A Corner of Destiny E-Book

Grace Livingston Hill

• Herausgeber: Classica Libris
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Beschreibung

Carefree Pemberton Halsey meets Rosalie Wright when he bumps into her… literally! Feeling responsible for injuries she suffered from the accident, Pemberton tries to make things right for her. But his feelings soon turn to guilt when he realizes his carelessness caused more harm to Rosalie than a few broken bones. With a newly awakened conscience, Pemberton vows to do everything in his power to get Rosalie back on her feet. He’ll intercede with her employer, find her a place to live, and help her make friends. But as he gets to know Rosalie and discovers her close walk with God, Pemberton begins to wonder if Rosalie might do him more good than he could ever hope to do for her.

Leseprobe

Grace Livingston Hill

A CORNER OF DESTINY

Copyright

First published in 1904

Copyright © 2019 Classica Libris

Introduction

In addition to her well-known novels that are so beloved today, Grace Livingston Hill wrote several short stories and serials for Christian magazines and newspapers. A Corner of Destiny originally appeared in serialized form in a 1904 Christian magazine. The story conveys themes that are familiar to Grace Livingston Hill fans, as her characters learn the importance of home-ties, true love, and the peace that can only be found through Jesus Christ.

1

Snow was falling fast, and the pavements were slippery underneath it. There were long black marks every few steps where unwary feet had slid unexpectedly. One needed to be very sure-footed to go abroad with safety.

People were remarking to each other that the cold weather had set in early, and it bade fair to be a white Christmas this year if it kept on. Every man had his collar turned up and his umbrella turned facing the wind, for it was a wet snow that melted as it came down and drove with a blurring sound into one’s ears and neck. It was coming thick and fast.

The night was dark and the corner was unlighted near the old Second Church. Something had happened to the electric arc-light that should have been on duty there.

Pemberton Halsey swung along the street with great strides, his umbrella down, his hat drawn forward to protect his eyes, and whistling. He was thinking over the happy conditions of his life. No wonder the whistle held the essence of cheerfulness in spite of the snow! His salary twice raised within six months, and a promotion in prospect for the first of the year; a consciousness of several brave self-denials that had allowed him to save money enough for one or two ambitions of the future, as well as to provide a goodly array of Christmas gifts for his many friends; an invitation to a great house to dinner that very evening, to which he would be hastening in a short time; the opening of a charmed circle of young people to take him in; the commendatory words from a mother—who was usually hard to please—still ringing in his ears from her last letter; were not all these things enough to make him cheerful even in a wet snowstorm?

He turned the corner abruptly, took one step forward and started back, half sliding. His umbrella had come sharply in contact with someone, and there had followed a quick exclamation of distress.

He shut the umbrella quickly, regardless of the blinding snow, and tried to discover what mischief he had done. Just at that moment the electric light chose to flare out fitfully once more in time to show him the form of a woman in a little dark heap at his feet on the pavement. She was trying to rise, and he hastened to help her, with voluble excuses on his lips and true distress in his voice. But when she was almost on her feet again she gasped and screamed and sank back in the snow, her face looking ghastly white in the changing light. He stooped once more and raised her tenderly, this time succeeding in getting her up, though it was evident that she was suffering intensely.

It was a distressing moment. The young man did not know what to do. He looked up and down the street, but no one seemed coming their way.

“It is my foot,” she explained, and her voice, though full of pain and trembling with an effort at self-control, was not unpleasant. “I have hurt my ankle. I cannot step.” And then her breath seemed to leave her, and he felt by the relaxing of her body that she must be fainting. He must do something—and that at once—for he had been the cause of this accident, and assuredly he could not leave her to sink down in the snow.

Perhaps the soft plashing of the great flakes in her face kept her from quite losing consciousness. In a second more she opened her eyes.

“I must get to my room,” she said “it is not far from here. Perhaps you won’t mind helping me, for I don’t believe I can stand alone.”

“Of course you can’t!” exclaimed Pemberton with sudden contrition. “You can’t stand at all. You must not attempt anything of the kind. It might permanently injure you. Where do you say you live?”

“Just around that corner, the second house on the other side of the street,” she said, faintly, pointing in the direction from which he had come. “I think I can walk a little. Oh—!”

But he stooped and gathered her into his strong arms, saying indignantly:

“You can’t walk a step. You would drop down in the snow. Excuse me, this is the only way.”

She was a light burden for the strong young arms used to lifting heavy weights for the mere pleasure of the exercise. She tried to protest, but ended with a deep sigh, and her head dropped wearily back against his shoulder. He felt that she was very tired, and that even in her pain she felt the relief of being saved these few steps. He wondered as he strode silently along, inwardly abusing himself for his carelessness, what manner of woman she was. He felt sure from the tone in which she had spoken those few words that she was not unlovely.

The house to which he presently stamped up with his burden was a dingy, narrow, three-story brick, of the long-deserted, ancient-respectability type. One could tell at a glance it was now a cheap boarding or lodging house. Was this the daughter of the house, or a servant, or only a border? Poor thing, to have to live in such quarters! A thought of the luxurious table at which he would presently be seated, with its brilliant lights, and cut glass, and silver, served to make his pity for this woman deeper.

After some delay a woman with rough, untidy hair and a face worn and keen with fighting the world, opened the door. She held it open only a crack and peered curiously out into the snow at the man with his burden. He pushed past her, however, into the dismal hall and demanded to know where he should take the lady in his arms. As the woman only evinced a tendency to inquire what had happened, he pushed open another door into a small, more dismal living room, where there was a rheumatic sofa. On this sofa he laid his burden and looked in disgust at the surroundings.

“She should have the doctor at once!” he said, decidedly. “Where can I get one quickest? Have you one specially, for whom I can telephone?”

The woman took alarm immediately.

“The doctor!” she said, belligerence in her voice and face. “The doctor, indeed! Well she can’t stay here. That settles it. She hasn’t paid her rent in two weeks, and I can’t keep her room idle. I had an applicant for it today, and he’s coming back tonight to see if she’s paid up. I told her this morning she must ask for her salary, but I knew she wouldn’t have the grit to do it, and I don’t suppose she has. She’ll have to go to the hospital. I can keep her trunk and pictures and things to go on the rent. Goodness knows, they wouldn’t bring enough to half pay me, but I can’t have her ’round here sick.”

The voice had grown harder and colder as it went on, and the young man felt the chill of it in his very bones. He shuddered for the poor girl who lay so white and limp on the sofa. He could see the tears stealing between her lashes in the dim light that was in the room. She must be young, he thought, quite young. How came she to be all alone in this unfriendly household? Had she no friends? The hand that brushed the tears away was thin-looking even through the worn little glove that covered it. She had seen a hard time somehow, and he had made things worse for her. Much worse. As bad as they could be, perhaps. He began to realize the result of this unfortunate accident and its possibilities. He was to blame, and he must help in some way.

Then the girl on the sofa opened her eyes and tried to sit up, though he could see by the drawn look on her face that the action caused terrible pain.

“Mrs. Carpenter,” she said, in that same controlled tone she used to him on the street, “I did ask my employers today for what they owe me, but they told me it would be impossible until the end of the month. They never pay salaries till the month is up for anyone, and you understand perfectly that it was because I was ill last month that I am behind in my rent. I shall have enough to pay you when the month is over, and you have always been paid regularly now for a year.”

There was dignity and reproach in the girl’s voice, and suffering, too. The young man felt like boiling over in his wrath.

“A bird in the hand’s worth two in the bush,” remarked the landlady, coldly. “You’re not likely to get this month’s salary as I see, having to be carried in here this way. What’s the matter with you, anyway? Is it anything catching? I’m not going to have all my boarders leaving for you.”

“I’ve had a fall and twisted my ankle,” said the girl, trying now to rise, and growing deathly white as she did so. “I shall be all right in the morning and shall go to the office as usual.” Then she fell back on the sofa in a dead faint.

“Jimmy, you run to the corner and telephone for the hospital ambulance to come right ’round emmejetly,” said the landlady, energetically, “and don’t say one word to a boarder. They’ll think it’s smallpox sure. Hush! Shut the door, quick!”

By this time young Halsey was on his knees beside the sofa, tearing off the torn cotton gloves and trying to chafe the little blue hands. He demanded in no gentle tones that the woman bring some water and come and help, but she was more interested in Jimmy’s errand and in keeping the boarders out of the way, than in whether the girl came to or not. So when the great sorrowful eyes opened again, their owner saw a young man down on his knees beside her, fanning her with his hat, anxiety and an earnest desire to help written on his handsome face.

“You lie perfectly still!” he commanded. “We’ll get you out of this and fixed comfortably pretty soon. I’m awfully sorry I brought you into all this trouble, but I’ll stick by you and see that you’re well cared for. Just shut your eyes and rest till I can get a doctor.”

There was comfort in the strong tones of his voice, but the girl took alarm at once.

“Oh, you mustn’t get a doctor. I couldn’t possibly have one. I couldn’t afford it. And besides, it isn’t in the least necessary. I shall be all right. It is only a twist. By morning I’ll be able to walk. I fainted because I’m pretty tired and I haven’t had much to eat today. It was so snowy I couldn’t go out to lunch. At least, I thought it wasn’t worthwhile—” Her tone trailed off wearily and he thought she was going to faint again. He arose in alarm to send someone for a doctor, when the door opened and he stood facing one.

“What have we here?” asked the hospital physician, gravely.

Young Halsey recognized the uniform, and explained in low tones, while the landlady kept up an obligato of her own about the danger of contagion to her boarders.

The physician gave her one glance and ignored her. Then he turned with trained eye and skillful fingers to examine the ankle.