“And his wife more than made up for his lack of ambition,” he chided right back, looking up at her with an adoring twinkle in his eyes. For all the difference in their physical appearances, they obviously shared a mutual affection that Sarah couldn’t help but envy.
“I understand you were the one who first introduced Mrs. Dennis to the work at the mission,” Sarah said, deciding she’d ask Mrs. Graves some more about Mrs. Wells when she could get her alone.
“Yes, I was,” she said with a rueful glance at Richard.
“She did enjoy her work there,” Richard assured her quickly. However much he might blame the mission for Hazel’s death, he held no grudge against his friends.
“And she is very kindly remembered there,” Sarah added.
“I’m not surprised,” Mrs. Graves said. “Hazel was an exceptional person.”
Some more guests were arriving who needed Sarah’s attention, but she said to Mrs. Graves, “I’d love to hear more about how you became involved with the mission. Could we talk later?”
“Certainly,” Mrs. Graves said. “I’d be happy to tell you everything I know about it.”
Mr. and Mrs. Graves went off to mingle and greet acquaintances while Sarah and Richard finished their duties. A short time later, Sarah’s parents joined the party, which meant that all the guests had arrived. Mrs. Wells was scheduled to make her appearance a little later in the evening, after the guests had a chance to sample the food and wine the Deckers had provided for them and were in a more generous mood.
Sarah found Opal Graves sitting in a corner, entertaining an elderly lady who could hardly hear a word she was saying. Sarah rescued her, taking her out into the corridor where they could speak without being overheard.
“I wanted to thank you for coming,” Sarah began.
“And I wanted to thank you for inviting us. It’s good to see Richard taking an interest in society again. He’s been far too solitary since Hazel died. I suppose we have you to thank for that, Mrs. Brandt,” she added with a twinkle.
“I don’t want to disappoint you, but Richard and I are merely friends,” Sarah said. “He knew that my work often takes me to the Lower East Side, and he asked me to go with him to the mission so he could find out what his wife had done there.”
“Forgive me if I sound like a hopeless romantic, but love has grown in rockier soil than that,” she said. “Now don’t look so panicked,” she added with a large grin. “I’m only teasing you.”
Sarah managed a smile in return. “It would take more than that to panic me,” she assured her companion. “I am grateful to Richard for introducing me to the mission, however. I’ve started volunteering there myself.”
“You mentioned your work takes you to that neighborhood. What type of work do you do?”
“I’m a midwife,” she said, fully expecting to see the frown of disapproval or even distaste that usually followed this admission, but Mrs. Graves simply looked intrigued. “Of course I don’t deliver babies at the mission,” Sarah assured her. “I’ve begun teaching the girls about hygiene and how to protect themselves against disease.”
“Mrs. Brandt, you astonish me! How did you ever escape the clutches of your adoring family to pursue such a career?”
“I married well,” Sarah said, her smile genuine this time. “And when my husband died, I continued his work. He was a physician.”
“I see. So you’ve decided to help Mrs. Wells save the souls of those poor, miserable girls.”
“I don’t know about their souls. That’s Mrs. Wells’s job. I’m only trying to save their bodies.”
“A worthy goal, and one that is far easier to attain,” Mrs. Graves said with sincere approval.
“You said you didn’t know Mrs. Wells very well, but I was wondering what you thought of her,” Sarah asked.
“What do you mean?” she asked.
“I’m not asking you to gossip,” Sarah hastily assured her. “I’d just like your opinion on her methods. Have they been successful? I saw a few things at the mission that concerned me, and I’d like to have someone else’s view of the situation.”
“As I told you, I don’t know Mrs. Wells very well. We’ve continued to support the mission out of respect for Mr. Wells and his vision, and because we honestly believe it serves a useful purpose. I’m ashamed to admit we haven’t been as involved as we should have been, however, since Hazel died. I’ve been – well, going there brought back too many memories of her. What have you seen that disturbed you?”
“Nothing untoward,” Sarah said. “I’m sure Mrs. Wells isn’t even aware of it, but I saw a lot of rivalry among the girls for her affections.”
“I would expect them to be jealous of each other, under the circumstances. Our children are jealous of each other. It’s only natural for them to want all the attention for themselves.”
“I wish it were that type of jealousy, but I had a sister, and I know the difference,” Sarah said. “At the mission, they are much more fierce.”
“Don’t forget you aren’t dealing with a finishing school here, Mrs. Brandt,” Mrs. Graves reminded her. “You would know even better than I what those girls have been through. They may have seen people beaten to death out of jealousy or stabbed for a scrap of food. They’ve probably never even seen
“I suppose you’re right. I hadn’t thought of it that way, but I still don’t think it’s a good situation. The girls behave almost as if they were romantic rivals.”
Mrs. Graves raised her eyebrows as the meaning of Sarah’s words sank in. “I suppose they are, in a way,” she agreed. “They must be desperate for love, and Mrs. Wells offers them the promise of unconditional acceptance – from God but mostly from herself, as his messenger on earth.”
“I thought you said you didn’t know her well,” Sarah said.
“I don’t, but this seems like the approach she would take,” she explained. “And it would certainly be effective. The girls know they must repent their evil ways in order to win Mrs. Wells’s acceptance, and along the way, they seek God’s acceptance as well.”
“That seems almost… dishonest,” Sarah admitted reluctantly.
“Tricking someone into the Kingdom of God? Perhaps you’re right, but who are we to judge?”
Sarah had no answer to that question.
“Mrs. Brandt, although I haven’t been to the mission in a long time, I do know how much Hazel loved her work there,” Mrs. Graves said. “She found… I’m not sure how to describe it. Perhaps it was peace she found. I’d never seen her so contented, and she credited Mrs. Wells for helping her achieve that peace. This is why we’ve continued to support the work there.”
“Would you like to go down with me sometime to see it again?”
Mrs. Graves considered the offer for a moment. “Yes, after what you’ve told me, I think I’d like to see what’s going on there.”
Sarah smiled, glad that she would have an unbiased observer to help her make sense of what she’d seen there. “I’ll be going tomorrow, if you’re free.”
“I’ll make a point of it,” she said thoughtfully.
Someone touched Sarah’s arm. She turned to see one of the maids, who said, “Mrs. Wells is here, ma’am.”
Frank was getting tired of searching through the rat holes of the slums in the dark of night, but he supposed if he was hunting rats, he’d have to go where they were. He and his cohorts had spent the better part of two days seeking out the locations Billy had given him. Finding Danny during the daylight hours was more than he’d hoped for, and his expectations had been met. The young man was most likely out keeping an eye on his young charges while they worked the streets. The children who stole for him would require constant supervision, Frank supposed. Children could be unreliable.
Of all the places Billy had mentioned, Frank had thought the shanty under the bridge would be their best bet, and he’d been right. The earlier rain shower had driven everyone to shelter, and when they arrived after full dark, a fire still smoldered in front of the open doorway. A small child was making his way through the trash and debris carrying a growler of beer toward it. He would have purchased the tin pail of liquid refreshment at a nearby stale beer dive for a few cents. Children wouldn’t be welcome to remain in such places, so one of them would make a purchase and bring it back for the rest of them to share. When their weariness and loneliness and fear had been deadened by the alcohol, the children would sleep under the protection of their mentor.
