Perdita Read Online Free PDF Page B

castigating her as everything from a fool to a lightskirt, with the morals of an alley cat. She smiled serenely, and informed me I was jealous, as she preened her mop of tangles with her fingers, and shook out her fan.
    At length, Daugherty came, knocked, announced himself, and was allowed to enter.
    “His friend has taken him away,” he said apologetically. “We are bothered by these city fellows as we get close to London. They come out to look over the girls, you know, and make nuisances of themselves.”
    “Just what are you running here, Mr. Daugherty, a theatrical group or a ring of prostitution?” I demanded angrily. I had never uttered such words before, but from having been associated with the army in my youth, I had learned them at a young age.
    "I don’t encourage the fellows. They walk off with my prettiest wenches. Honey attracts flies, ma'am. Always has, always will. The honey is happy enough to find a profitable comb, if it comes to that.”
    “And what got into you to climb up on that stage and make a scandal of yourself?” I asked, turning to vent my fury on Perdita. I spoke more sharply, knowing it was nine-tenths my own fault. I had made it possible, when my job was to prevent it.
    “You said you wanted to stay overnight. Naturally we must pay our way. Everyone in the group has to. Daugherty does not allow any freeloaders, and we don’t have any money. It was very kind of him to let me work it off,” she said, with a smirk that was intended for a smile in his direction.
    “You have turned into a wanton in the space of twenty-four hours!”
    “This one is a natural-born performer,” Daugherty told me, in that pious manner of one explaining the Lord’s will to a nonbeliever. “It is best for you to slip her out to the carriage before the fellow sobers up and starts looking for her. He fell asleep in a corner. He is in no position to close tonight.” I did not understand his last sentence, but took it for a piece of theater jargon.
    "Will we be safe?”
    “Certainly you will. They won’t know you are there. How should they?”
    “Why I thought perhaps you used the carriages as dens of vice, when you were not traveling!” I answered sharply.
    I spoke in angry jest, but the conscious look that descended on his face hinted I had hit upon the truth. “I won’t let anyone near you,” he promised. “You can have the blue dormeuse to yourselves. Phoebe will have my hair out by the roots, but I’ll palm her off with some story.”
    "Come along, then,” I said, taking Perdita by the hand.
    “My clothes!” she reminded me. I had not the courage to ask where she had changed them.
    Daugherty was obliging enough to go for her gown, and hand it to us, while the monkey was given her petticoat to carry. The monkey too earned its keep. It had some small part in the night’s farce. He was doing his best for us, and really it was not Daugherty’s fault we had fallen into such a nasty pickle, so before leaving, I thanked him very civilly. I could not but wonder, as we entered to make our preparations for bed in a carriage, why he was being so kind. The unhappy thought would intrude that he hoped to have my charge appear again onstage, as she had been such a resounding success. We might count ourselves fortunate if he did not blazon her name and likeness on the broadbills handed out in the village before a performance.
    It was dark in the carriage, but the pulling out of the seats to make a bed had already been taken care of. Decadent satin pillows and sheets awaited Phoebe’s pleasure. I had an uneasy inkling we were doing Daugherty as well out of a bed for the night. There was a smell of Macassar hair oil on my pillow that I could not explain otherwise. I did not complain of it to Perdita; she had had enough of licentiousness for one night. We shucked off our gowns, folded them as carefully as possible to lessen the wrinkles, and climbed into the uncomfortable, lumpy bed. Sleep, despite my fatigue,