"My darling, there is danger for you--for me--for us all. How can we
ever hope to win Harry from the society of those who do him harm, when
we are living only to please ourselves?"
"But, Graeme, it is better that we should all go together--I mean Harry
is more with us than he used to be. It must be better."
"I don't know, dear. I fear it is only a change of evils. Harry's
temptation meets him even with us. And, oh! Rosie, if our example
should make it easier for Harry to go astray! But we won't speak about
Harry. I trust God will keep him safe. I believe He will."
Though Graeme tried to speak calmly, Rose saw that she trembled and grew
very white.
"At any rate, Rose, we could not hope that God would hear our prayers
for Harry, or for each other, if we were living in a way displeasing to
Him. For it is not well with us, dear. We need not try to hide it from
ourselves. We must forget the last few troubled months, and begin
again. Yes, we must go farther back than that, Rosie," said Graeme,
suddenly rising, and putting her arms about her sister. "Do you mind
that last night, beside the two graves? How little worth all seemed to
us then, except to get safe home together. Rosie! I could not answer
for it to our father and mother if we were to live this troubled life
long. My darling! we must begin again."
There were tears on Rose's cheeks, as well as Graeme's, by this time.
But in a little Graeme sat down again.
"It is I who have been most to blame. These gay doings never should
have commenced. I don't think Arthur will object to our living much
more quietly than we have done of late. And if he does, we must try and
reconcile him to the change."
It was not difficult to reconcile Arthur to the change. "Graeme must do
as she thought right," he said. "It must be rather a troublesome thing
to keep up such a general acquaintance--a loss of time to little
purpose," and so it would have ended, as far as he was concerned, if
Harry had not discovered Mrs Roxbury's note.
"I declare Mrs Gridley is right," said he. "We are a rising family. I
hope you gave that lady a chance to peep into this note, when she was
here to-day. But how is this? Miss Elliott. Have you one, Rosie?"
Rose shook her head.
"No. Have you, Harry?"
"Have I? What are you thinking of, Rose? Do you suppose those lofty
portals would give admission to one who is only a humble clerk? It is
only for such commercial successes as Mr Green, or Allan Ruthven, that
that honour is reserved. But never mind, Rosie. We shall find
something to amuse us that night, I have no doubt."
"Graeme is not going," said Rose.
"Not going! Oh! she'll think better of it."
"No, she has sent her refusal."
"And why, pray?"
"Oh! one can't go everywhere, as Mrs Gridley says," replied Graeme,
thus appealed to.
"Yes; but Mrs Gridley said that with regard to a gathering of our good
friend, Willie Birnie, the tailor. I can understand how she should not
find time to go there. But how you should find time to shine on that
occasion, and have none to spare for Mrs Roxbury's select affair, is
more than I can comprehend."
"Don't be snobbish, Harry," said Will.
"I think the reasons are obvious," said Arthur.
"Yes," said Graeme, "we knew Willie Birnie when we were children. He
was at the school with you all. And I like his new wife very much, and
our going gave them pleasure, and, besides, I enjoyed it well."
"Oh! if you are going to take a sentimental view of the matter, I have
nothing to say. And Willie is a fine fellow; I don't object to Willie,
or the new wife either--quite the contrary. But of the two, people
generally would prefer to cultivate the acquaintance of Mrs Roxbury and
her set."
"Graeme is not like people generally," said Rose.
"I hope not," said Will. "And, Harry, what do you suppose Mrs Roxbury
cares about any of us, after all?"
"She cares about Graeme going to her party, or she would not have asked
her."
"I am not sure of that," said Graeme, smiling at the eagerness of the
brothers. "I suppose she asked me for the same reason that she called
here, because of the partnership. They are connected with the Blacks,
in some way. Now, that it is off her conscience, having invited me, I
daresay she will be just as well pleased that I should stay at home."
"That is not the least bit uncharitable, is it Graeme?"
"No. I don't think so. It certainly cannot make much difference to
her, to have one more or less at her house on the occasion. I really
think she asks me from a sense of duty--or rather, I ought to say, from
a wish to be polite to her friends the Blacks. It is very well that she
should do so, and if I cared to go, it would, of course, be agreeable to
her, but it will not trouble her in the least though I stay away."
"Well, I can't but say you have chosen an unfortunate occasion to begin
to be fastidious. I should think the Roxbury's would be the very house
you would like to go to."
"Oh! one has to make a beginning. And I am tired of so much gaiety. It
makes no difference about its being Mrs Roxbury."
"Very well. Please yourself and you'll please me," said Harry, rising.
"Are you going out to-night, Harry?" said Graeme, trying not to look
anxious.
"Yes; but pray don't wait for me if I should not be in early," said
Harry, rather hastily.
There was nothing said for some time after Harry went out. Will went to
his books, and Rose went to the piano. Graeme sewed busily, but she
looked grave and anxious.
"What can make Harry so desirous that you should go to Mrs Roxbury's?"
said Arthur, at last. "Have you any particular reason for not wishing
to go?"
"Do you think Harry really cared? No; I have no reason for not wishing
to go there. But, Arthur, we have been going out too much lately. It
is not good for Rosie, nor for me, either; and I refused this invitation
chiefly because she was not invited, I might not have had the courage to
refuse to go with her--as she would have been eager to go. But it is
not good for her, all this party-going."
"I dare say you are right. She is too young, and not by any means
beyond being spoiled. She is a very pretty girl."
"Pretty! Who can compare with her?" said Graeme. "But she must not be
spoiled. She is best at home."
"Proudfute tells me this is to be a reception in honour of your friend
Ruthven, and Miss Elphinstone," said Arthur. "It seems the wedding is
to come off soon. Proudfute is a relation of theirs, you know."
"No; I did not know it," said Graeme; and in a little she added, "ought
that to make any difference about my going? My note is written but not
sent."
"I should think not. You are not supposed to know anything about it.
It is very likely not true. And it is nothing to us."
"No; that is true," said Graeme. "Rosie, my dear, you are playing too
quickly. That should be quite otherwise at the close," and rising, she
went to the piano and sat down beside her sister. They played a long
time together, and it was Rose who was tired first `for a wonder.'
"Graeme, why did you not tell Harry the true reason that you did not
wish to go to Mrs Roxbury's?" said Rose, when they went up-stairs
together.
"The true reason?" repeated Graeme.
"I mean, why did you not speak to him as you spoke to me?"
"I don't know, dear. Perhaps I ought to have done so. But it is not so
easy to speak to others as it is to you. I am afraid Harry would have
cared as little for the true reason as for the one I gave."
"I don't know, Graeme. He was not satisfied; and don't you think it
would have been better just to say you didn't think it right to go out
so much--to large parties, I mean."
"Perhaps it would have been better," said Graeme, but she said no more;
and sat down in the shadow with her Bible in her hand for the nightly
reading. Rose had finished her preparations for bed before she stirred,
and coming up behind her she whispered softly,--
"Graeme, you are not afraid for Harry now? I mean not more afraid?"
Graeme started. Her thoughts were painful, as her face showed; but they
were not of Harry.
"I don't know, love. I hope not. I pray God, no harm may come to
Harry. Oh! Rosie, Rosie, we have been all wrong this long, long time.
We have been dreaming, I think. We must waken up, and begin again."