IN THE GERMAN.
There come, sometimes, in certain lives, certain days and
weeks which seem to be all adrift and beyond legislation. The
people who might exercise control cannot; and the people will
not who can; and so the hours sweep on in a rushing stream of
events and consequences, which every now and then flings
somebody upon the rocks. Or it may be, in very happy cases,
only some _thing;_ but until this is made sure the lookers-on
feel anxious.
So felt Mr. Falkirk, a prisoner still with his lame ankle; so
felt (probably) Mr. Rollo, called suddenly away by business a
hundred miles off. So certainly felt Mrs. Bywank, watching her
young lady with motherly eyes. But the young lady herself felt
quite at ease, and as she had said, 'content.' Why not? With
flowers by day and serenade by night; with game from every bag
and trout from every hook; with cavaliers starting up out of
greensward and woodland whenever she went out; with carriages
and horsemen always at the door when she was at home. The
serenades indeed were shared impartially with Mr. Falkirk and
Gotham; for Wych Hazel still kept her room in the cottage, and
was there by night. But the days were often spent in the house
on the hill; and the distance between the two was often--to say
the least--not made alone. The new saddle-horses had not yet
arrived, and no others were countenanced by Mr. Falkirk; but
such walks had their facilities, even without the possible
indoor extensions which sometimes took place. And for evening
purposes an equipage had been arranged which relieved Miss
Kennedy of all dependence on her neighbours. Mr. Falkirk's
prostrate condition prevented her giving any entertainments as
yet; but she went everywhere, with Gotham--grim and trusty--upon
the box; and more and more the days, as they went on, brought
everybody to her feet. It was excellent fun! For it is really
delightful to be liked; and admiring looks you cannot quite
meet have yet their fascination, and the words you scarce hear
have their charm. Altogether there was a strong flavour of
enchantment abroad; and it seemed probable that the prince was
somewhere. The princess had not seen him yet, that she knew
of; but undoubtedly she was learning that some day she might.
Yet Hazel took the knowledge in a pretty way. Too innately
true to flirt, too warm-hearted to trifle, too real a woman to
follow in the steps of Kitty Fisher; and, it may be said,
thinking far too much of herself to descend from her vantage
ground of feminine reserve. Perhaps there was no one thing
which caught and _held_ her admirers like this: the real girlish
dignity which made them keep their proper distance. The most
unscrupulous of them all would as soon have dared anything as
to venture (to her) an unauthorized touch, or a word that
savoured of freedom. So far, she went safe through the fire.
If she could have known, poor child, what sort of a fire it
was; if her thoughts had even dimly imagined what men old in
the world may be; no kid glove nor silken tissue would have
been deemed thick enough to fend off the contact. But she knew
nothing of all that, except by the instinct which now and then
gave her a sudden sheer. As it was, she was intensely amused,
and half out of her wits with fun and frolic and utter light
heartedness; seeing no harm, imagining no evil; quite
regardless of Mrs. Bywank's wise maxim that what men of sense
disapprove, a woman--as a rule--had better not do. And for a
while there were not men of sense at hand to give her counsel.
Mr. Falkirk looked on from too great a distance to point his
strictures; Gotham's grumbles over the serenades and the
cavaliers only helped the excitement. And since Mr. Falkirk
would not let her fling her written thanks out of the window,
the _spoken_ thanks followed, as a matter of course, and
effected quite as much.
And yet, you will say, no harm came, and everything was as it
should be. Well, there are some who plunge through the mud
ankle-deep; and there are others that got but over shoe; and
here and there one that crosses on tiptoe; but you would
rather that they all chose a better road. And intoxication is
not a good thing, whatever may be the means thereto; and the
sweet, fresh years of which Dr. Maryland had spoken, were
quite too precious to be spun off to the music of Strauss, or
wilted down by late hours, or given up wholly to hearing that
Miss Kennedy was the one of all the world. Not so do natures
enlarge and characters develop to their fairest proportions;
not so do souls grow strong and noble for the coming work of
life.
Kitty Fisher was not exactly jealous of all this--or had too
much sense to shew it; but deep in her heart she did wish she
could dismount Wych Hazel from her pedestal, that comparisons
might be made on level ground. Kitty would not have been
timid, for the world; and yet the shy blushes which came as
freely as ever to Miss Kennedy's cheeks did somehow give her a
pang. And while nothing could have bought off her daring
speech and behaviour, she yet knew it _was_ a pretty thing to
have the deference which always approached the young lady of
Chickaree.
'I must get that out of her,' she said to herself. 'She's
bound to give it up. Wait till I get her fairly into the
German!'
And so far she succeeded. Miss Kennedy did get 'fairly in,'--
but as yet the rest of the plan had failed. Hazel danced, and
led, and followed, in the wildest gaiety, within certain
limits; beyond them she would not go; meeting all Kitty
Fisher's proposals with a look of incredulous disgust and
surprise that generally cut short the business for that time.
And gentlemen who stood by laughed and applauded; and if Hazel
had known just _why_ they clapped hands, and just what she was
avoiding, she would have wanted to stand no longer in their
neighbourhood just then.
Balls followed dinners, and one German came close on the heels
of another, with pic-nics, boating parties, croquet parties,
and open-air breakfasts; and everywhere the young queen held
her court; with beauty, and grace, and money, and a faultless
toilet.
Now in the selfishness of this self-seeking world, our
interest in a thing, our judgment of it, does very much depend
upon its connection with ourselves. Have we any shares in the
field for sale?--if not, why, manage it as you will, sunshine
and clouds are alike to us. But if we have, the interest of
the matter changes at once, and we are blind no more.
Following upon sundry other festivities came a brilliant
German at Mme. Lasalle's. Thither came everybody, in proper
time; thither, rather late, and fresh-returned from his
journey, came Mr. Rollo; and making his way easily along,
through rooms ablaze with light and almost faint with flowers,
he reached a point where 'The Thread of Destiny' was in full
progress, tangling itself up about Wych Hazel. It was
impossible not to make her the centre of the group, though six
ladies stood there together; and about them all, one end of a
long white ribband in his hand, danced Mr. Nightingale--not
saying, exactly--
'I wind, I wind,
Hoping my true love to find'--
but perhaps thinking it in his heart; for when coil after coil
had gone round the blooming prisoners, and the white sheen
came suddenly to an end at Wych Hazel, it was with very
evident satisfaction that Mr. Nightingale took her hand and
led her out--his partner by the thread of destiny.
Nothing could be prettier than she was through it all; neither
giggling nor smirking, nor making remarks like Miss Powder and
the rest; her lovely shoulders veiled beyond all reach of
criticism, her eyes intent upon the ribband, her thoughts
intent upon the game. So that when all came to a climax at
her, she laughed right out--the merriest laugh of glee and
satisfaction. Very pretty!--was it anything more? Do you (apart
from dancing) give your daintiest possessions into common
hands? Why, you will not let a servant even dust the china
shepherdess on your mantel-piece!--but any hands that you know--
and any that you don't know--may touch and clasp and support
the young daughters and sisters of your love, and whirl them
about the room, as you would not have your shepherdess treated
for all the world.
Cajolements did not avail that evening to induce Mr. Rollo to
dance; and they were tried. He was in what Wych Hazel might
have called a very Spanish mood. Not to her; indeed he never
approached her nor sought to interrupt the pretensions of
those who crowded round her, courting her favour and
worshipping her pleasure, and craving to be made ministers of
the same. She was in a throng, and he did not try to penetrate
it. Why he stayed so long was a mystery; for what is a German
if you do not dance? He was not a mere idle spectator, nor
idle at all, it is true; he made himself busy enough, taking
elderly ladies to supper and serving younger ones with beef-
tea; but those are not engrossing amusements. Mme. Lasalle
declared he was very useful; and watched to see what it meant;
but beyond that he could not be seen to look at anybody in
particular, she could resolve herself of nothing. Certainly he
took leave a little before Wych Hazel left the room; they were
not together, the lady was sure.