Rosemary | Page 6

language. If I could be of use, I would
work so hard for you."
"I dare say I shall be needing a secretary after Christmas, indeed, I'm
sure I shall," insisted the young man, more and more earnest in his
desire to do good. "I have dozens of letters to write every day, and all
sorts of odds and ends to keep straight. I could bring the things down to
your place and you could help me, if you would. But I'm afraid it would
be no end of bother to you."
"I should love it," said the girl, gently.
"Oh, it would be hard work. It would take a lot of your time, and be
worth a lot of money."
"Would it really? But you mustn't overpay me. I should be so angry if
you did that."
"There's no danger. I'm a good business man, I assure you. I should pay
a capable secretary like you--knowing several languages and all
that--say forty dollars a week. That's about two hundred francs."
"Wouldn't that be too much?"
"Hardly enough."
"You are so good--so good! But I knew you would be. I wonder if you
would think me a very bold girl if I told you something? It's this; I've
never forgotten you since those days in Paris. You were different,
somehow, from other men I had seen. I thought about you. I had a
presentiment that we should meet again. My mother dreamed of
numbers to play at roulette. I dreamed of--but oh, I am saying things I
ought not to say! Please don't blame me. When you've starved for two
days, and not known what to do--unless to die, and then a man comes
who is kind, and saves you from terrible things, you can't be as wise
and well behaved as at other times."
"Poor child," said the young man.

"It does me good to be called that. But you don't know my name, the
name of your new secretary. It is Julie--Julie de Lavalette. My mother
is the Comtesse de Lavalette. And you?"
"Oh, I'm plain Hugh Egerton," said the young man.
The girl laughed. "I do not think you are plain Hugh Egerton at all. But
perhaps an American girl would not tell you that? Hugh! What a nice
name. I think it is going to be my favourite name."
She glanced up at him softly, under long lashes,--a thrilling glance; but
he missed its radiance, for his own eyes were far away. Hugh had been
the favourite name of another girl.
When she saw that look of his, she rose from her chair. "I'm taking too
much of your time," she exclaimed, remorsefully. "I must go."
His eyes and thoughts came back to the wearer of pink and roses.
Perhaps there had been just a little too much softness and sweetness. It
had been wise of her to change the key, and speak of parting.
He paid for the lunch, and tipped the waiters so liberally that they all
hoped he would come again often. Then he asked if he might walk with
her to the hotel where she and her mother were staying.
"It's down in the Condamine," she hesitated. "We've moved there lately,
since the money began to go, and we've had to think of everything. It's
rather a long walk from here."
"All the better for me," he answered, and her smile was an appreciation
of the compliment.
They sauntered slowly, for there was no haste. Nobody else wanted
Hugh Egerton's society, and he began to believe that this girl sincerely
did want it. He also believed that he was going to do some real good in
the world, not just in the ordinary, obvious way, by throwing about his
money, but by being genuinely necessary to someone.

When they had strolled down the hill, and had followed for a time the
straight road along the sea on that level plain which is the Condamine,
the girl turned up a side street. "We live here," she said, and stopped
before a structure of white stucco, rococco decoration, and flimsy
balconies. Large gold letters, one or two of which were missing,
advertised the house as the Hotel Pension Beau Soleil; and those who
ran might read that it would be charitable to describe its
accommodation as second rate.
"It is not nice," she went on, with a shrug of her pretty shoulders.
"But--it is good to know all the same that we will not be turned out. I
have a new heart in my breast, since I left this house a few hours
ago--because there is a You in the world."
As she said this, she held out her hand for goodbye, and when he had
shaken it warmly, the young man was bold enough to