Chapter LIII: Nina’s Happiness

Talbot Strangemore felt that he could never be grateful enough to Doctor Fielding, who had twice rescued Nina from the sin of self-sought death, and so nobly cared for her in her sickness and sorrow afterward. He knew that the physician was struggling hard to maintain his family while he established his practice in the city, and he longed to help him, but Doctor Fielding steadily refused all offers.

“It was only my duty in the first place,” he said, “and in the second it was a pleasure, because I had done a kindness for the gentle pupil whom my wife loved so dearly. No, the offer of a reward in such a case is almost an insult. I can accept nothing but your friendship, and that of Mrs. Strangemore, which I hope to enjoy all my life.”

But happy and generous Nina was not content to enjoy her happiness and affluence alone, while those noble friends, who had done so much for her, were fighting the battle of adversity, although its horrors were softened by the sweetness of true and faithful love. She knew that Doctor Fielding, both in her sickness and in her after imprisonment, had been compelled to lose much time from his practice in order to attend to her, and she was determined that he should not suffer for his kindness.

So it was barely a week after Nina’s opportune rescue that Minnie Fielding, looking out of her window one morning at the sound of wheels, saw a dainty equipage pausing at her door, out of which stepped a lovely vision in rich blue silk, with streaming azure ribbons and creamy laces, her gold curls falling beneath a broad hat covered with azure plumes. The large dark eyes were laughing with delight as they were lifted to Minnie at the window.

“Come down!” she called, in her tender, musical voice, that had such a note of happiness in it that it thrilled Minnie’s heart in unison.

“It is Nina--oh, how lovely she is in her new found happiness,” she exclaimed, hastening down to meet her.

They were soon seated in the neat little parlor, with the baby, Nina’s pretty little namesake, playing on the floor beside them.

“Oh, my darling girl, how beautiful and happy you look!” cried Mrs. Fielding, gazing in irrepressible admiration at the charming face, that with its radiant eyes and dimpling smiles and rose flushed cheeks did not look much like the marble-pale one in the prison cell a week ago. She was a perfect picture of grace and beauty and happiness now.

A pensive shade drifted for a moment over Nina’s fair young face.

“I _am_ happy,” she said, softly. “As happy as I was wretched a week ago, and I cannot express my happiness in stronger terms than that.”

And a moment later she added: “And only think that but for Doctor Fielding I might have been dead by my own hand and never have lived to know that Talbot loved me, and that after my terrible trial a long future of love and happiness lay before me. You must not be jealous, dear, when I tell you that next to my own husband I shall always love Doctor Fielding better than any other man on the earth because I owe him so much.”

The sweet little lady only laughed at this impulsive outburst from her beloved pupil.

“You may love my dear old darling as much as you please. I shall not be jealous,” she said, brightly.

And then suddenly a graver look overspread Nina’s sparkling face.

“Mrs. Fielding, you know I made my will the 24th of July,” she said, repressing a slight shiver.

“Yes, dear,” Mrs. Fielding answered.

“And I left you ten thousand dollars,” she said.

“No!” exclaimed Mrs. Fielding.

“Yes,” Nina answered with a smile, “I left legacies to a number of my kind friends and the bulk of my great fortune to my husband.”

“Dear Nina, you were very generous. I knew that you had made your will that day, but I had no thought that my name was mentioned in it,” said the little lady.

“Did you really think I could be so ungrateful as to leave your name out of my will after all the years of kindness I owe you, and all the goodness of Doctor Fielding besides?” inquired Nina, with shining, reproachful eyes.

“My dear girl, we had no thought of gain. We were acting solely from love and duty.”

“Yes, I know how truly good and unselfish you are, and that Doctor Fielding has refused to let my husband help him in any way. But shall I tell you what we have decided to do?” asked Nina, with a pretty blush drifting over her face as she pronounced the suggestive pronoun “we.”

Mrs. Fielding, stooping to caress the baby Nina, gave her an affirmative smile.

“You know of course, that papa left me a great deal of money,” said Nina. “Much more than Talbot and I shall ever use, and then there will be plenty for our heirs if we ever have any,” the pretty blush deepening to scarlet. “So we have decided to carry out the conditions of my will just the same as if I had really died.”

“Oh, no, no, no! No one would expect it or _wish_ it!” cried Mrs. Fielding, hastily.

“No one’s _wishes_ will be consulted,” exclaimed Nina, with a pretty, imperious smile. “I am going to have my own way even if--even if my friends get so angry they will never speak to me again. But you could not be so cruel to me, no matter what I did, could you, my dear old friend and teacher?” cried Nina, suddenly falling into the pretty coaxing ways which she remembered had always vanquished gentle Miss Minnie Selden in the by-gone days.

Mrs. Fielding looked at the girl with an affectionate smile and misty eyes.

“It would be hard to be angry with you, dear, but I cannot permit such lavish generosity,” she said.

“Talbot says,” said Nina, with a world of happy love-light irradiating her exquisite face under the drooping blue plumes that shaded it, “that as I have suffered so much, everyone ought to try to make me happy now. He says he will not permit any one to refuse any request of mine if he can prevent it. So, my dear old friend, there is ten thousand dollars in bank to your credit, and here is your check-book. You must not refuse it. It is for you and my little namesake, Nina. You know she is so pale and puny that she ought to go to the mountains or the sea-shore for the rest of the summer, so you must accept the legacy for baby’s sake!”