CHAPTER XVIII
A HAPPY DISCOVERY
Early in May the concert given by the combined musical organizationswas given. That was the next great interest for Betty and hermusical friends. A close study of good music had been made under thedirection of the leader, and the result was an entertainment ofwhich Lyon High was not ashamed.
Betty, pretty and excited, in her light dress, gracefullymanipulated a bow in the orchestra. Chet was also prominent, tootingaway at the proper time. Lucia sang with the combined glee clubs.Ted Dorrance and his mother sat near enough for Ted to salute Bettywith hand and head. The entire Lee family attended; and thecountess, with Mr. Murchison and some other friends, sat in themiddle of the balcony. The orchestra was one organization wherefavoritism was seldom shown. You played well or you didn't and wereranked accordingly. You came to practice or were dropped. Youbehaved or you were sent to "D. T.," the common expression for"detention" or staying after school in a sort of study hall.
But it was good fun and you met other boys and girls who likedmusic, some of them with fine gifts in the line. And dear me, howwide Betty's acquaintance had grown to be in these three years atLyon High! Hikes and picnics with the G. A. A. or the class or a fewfriends; a party here, a meeting there; the Dramatic Club, the LatinClub, the Girl Reserves and Y. W. affairs. Betty needed a privatedirectory, she declared, not to forget "who was who and where shehad met them." Some were more interesting than others, and amongthose who were interesting she counted the "Pirate of Penzance,"Marcia Waite's brother, from whom she occasionally heard throughMarcia, or Lucia, who was in Marcia's sorority. Once she had a veryfriendly letter from him and at Christmas time he had sent her acard. He always addressed her as "Titania" in remembrance of theirfirst meeting on Hallowe'en. It was his face that she had seen inthe mirror. Wouldn't it be funny if, after all--but what nonsense!
Carolyn and Kathryn were taking a great interest in swimming in thisjunior year and now all three were working hard at the life-savingtests. Betty longed to have some riding lessons to ride "properly,"with Lucia, for from little things that Lucia said from time totime, she fancied this to be Lucia's last year at Lyon High. ButBetty could not do everything. Riding would be just as good anotheryear, her mother said.
And now, one lovely week-end, Mrs. Murchison sent for Mrs. Lee. Thepoor bewildered old lady in the suite upstairs was slipping quietlyover the border from life here to life eternal. Betty went over tostay with Lucia, who had told Betty before how they had put thedolls away when Grandmother Ferris had seemed to come to herself fora while, though weak, sleeping a great deal and finally fallingasleep not to waken.
"This takes away one reason for Mother's staying here," said Luciato Betty after the funeral, when Betty came after school to stay allnight again. "This is what I wanted to talk over with you, Betty. Iwrote everything to my father, Betty, and I wrote again to Italywhere he is now. I haven't had a word from him in reply to all Isaid, or about coming, just cards about where he was and how soon hewould reach Italy and how he was having the _palao_ opened in Milan.Now _that_ may mean something. I left the letter where mother wouldfind it. And Betty, when your mother was here, my mother broke downa little over grandmother's going, and I heard her say, 'Oh, I'm so_lonely_, Mrs. Lee!' And your mother asked her right away if her'husband' would not soon return from his African trip. Evidently youhadn't told your mother a word."
"Oh, no, Lucia! Of course not!"
"Mother said she hoped that he'd get back safely, and your mothersaid that the hardest thing in the world was for families to beseparated. Probably she has heard some talk about Mother's stayinghere so long, but anyhow she saw this sort of thing is all wrong,whether I get educated in America or not. I'd stay here another yearalone if I could get mother to go back to my father!"
"_Would_ you, Lucia? I wish you would stay. I hate to lose you for afriend."
"You're never going to lose me, Betty Lee! I need you. Don't youthink it would be nice to have a real old Italian _palao_ to come towhen you 'go abroad,' as they say here."
"It isn't possible," grinned Betty. "That, Lucia, is a fairy story!"
This conversation took place at the scene of previous confidences,Lucia's own room. And when the girls started to the drawing room alittle later, they passed a room in which Betty heard the sound of amachine. "Peep in a moment, Betty," Lucia suggested, stopping Bettyas she would have gone more rapidly.
Betty looked in at the open door. There sat Giovanna at the machine,and there in a chair beside her sat a dark-haired girl, simply butneatly dressed, and weaving a needle in and out in the meshes ofsome beautiful lace. As the girls paused, the needle stopped and thegirl turned her head in their direction, to smile at Lucia.
"You saw us in the mirror, didn't you?" Lucia asked, stepping withinthe room. "Betty, see how wonderfully this lace is being mended. Sheis practically making lace where it is torn. This is my friend BettyLee, Rose. Betty--" but the Countess Coletti was at the door andspoke.
"Girls, run right down, please. Uncle wants to see you, Lucia."
With a smile at the "Rose," who was about to be more fullyintroduced to her, she supposed, Betty followed Lucia downstairs,while the countess went into the sewing room. "I thought I'dsurprise you, Betty, though I almost forgot it," said Lucia.
"You certainly did! That is the face that we saw at the window whenwe went carolling?"
"Yes. It was just accidental we found the girl, though. Mother hassome lace to be mended, as you saw; and when she inquired a little,one of her friends told her about discovering this girl that doessuch fine work."
"What is her name?"
"Rose Seville, I believe."
"Seville! That is a place in Spain, isn't it? First class ingeography stand up, as Mother says! And it's awfully like Sevilla,too!"
Lucia looked puled, then saw her uncle, who came from the drawingroom into the hall as the girls reached the foot of the stairs. Hewas ready to leave the house, they saw. Nodding to Betty, whom hehad seen before since her arrival, he detained Lucia for somemessage; Betty did not hear what it was and would not have listened.She went on into the drawing room and walked to one of the windowsthat looked out upon the lawns, now lovely with flowers.
Betty was thinking about the girl upstairs. Rose, like the "Rosie"of Mrs. Woods account. Seville, like Sevilla, and that man hadcalled them the Sevillas. At least _he_ had not found them; and ifthis were Ramon's sister, she must have found enough work to getalong. She would ask Lucia if she might talk to this Rose Seville.
Betty had not long to wait and when Lucia came into the room to findher she told her that she had a "mystery to solve," a statement thatinterested Lucia exceedingly. They sat down together on the softcushions of a handsome davenport while Betty told Lucia "all aboutit." With a bit of her mother's energy and direct efficiency, Luciajumped up and declared that they would find out at once. Two eagergirls ran up the stairs to the sewing room, which the countess wasjust leaving.
"Wait a minute, Mother, please," asked Lucia. "Betty wants to speakto Rose and I think you will be interested."
Smilingly, and with her usual poise, the countess waited, Luciaslipping her hand into that of her mother and standing back alittle, near the door, while Betty stepped closer to the girl thatraised such surprised but beautiful eyes to her.
"Excuse me, Miss Seville," said Betty, "but your name reminds me ofsome one that I do not know, but--that I may have some good newsfor." Betty spoke rather stumblingly, in her effort not to startlethe girl if she were the lost "Rosie."
"I have been wanting to find a lady and her daughter named Sevillaever since a Mrs. Woods told me about them." Betty stopped, for thegirl before her turned pale and started to rise hastily.
"But you know I said I have good news for them!" exclaimed Betty,certain now.
"Oh!" exclaimed the girl, dropping back. The countess drew a littlenearer and spoke reassuringly. "Rose, this young girl is perfectlysafe wit
h any secret you may have, and so are we. Nothing can harmyou here."
"Oh!" exclaimed the girl, softly, again. "I--yes. I am the one theycalled Rosie Sevilla there."
"And have you a brother called Ramon? Because we know a very niceboy that was known as Ramon Balinsky here; but he went away and wehad a letter from him, and it's very likely that he will come backto see us some time."
Now the girl was all eager interest. The countess drew the lace fromher hands and lap and sat down herself, in Giovanna's vacant chair,to listen while Betty told all she knew and Rose acknowledged thatthey had been looking for Ramon. "Some time I can tell you all," shesaid in her soft English with the foreign accent. "Ramon is a goodboy. The jewels are our own. That man has been deceiving us firstand then doing us all the harm he could. When we at last found outmore about him, we tried to escape him and find Ramon. Then he mustbe looking for us, too. We went away from the rooms we had because Ihad seen that evil man upon the street here and I knew he would findus. Then a friend we have told us that he had gone and we came backbecause I could have work here and knew some good people like thecountess here. The pretty Italian signorina here told me that shehad seen me when the pretty carols were sung. I listened, but mymother, who is old and sick, wanted me to put down the window."
Rose stopped, but looked troubled. "When did the man come to seeyour father? He has come back again!"
"It was some time ago," answered Betty, "and Father thought that hewould probably go to Detroit to look for Ramon."
"He has money--our money, and he will kill Ramon, I think."
"Perhaps he's been just scaring you," suggested Betty. "He did notlook so terrible as that."
"He is a serpent," said Rose. "Some time I may tell you more, if youcare about it."
The countess, listening, had not much relished having Lucia calledthe "Italian signorina," however flatteringly, as Lucia herself hadnoted by her mother's expression. Oh, yes, Countess Coletti wasmaking an American out of her daughter--_perhaps_, Lucia thought.But the countess had an idea.
"Rose," she said, "how would you like to bring your mother here andhelp me for a while? You would be safe, I think, and especially ifwe arrange for another of your names to be used. I suppose you havea string of them, like most of the noble families in the old world."
"Yes. That has been our mistake--but we wanted Ramon to be able tofind us if he were still alive."
"Poor child!" cried the countess. "There are those rooms on thethird floor since Grandmother Ferris has gone. They are in a wing,by themselves. I will speak to my brother about it. The nurse andmaid who took care of Madam Ferris both wanted to leave. There ismuch to be done, with her private possessions all to be looked over;and some way I can not bear to do it, or let careless people do it.I could use you in many ways, Rose and we would pay you well. Willyou come?"
"Can you mean that?" Rose Sevilla was eagerly leaning forward,almost afraid to believe the countess. Rich people sometimes hadkind impulses and then forgot!
"I mean it," smiled Countess Coletti. "Finish the lace now. Cometomorrow and by that time I will have consulted our new housekeeperand considered the matter of furniture and just what rooms shall becleared for you and your mother. There is every arrangement forcooking light meals there, since it was often necessary."
"Mother is more sick with worry than anything," said Rosie. "Thisnews will make her happy--and to be safe! She is old and has beenthrough so much that it will be like heaven here! I will doeverything. No work is too hard for me."
The countess smiled. "You shall do enough to earn the way of both ofyou, never fear, though I shall want to know some time what daughterof Spanish nobles is living on our third floor."
Rose smiled at that. "You shall know all, perhaps, some day. I thankyou for _trusting_ me!"
At last the trail was laid to bring Ramon and his mother and sistertogether. Betty felt satisfied. Her neglect or carelessness earlierin the steps of identification had not been fatal to the finaloutcome. And it was Lucia and the carolling that were finallyresponsible, as she told Lucia.
"Yes, and who got me to join the Girl Reserves?" asked Lucia. "Nowbring my father over here, Betty, and you _will_ fix us all up!"
"That is beyond little me," laughed Betty. "That is quite your job,Signorina Coletti!"
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