by Oliver Optic
CHAPTER II.
THOU SHALT NOT STEAL.
Fanny--as we shall call her when she is not in the company of hernamesake--revelled in the possession of the key, and congratulatedherself on her own shrewdness in obtaining it. She applied it to one ofthe drawers of the desk. Though her devoted young mistress had beenfaithful to the last degree in her efforts to instil good principles inthe mind of her pupil, Fanny appeared to have no scruples ofconscience. She did not hesitate, did not pause to consider thewickedness of her acts.
The drawer was unlocked and opened with an eager rather than atrembling hand. She seemed to fear nothing, and to be intent only onobtaining possession of some coveted treasure. As she pulled out thedrawer, she was startled by a very unexpected incident. A great blackcat, suddenly released from imprisonment, sprang out of the drawer,and, terrified by the appearance of the naughty girl, ran around theroom several times, and then disappeared through an open window. Thecat was a stranger to her; it was not a Woodville cat; and, thoughFanny was not frightened, the presence of the animal in the drawer wassuggestive.
"I am not so sharp as I thought I was," said she to herself, quitesoberly. "The housekeeper must have seen me when I was looking for thatkey; but she needn't think I am afraid of a cat!"
Fanny sneered at the thought, and after glancing at the window throughwhich the cat had made her escape, she turned to the drawer again, butit was empty; or it contained only a great card, such as those used inthe Sunday school, on which was painted, in large black letters,
THOU SHALT NOT STEAL!
This card, which must have been placed there for her especial benefitby some member of the family, rendered it certain that her intentionswere suspected, if not known.
"That's a gentle hint not to take anything from that drawer," saidFanny to herself. "There is nothing there, and of course I must takethe hint; but they can't cheat me. There is money somewhere in thisdesk, and I must have it."
Perhaps, under ordinary circumstances, she would have been moved by theexpedient which had been used to deter her from stealing. Thecommandment of God, staring her in the face at the very moment when sheexpected to place her hand upon the forbidden treasure, might havereached her conscience if she had not been engaged in a deeply-laidplan for revelling in stolen joys. As it was, she was only disappointedat not finding the money which the drawer had been supposed to contain.
"Fanny Jane!" called Mrs. Green, the housekeeper, from the entry.
It was not prudent to be seen in the library, and, hastily closing thedrawer, and restoring the key to the nail under the desk, she steppedout at one of the long windows upon the piazza.
"Fanny Jane!" repeated the housekeeper.
"Here I am," said the guilty girl, entering the front door.
"It is time for you to get ready for school," added Mrs. Green.
"I'm not going to school to-day."
"Not going to school? Why not, miss?"
"Because I don't want to go."
"I think you are going," said the housekeeper, firmly.
"And I think I am not going!"
"Very well; then I will send for Mr. Long," added Mrs. Green, with acoolness and decision which were not without their effect upon thestubborn girl.
Mr. Long was a constable, and outside of his official duties, he wasoften employed in various miscellaneous offices by Mr. Grant. He livedin a small cottage adjoining the Woodville estate. This man was a greatbugbear to Fanny, who had a very proper and wholesome regard for thestrong arm of the law.
"I don't care for Mr. Long," said Fanny, shaking her shoulders indefiance; but this was only a vain boast.
Mrs. Green rang a bell for the man-servant who was employed in thehouse. This was more than the naughty girl could endure, for she knewthat Mrs. Green would do all she promised.
"You needn't send for Mr. Long," interposed Fanny, doggedly. "I'll goto school."
"I thought you would; but you may do as you please."
"I'll go, but I want fifteen cents to buy a new copy-book."
As Mrs. Green knew that Fanny needed a new copy-book, she did notobject to this request, and went into the library to procure the money.Instead of going up stairs to prepare herself for school, as thehousekeeper had told her to do, Fanny went out upon the piazza again,and looking through the window, saw Mrs. Green open a closet in thelibrary, and, from a drawer there, take out the money she had askedfor. The housekeeper locked the drawer and the closet door, placing thekey of the latter in a vase on the mantel-piece, and the key of thedrawer under one of a row of volumes on a book shelf. All theseprecautions had been rendered necessary by the presence of thedishonest girl in the house.
Fanny, having carefully observed where the keys were placed, ran upstairs, and presently appeared, dressed for school. Mrs. Green gave herthe money for which she had asked, and having satisfied herself thatthe refractory girl had actually departed for school, she went upstairs to attend to her usual duties. Fanny went as far as the road,and then, instead of turning to the left, she went to the right, andkeeping in the shadow of the trees, reached the rear of the mansion.From this point she crept round to the piazza, from which she passedinto the library.
"She can't cheat me!" said Fanny, again congratulating herself upon herown cunning. "She'll find, before night, that I'm too much for her."
The wicked girl then went to the vase, and taking from it the key,opened the closet. From the place where she had stood, she could notdetermine exactly under which book the key of the drawer had beenplaced; but after raising half a dozen of them, she found the object ofher search. The drawer was opened, and on the top of several bundles ofpapers lay a pocket-book. Her eyes snapped with unwonted fire as shediscovered the prize.
She opened it, and found a great roll of bills; in one of the pocketsthere was a mass of currency. There was no great staring placard, with"Thou shalt not steal" printed upon it, but the words seemed to bespoken from her own breast--seemed to be thundering in her soul. ButFanny was excited by the prospect of the stolen joys, in which she hadbeen revelling in anticipation for a fortnight, and she heeded not thevoice from her breast, and silenced the thunder-tones that rolledthrough her soul.
"Shall I take it all?" whispered she, as she gazed on the great pile of"greenbacks and currency." "I may as well be hung for an old sheep as alamb," she added, as she gathered up the money, and thrust it into herpocket.
A noise in the entry startled her. She closed the drawer, locked it,and restored the key to the place where she had found it. The closetdoor was secured in like manner, and the key returned to the vase.Passing out of the library as she had entered, she made her way back tothe road, and walked towards the school-house. Before she reached it,however, she turned down a lane leading to the river. It was a lonelyavenue, completely shaded by trees, which concealed her from the viewof the people in the adjoining houses. Increasing her pace to abounding run, she soon reached the Hudson.
Seated on a stone, near the river, was a girl of fourteen, who hadevidently been waiting for Fanny. In her hand she held a couple ofbooks, which indicated that she also had been sent to school.
"Where have you been? Why didn't you come before?" asked the girl, asshe rose at Fanny's approach.
"I couldn't come before," replied Fanny.
"Why not?" demanded the other, whose name was Kate Magner.
"No matter why not," answered Fanny, rather testily, for she was notyet quite willing to confess what she had done in the library of themansion-house.
"Haven't the folks gone away?"
"Yes; they all went off in the morning train. Where is Tom?"
"I don't know."
"But we want him; we can't get along without him."
"He said he would come."
"But he is late."
"So are you."
"I couldn't help it."
"I suppose he can't, either. But what are we going to do, Fan?" askedKate, who did not seem to be satisfied with the present prospect of theen
terprise, whatever it was.
"We are going to have a good time."
"You said that before; but I want to know what we are going to do. Youasked me to meet you here at half past eight. You come at nine, and Idon't see that anything is to be done. I shall catch it for playingtruant from school, and all for nothing."
"You shall have the best time you have had in your life."
"I don't know about that. Why don't you tell me what you mean to do?"
"I am almost afraid to tell you, Kate."
"Afraid of what?"
"I'm afraid you won't dare to go with me."
"Did you ever do anything I was afraid to do?" said Kate, with a sneer.
"But this is a greater thing than we ever did before. We may be gone along time, and we are certain to be found out."
"What do you mean?" demanded Kate, apparently appalled by this frankstatement of the difficulties of the enterprise.
"I thought it would scare you," laughed Fanny.
"But it don't scare me."
"Yes, it does."
"I will do anything that you dare to do," replied Kate, stung by theflings of her companion.
"You shall have the greatest time that ever was, but you must take theconsequences after it is all over."
"If you can, I can."
"Come with me, then," continued Fanny, as she moved along the bank ofthe river towards the Woodville landing pier.
"I won't go a step till I know what you are going to do."
"I'm afraid you will back out."
"No, I won't; I solemnly promise you that I will go with you anywhereyou please."
"I have got some money," added Fanny, in a very mysterious manner.
"How much?"
"Two dollars."
"Pooh! that ain't much!" sneered Kate.
"Well, I've got five dollars."
"Have you?"
"Yes."
"Where did you get it?"
"I found it."
"Where?"
"On the floor."
Kate probably had her doubts in regard to the finding of the money, butshe did not ask any troublesome questions, and repressed whatever ofrighteous indignation might have risen in her soul.
"What are you going to do with it?" she asked.
"We will have a good time with it."
"But where are you going?"
Fanny glanced at her companion, and hesitated to reveal the brilliantproject, fearful that it might be disapproved.
"We will go over to Whitestone, or down to Pennville, and buysomething. But where is Tom? We must have him."
"What do you want of him?" asked Kate, rather petulantly.
"We must go over in a boat, and we want him to manage it for us."
"Perhaps he will come; he promised to do so."
"We will go up to the landing-place; perhaps he is up there."
The two girls walked up to the Woodville pier; but Tom Magner was notthere. He seemed to have no relish for the society of the interestingyoung ladies engaged in a brilliant enterprise; and if he had made anyappointment to meet them, he neglected to keep it. Fanny was very muchdisappointed at his non-appearance, much more so than the younggentleman's sister, who, not knowing the extent of the enterprise, wasin blissful ignorance of its perils and difficulties. Tom Magner was analmost indispensable part of the plan; but the young knight did notcome, and the project must be abandoned or carried out without him.
"I am afraid he won't come," said Fanny, after impatiently waiting forhalf an hour.
"I know he won't now. I don't believe he intended to come at all,"replied Kate.
"He is a mean fellow, then."
"We can get along without him. We shall have more money to spendourselves."
"But how shall we get over to Whitestone?"
"We can go up the river and take the ferry."
"Yes; and the first person we meet may be your father, or some of theWoodville folks. No, Kate, we must not be seen; if we are, all our funwill be spoiled."
"For my part I don't want Tom, or any other boy with us. I think boysare hateful!"
"So do I; but I only want him to manage the boat. Don't you think youcould go up and find Tom?"
"I don't think I could," said Kate, indignantly.
"Where is he?"
"At school, I suppose."
"Couldn't you tell the teacher that your father wants him?" suggestedFanny.
"No, I could not! I should be caught myself. I believe you want to getme into trouble."
"I'm sure I don't, Kate, for that would get me into trouble. What shallwe do?"
"We will go up to the ferry. We can see who is in the boat before we goon board."
"I won't do that if we don't go at all."
And so the brilliant scheme seemed to be defeated for the want of aboatman; but Fanny was too bold and enterprising in mischief to give upwithout a struggle.
