Chapter 5
"Mother, Mother, I am so happy!" whispered the girl, burying her fa the lap of the faded, tired-looking woman who, with back turo the shrill intrusive light, was sitting in the one arm-chair that their dingy sitting-room tained. "I am so happy!" she repeated, "and you must be happy, too!"
Mrs. Vane winced and put her thin, bismuth-whitened hands on her daughters head. "Happy!" she echoed, "I am only happy, Sibyl, when I see you act. You must not think of anything but your ag. Mr. Isaacs has been very good to us, and we owe him money."
The girl looked up and pouted. "Money, Mother?" she cried, "what does money matter? Love is more than money."
"Mr. Isaacs has advanced us fifty pounds to pay off our debts and to get a proper outfit for James. You must not fet that, Sibyl. Fifty pounds is a very large sum. Mr. Isaacs has been most siderate."
"He is not a gentleman, Mother, and I hate the way he talks to me," said the girl, rising to her feet and going over to the window.
"I dont knoe could mahout him," answered the elder woman querulously.
Sibyl Vaossed her head and laughed. "We dont want him any more, Mother. Prince Charming rules life for us now." Then she paused. A rose shook in her blood and shadowed her cheeks. Quick breath parted the petals of her lips. They trembled. Some southern wind of passio over her and stirred the dainty folds of her dress. "I love him," she said simply.
"Foolish child! foolish child!" was the parrot-phrase flung in ahe waving of crooked, false-jewelled fingers gave grotesqueo the words.
The girl laughed again. The joy of a caged bird was in her voice. Her eyes caught the melody and echoed it in radiahen closed for a moment, as though to hide their secret. When they opehe mist of a dream had passed across them.
Thin-lipped wisdom spoke at her from the worn chair, hi prudence, quoted from that book of cowardice whose author apes the name of on sense. She did not listen. She was free in her prison of passion. Her prince, Prince Charming, was with her. She had called on memory to remake him. She had sent her soul to search for him, and it had brought him back. His kiss burned again upon her mouth. Her eyelids were warm with his breath.
Then wisdom altered its method and spoke of espial and discovery. This young man might be rich. If so, marriage should be thought of. Against the shell of her ear broke the waves of worldly ing. The arrows of craft shot by her. She saw the thin lips moving, and smiled.
Suddenly she felt the o speak. The wordy sileroubled her. "Mother, Mother," she cried, "why does he love me so much? I know why I love him. I love him because he is like what love himself should be. But what does he see in me? I am not worthy of him. A--why, I ot tell--though I feel so much beh him, I dont feel humble. I feel proud, terribly proud. Mother, did you love my father as I love Prince Charming?"
The elder woman grew pale beh the coarse powder that daubed her cheeks, and her dry lips twitched with a spasm of pain. Sybil rushed to her, flung her arms round her neck, and kissed her. "Five me, Mother. I know it pains you to talk about our father. But it only pains you because you loved him so much. Dont look so sad. I am as happy to-day as you were twenty years ago. Ah! let me be happy for ever!"
"My child, you are far too young to think of falling in love. Besides, what do you know of this young man? You dont eve