wire his wife. She could surely ask Mr. Sargent a question or two.”
“We’re not allowed to worry Mr. Sargent with anything. The doctor said anything we couldn’t settle ourselves to let go till he gets back.”
Astra turned at last from the telephone with unbidden tears welling in her eyes. There just wasn’t anything to do but wait until that Will Sargent got back from his holiday. The strange young secretary had declined to give her his address, had probably been told not to give it to anyone, and was evidently suspicious of the young woman who wanted advance money on a cock-and-bull story of having had her money stolen from her. Astra had at last persuaded her to take down her name and address and promise to call her up when the young Mr. Sargent should arrive, but that was all. Well, that was that. She was very much on her own again!
She went out and got her bottle of milk and her box of crackers, and went back to her cheerless little room. There were still Christmas lights out the window, across the park, and down the street, and the great white star still shone with its personal, insistent message burning bright against the tree, F OR U NTO Y OU I S B ORN , but Astra’s heart was very heavy, and she sat there at her window, with troubled eyes for some minutes, nibbling on a cracker, before the old thrill came with the bright words: U NTO Y OU — A S AVIOR !
Well then, she would test out her faith. If He was her Savior—and she had no doubt about that—she would just trust Him. He would look out for her! He had always taken care of her. He
would
!
So she drank her milk and finished her cracker, knelt and laid her affairs in God’s hands, and then went to bed and to sleep.
When she woke in the morning, she resolutely refused an entrance to worry, though it tried to get into her soul and distract her. Her job today was to stay in her room, ready for a summons if one should come. She had done her best to get in touch with Will Sargent once more, and if no word came from him, she would just forget it until she was through with this work for Mr. Cameron.
She went down to the Association restaurant and got a simple, cheap breakfast. She mustn’t waste a cent, for there was no telling how long it would be before she could replenish her fortunes. Then she went back to her room, leaving careful directions at the desk to be called if anybody came for her.
A call to the Sargent home elicited only the information that the other secretary had telephoned that Mr. Will would not return for a couple of days yet, and that she had left word with her assistant that all she knew about the Everson account was that the usual amount had been forwarded to Astra’s western address at the usual time. She had no authority to advance any on next quarter’s installment. She had made a note of it and would consult with Mr. Will as soon as he returned.
So Astra settled down to read and tried to forget finances.
About ten o’clock came a message from Cameron’s secretary that he would call for her at two o’clock on his way to the lawyer’s office and they would proceed to court if the doctor and nurse arrived as hoped.
They went to court as scheduled, and the doctor and nurse walked in soon after them.
The proceedings at court were very brief and simple. The lawyer had everything arranged. There were no hitches and no interruptions. No unwelcome stepson appeared, and no irate widow with another lawyer. It was all carried off in a quiet, quick manner. The doctor and the nurse took the next plane returning to New York. Cameron and Astra went down to the street together.
“And that finishes it, doesn’t it?” she said as they reached the street door. She had a feeling that now she would be seeing Cameron no more, and it seemed as if she ought to ask him a question or two about getting a job if she needed one. She felt strangely desolate at the thought that there would be no one now, when he was gone, even to greet her
“We’re not allowed to worry Mr. Sargent with anything. The doctor said anything we couldn’t settle ourselves to let go till he gets back.”
Astra turned at last from the telephone with unbidden tears welling in her eyes. There just wasn’t anything to do but wait until that Will Sargent got back from his holiday. The strange young secretary had declined to give her his address, had probably been told not to give it to anyone, and was evidently suspicious of the young woman who wanted advance money on a cock-and-bull story of having had her money stolen from her. Astra had at last persuaded her to take down her name and address and promise to call her up when the young Mr. Sargent should arrive, but that was all. Well, that was that. She was very much on her own again!
She went out and got her bottle of milk and her box of crackers, and went back to her cheerless little room. There were still Christmas lights out the window, across the park, and down the street, and the great white star still shone with its personal, insistent message burning bright against the tree, F OR U NTO Y OU I S B ORN , but Astra’s heart was very heavy, and she sat there at her window, with troubled eyes for some minutes, nibbling on a cracker, before the old thrill came with the bright words: U NTO Y OU — A S AVIOR !
Well then, she would test out her faith. If He was her Savior—and she had no doubt about that—she would just trust Him. He would look out for her! He had always taken care of her. He
would
!
So she drank her milk and finished her cracker, knelt and laid her affairs in God’s hands, and then went to bed and to sleep.
When she woke in the morning, she resolutely refused an entrance to worry, though it tried to get into her soul and distract her. Her job today was to stay in her room, ready for a summons if one should come. She had done her best to get in touch with Will Sargent once more, and if no word came from him, she would just forget it until she was through with this work for Mr. Cameron.
She went down to the Association restaurant and got a simple, cheap breakfast. She mustn’t waste a cent, for there was no telling how long it would be before she could replenish her fortunes. Then she went back to her room, leaving careful directions at the desk to be called if anybody came for her.
A call to the Sargent home elicited only the information that the other secretary had telephoned that Mr. Will would not return for a couple of days yet, and that she had left word with her assistant that all she knew about the Everson account was that the usual amount had been forwarded to Astra’s western address at the usual time. She had no authority to advance any on next quarter’s installment. She had made a note of it and would consult with Mr. Will as soon as he returned.
So Astra settled down to read and tried to forget finances.
About ten o’clock came a message from Cameron’s secretary that he would call for her at two o’clock on his way to the lawyer’s office and they would proceed to court if the doctor and nurse arrived as hoped.
They went to court as scheduled, and the doctor and nurse walked in soon after them.
The proceedings at court were very brief and simple. The lawyer had everything arranged. There were no hitches and no interruptions. No unwelcome stepson appeared, and no irate widow with another lawyer. It was all carried off in a quiet, quick manner. The doctor and the nurse took the next plane returning to New York. Cameron and Astra went down to the street together.
“And that finishes it, doesn’t it?” she said as they reached the street door. She had a feeling that now she would be seeing Cameron no more, and it seemed as if she ought to ask him a question or two about getting a job if she needed one. She felt strangely desolate at the thought that there would be no one now, when he was gone, even to greet her
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