage as she stood panting,and with heightened color,holding in her arms the laughing child that seemed to think that the whole excitement was created for its amusement.She was about to restore the child to its nurse quietly,who now came bustling up with many protestations,when she was arrested by a loud voice exclaiming:

"Don't let that hateful creature touch my child again--give him to me,"and a lady,who had been drawn to the scene by the outcry,ran down the steps,and snatching the child,almost devoured him with kisses.Then,turning to the trembling nurse,she said harshly:

"Begone;I never wish to see your face again.Had it not been for this lady,my child would have been killed through your carelessness.

Excuse me,Miss--Miss--"

"Miss Burton,"said the young lady quietly.

"Excuse my show of feeling;but you can't realize the service you have done us.Bertie is our only child,and we just idolize him.

I'm so agitated,I must go to my room."

When the lady had disappeared,Miss Burton turned to the sobbing nurse and said:

"Will you promise me to be careful in the future if I intercede for you?""Dade,Miss,an'I will."

"Come to me,then,after supper.In the mean time remain where your mistress can summon you should she need your services,or be inclined to forgive you of her own accord,"and leaving the crude and offending jumble of humanity much comforted,she returned to the piazza again.

Of course many pressed around her with congratulations and words of commendation.Van Berg was much interested in observing how she would receive this sudden gush of mingled honest praise and extravagant flattery,for he recognized that the occasion would prove a searching and delicate test of character for which there was no time to prepare.She did not listen to their words with deprecatory smirk,nor with the pained expression of those sensitive souls to whom hearty words and demonstrations are like rough winds;nor was there a trace of exultation and self-complacency in her bearing.Van Berg thought that her manner was peculiarly her own,for she looked into the faces around her with frank gladness,and her unconsciousness of herself can be,perhaps,best suggested by her own words.

"How fortunate it was,"she said,"that I stood where I did,and happened to be looking at the child.If somebody had not been at hand it might have gone hard with the little fellow.Not that Ithink he would have been killed,but he might have been maimed or disfigured in a way that would have caused him pain and mortification all his life.""Miss Burton,I take my hat to you,"said Van Berg,laughing.