The Masked Bridal Page 3

  CHAPTER I.

  TWO UNEXPECTED VISITORS.

  It was a cold, raw night in December, and the streets of New Yorkcity, despite their myriads of electric lights and gayly illuminatedshop windows, were dismal and forlorn beyond description.

  The sky was leaden. A piercing wind was blowing up from the EastRiver, and great flakes of snow were beginning to fall, when, out ofthe darkness of a side street, there came the slight, graceful figureof a young girl, who, crossing Broadway, glided into the glare of thegreat arclight that was stationed directly opposite a pawnbroker'sshop.

  She halted a moment just outside the door, one slender,shabbily-gloved hand resting irresolutely upon its polished knob,while an expression of mingled pain and disgust swept over her palebut singularly beautiful face.

  Presently, however, she straightened herself, and throwing up her headwith an air of resolution, she turned the knob, pushed open the door,and entered the shop.

  It was a large establishment of its kind, and upon every hand therewere indications that that relentless master, Poverty, had been verybusy about his work in the homes of the unfortunate, compelling hisvictims to sacrifice their dearest possessions to his avariciousgrasp.

  The young girl walked swiftly to the counter, behind which there stooda shrewd-faced Israelite, who was the only occupant of the place, andwhose keen black eyes glittered with mingled admiration and cupidityas they fastened themselves upon the lovely face before him.

  With an air of quiet dignity the girl lifted her glance to his, as sheproduced a ticket from the well-worn purse which she carried in herhand.

  "I have come, sir, to redeem the watch upon which you loaned me threedollars last week," she remarked, as she laid the ticket upon thecounter before him.

  "Aha! an' so, miss, you vishes to redeem de vatch!" remarked the man,with a crafty smile, as he took up the ticket under pretense ofexamining it to make sure that it was the same that he had issued toher the week previous.

  "Yes, sir."

  "An' vat vill you redeem 'im mit?" he pursued, with a disagreeableleer.

  "With the same amount that you advanced me, of course," gravelyresponded the girl.

  "Ah! ve vill zee--ve vill zee! Vhere ish de money?" and the manextended a huge soiled hand to her.

  "I have a five-dollar gold-piece here," she returned, as she took itfrom her purse and deposited it also upon the counter; for she shrankfrom coming in contact with that repulsive, unwashed hand.

  The pawnbroker seized the coin greedily, his eyes gleaming hungrily atthe sight of the yellow gold, while he examined it carefully to assurehimself that it was genuine.

  "So! so! you vill vant de vatch," he at length observed, in a sullentone, as if he did not relish the idea of returning the valuabletime-piece upon which he had advanced the paltry sum of three dollars."Vell!" and irritably pulling out a drawer as he spoke, he dropped thecoin into it. "Ah!" he cried, with a sudden start and an angry frown,as it dropped with a ringing sound upon the wood, "vat you mean? Youwould sheat me!--you vould rob me! De money ish not goot--de coin ishcounterfeit! I vill send for de officer--you shall pe arrested--youvon little meek-faced robber! Ah!" he concluded, in a shrill tone ofwell-simulated anger, as he shook his fist menacingly before hiscompanion.

  The fair girl regarded him in frightened astonishment as he pouredforth this torrent of wrathful abuse upon her, while her beautifulblue eyes dilated and her delicate lips quivered with repressedexcitement.

  "I do not understand you!--what do you mean, sir?" she at lengthdemanded, when she could find voice for speech.

  "You play de innocence very vell!" he sneered; then added, gruffly:"You vill not get der vatch, for you haf prought me bad money."

  "You are mistaken, sir; I have just received that gold-piece from arespectable lawyer, for whom I have been working during the week, andI know he would not take advantage of me by paying me with counterfeitmoney," the young girl explained; but she had, nevertheless, grownvery pale while speaking.

  "Ah! maybe not--maybe not, miss; not if he knew it," said thepawnbroker, now adopting a wheedling and pitiful tone as he drew forththe shining piece and pushed it toward her. "Somebody may haf sheetedhim; but it haf not der true ring of gold, and you'll haf to bring meder t'ree dollars some oder time, miss."

  The girl's delicate face flushed, and tears sprang to her eyes. Shestood looking sadly down upon the money for a moment, then, with aweary sigh, replaced it in her purse, together with the ticket, andleft the shop without a word; while the tricky pawnbroker looked afterher, a smile of cunning triumph wreathing his coarse lips, as hegleefully washed his hands, behind the counter, with "invisible soapin imperceptible water."

  "Oh, mamma! poor mamma! what shall I do?" murmured the girl, with aheart-broken sob, as she stepped forth upon the street again. "I wasso happy to think I had earned enough to redeem your precious watch,and also get something nice and nourishing for your Sunday dinner; butnow--what can I do? Oh, it is dreadful to be so poor!"

  Another sob choked her utterance, and the glistening tears rolledthick and fast over her cheeks; but she hurried on her way, and, aftera brisk walk of ten or fifteen minutes, turned into a side street andpresently entered a dilapidated-looking house.

  Mounting a flight of rickety stairs, she entered a room where a dimlight revealed a pale and wasted woman lying upon a poor butspotlessly clean couch.

  The room was also clean and orderly, though very meagerly furnished,but chill and cheerless, for there was not life enough in thesmoldering embers within the stove to impart much warmth with thetemperature outside almost down to zero.

  "Edith, dear, I am so glad you have come," said a faint but sweetvoice from the bed.

  "And, mamma, I never came home with a sadder heart," sighed the wearyand almost discouraged girl, as she sank upon a low chair at hermother's side.

  "How so, dear?" questioned the invalid; whereupon her daughter gave anaccount of her recent interview with the pawnbroker.

  "I know Mr. Bryant would never have given me the gold-piece if he hadnot supposed it to be all right, for he has been so very kind andconsiderate to me all the week," she remarked, in conclusion, with aslight blush. "I am sure he would exchange it, even now; but he leftthe office at four, and I do not know where he lives; so I suppose Ishall have to wait until Monday; but I am terribly disappointed aboutthe watch, while we have neither food nor fuel to get over Sundaywith."

  The sick woman sighed gently. It was the only form of complaint thatshe ever indulged in.

  "Perhaps the money is not counterfeit, after all," she remarked, aftera moment of thought. "Perhaps the pawnbroker did not want to give upthe watch, and so took that way to get rid of you." "That is so! howstrange that I did not think of it myself!" exclaimed Edith, startingeagerly to her feet, the look of discouragement vanishing from herlovely face. "I will go around to the grocery at once, and perhapsthey will take the coin. What a comforter you always prove to be intimes of trouble, mamma!" she added, bending down to kiss the paleface upon the pillow. "Cheer up; we will soon have a blazing fire andsomething nice to eat."

  She again put on her jacket and hat, and drew on her gloves,preparatory to going forth to breast the storm and biting cold oncemore.

  "I cannot bear to have you go out again," said her mother, in ananxious tone.

  "I do not mind it in the least, mamma, dear," Edith brightlyresponded, "if I can only make you comfortable over Sunday. Next weekI am to go again to Mr. Bryant, who thinks he can give me workpermanently. You should see him, mamma," she went on, flushing againand turning slightly away from the eyes regarding her so curiously;"he is so handsome, so courteous, and so very kind. Ah! I begin tohave courage once more," she concluded, with a little silvery laugh;then went out, shutting the door softly behind her.

  Half an hour later she returned with her arms full of packages, andfollowed by a man bearing a generous basketful of coal and kindlings.

  Her face was glowing, her eyes sparkling, and she was a bewild
eringvision of beauty and happiness.

  "The money wasn't bad, after all mamma," she said, when the man haddeparted; "they didn't make the slightest objection to taking it atthe grocery. I believe you were right, and that the pawnbroker did notwant to give up the watch, so took that way to get rid of me. But Iwill have it next week, and I shall have a policeman to go with me toget it."

  "Did you tell the grocer anything about the trouble you have had?" theinvalid inquired.

  "No, mamma; I simply offered the coin in payment for what I bought,and he took it without a word," Edith replied, but flushing slightly,for she felt a trifle guilty about passing the money after what hadoccurred.

  "I almost wish you had," said her mother.

  "I thought I would, at first, but--I knew we must have something toeat, and fuel to keep us warm between now and Monday, and so I allowedthe grocer to take it upon his own responsibility," the young girlresponded, with a desperate little glitter in her lovely eyes.

  Her companion made no reply, although there was a shade of anxietyupon her wan face.

  Edith, removing her things, bustled about, and soon had a cheerfulfire and an appetizing meal prepared.

  Her spirits appeared to rise with the temperature of the room, and shechatted cheerfully while about her work, telling a number ofinteresting incidents that had occurred in connection with heremployment during the week.

  "Now come, mamma," she remarked, at length; "let me help you into yourchair and wheel you up to the table, for supper is ready, and I amsure you will enjoy these delicious oysters, which I have cooked asyou like them best."

  Mother and daughter were chatting pleasantly, enjoying their meal,when the door of their room was thrown rudely open and two men strodeinto their presence.

  Edith started to her feet in mingled indignation and alarm, then grewdeadly pale when she observed that one of the intruders was anofficer, and the other the grocer of whom she had made her recentpurchases.

  "What is the meaning of this intrusion?" she demanded, trying in vainto keep her tones steady and her heart from sinking with a terribledread.

  "There! Mr. Officer; that is the girl who passed the counterfeit moneyat my store," the grocer exclaimed, his face crimson with anger.

  Edith uttered a smothered cry of anguish, then sank weakly back intoher chair, as the man went forward to her side, laid his hand uponher shoulder, and remarked:

  "You are my prisoner, miss."