_Mar._ Yes, a letter.
She brings no challenge sure.
THE MAID IN THE MILL.
_Val._ He must not then be angry
That loses her.
_Gom._ Oh! that were Sir, unworthy.
_Mir._ A little sorrow he may find.
_Val._ 'Tis manly.
THE KNIGHT OF MALTA.
The next morning Harriet was in a high fever. Mr. Singleton said she had
nobody to thank for it but herself. She had no business at a ball when
she was suffering from a severe cold, unless she had chosen to go in a
fur cloak. That he wondered how any ladies escaped without catching
their death at such places; and that he hoped the servant who was gone
for the doctor would not be an hour on the road. Margaret seriously
alarmed about her friend, had been making the breakfast in silence,
until Mr. Singleton's attack upon Harriet led her to say, with tearful
eyes, that she believed Harriet had gone to the ball entirely on her
account, and that she felt so very sorry she had not more decidedly
opposed it.
Mr. Gage, who had said nothing upon the subject in any way, and who had
hardly seemed to know Harriet was not at table, now begged Margaret not
to allow herself to feel any concern on that point, for that he believed
Miss Conway had been always rather remarkable for her imprudences.
Margaret always disliked his polite phrases, and the persuasive interest
of his manner, but now they seemed more than ever out of place. The slip
of paper that Harriet had entrusted to her was lying folded by her
side--she had no idea what it might contain; but now, seeing Mr.
Humphries standing at the window with Mr. Singleton, she took it up
timidly, and said with a little hesitation:--"Harriet desired me to give
you this paper, Mr. Gage."
He took it up very politely, glanced at it, and handed it back to her.
It contained only two words:--"_Go away._"
He drew his chair nearer to Margaret, glanced at the window, and then
said in a low voice:--"Perhaps you will tell Miss Conway, that my
respect for Mr. and Mrs. Singleton will not admit of my complying
_immediately_ with her demand."
"I will," said Margaret.
She felt pleased with his reply, and with his straightforward manner;
and she hoped that she was not considered a party concerned in so abrupt
a missive. And yet she could hardly help laughing, it appeared to her so
very ridiculous.
Mr. Gage took up the paper and looked at it again. "I think I need
hardly _write_ an answer," he said.
He seemed as little inclined to be grave as Margaret. She assured him
that she would deliver his message faithfully. He twisted up the paper,
and seemed about to burn it, when he drew it back, said it was really
worth preserving, and added something, as if to himself, about its being
"so like a spoilt child."
Like most men, who think a spoilt child the perfection of womankind,
until they have her, when their opinion changes inconveniently fast.
Then turning to Margaret, who was about to leave the room, he said "that
he could not avoid expressing his thanks for her skilful interference
last night; that it was most kind in her to undertake so difficult and
unpleasing a task; and for himself, he was grateful to her for
preventing what might have been annoying to all parties."
Margaret thought he could not have been more glad than she was to
prevent a scene; she made some quiet remark to his compliment, and went
back to her friend's room.
For three days, Margaret was a voluntary prisoner with Harriet. Every
morning after breakfast, when she was locking up the tea-chest, Mr.
Humphries made it a point to sidle up to her, and ask "if she could not
make him of any use; if he should not drive over to G----, and get any
thing for Miss Conway." He likewise, at the same period, warned Miss
Capel against the dangers of attending too closely upon her sick friend.
"It is all very well for a day, you know," he said, "but how any body
can stand being shut up in a sick room for so long, I can't imagine; and
I really think, Miss Capel, I----" and here Mr. Humphries looked round,
as if he was anxious to hide behind some of the furniture, "I think,
indeed, you are beginning to look pale."
"Oh! I shall do very well," said Margaret, smiling, "Harriet will soon
be down stairs, I hope."
"And in the meantime," said Mr. Gage, with deep anxiety, "I fear you are
injuring your health by your kind exertions."
Margaret thought he might as well expend a little of his interest upon
Harriet's health, which at that time was in rather a more precarious
state than hers, but she said "it was a pleasure to her to sit with
Harriet, for she well knew how long the days appeared in illness."
"That is very--I mean it is just what I--you are all goodness, I am
sure," faltered Mr. Humphries.
Mr. Gage could not but feel the most sovereign contempt for the manner
in which Mr. Humphries attempted to show his interest for Margaret:
instead of whispering a well-turned phrase into her long tresses, to
stand blushing and stammering like an idiot. So after staring haughtily
at both for a moment, he loitered away to the stable.
Margaret had a note to write for Harriet, and as during this process her
eyes were fixed on the paper, Mr. Humphries found it less difficult to
keep up a conversation with her.
"Does Miss Conway make a good invalid?" he said.
"Yes, indeed," said Margaret, "she is very patient."
"You would be very patient," said Mr. Humphries, with his usual gesture
of attempting to hide under the table.
"I hope so," said Margaret, gently; "but sickness is a great trial to
every body, Mr. Humphries."
"I don't think," began Mr. Humphries, looking fixedly at the beautiful
fingers that were engaged in folding the note:--"that is, I think--if
you were to nurse people, they would not need to be much pitied."
This sentence, which was spoken very fast, and accompanied by strong
signs of bashfulness, was received by Margaret as one of the ordinary
civilities which young men are in the habit of paying. She carefully
traced the direction, and, pausing at the last word, said calmly:--
"Let me see, is Lockwood in Worcestershire or Somersetshire, Mr.
Humphries?"
"In Worcestershire," said Mr. Humphries, relieved by finding that his
speech had produced no greater effect,--for he had grown extremely red
in the face, and felt like a person who had fired a train, and expected
some terrible explosion to take place.
However, he had composure enough left to light her a taper, and find the
sealing wax, but before Margaret could make use of it, Harriet's maid
rushed into the room, and with signs of great agitation informed her
that her mistress was much worse, and as she thought, light-headed.
Margaret hastily left the note for Mr. Humphries to seal and dispatch,
and ran up stairs. Harriet was much worse; quite delirious, and holding
forth to Mrs. Singleton with great eagerness; while she, poor lady,
perfectly unable to hear a word she uttered, had no idea of the real
state of the case. Margaret saw it directly, took Mrs. Singleton aside,
and informed her of Harriet's condition, sent off a servant for a
medical man, and took her place firmly by her friend's bedside.
Before night, Harriet was very ill,--was worse--was in danger. Margaret
would not go down to dinner; but the kind Mrs. Singleton would not allow
her to remain in the room all the evening. She sent her into the
drawing-room to make tea, and begged her to remain there till bed time.
Mr. Singleton was walking up and down the room, whistling discordantly.
He came up to Margaret, thanked her repeatedly for her kindness to
Harriet, and rang the bell for the urn.
Mr. Gage and Mr. Humphries joined her at the tea-table.
"I have not seen you since breakfast," said Mr. Gage, bending across the
teacups, "how much I have regretted your absence."
Now Margaret was in very low spirits, feeling solitary and frightened,
and perhaps his being a Gage inspired her with confidence, and made her
feel a claim upon his sympathy, for she turned her eyes, filled with
tears, upon him, and said:--
"Harriet is so ill, Mr. Gage!"
"I am sorry to hear it," he replied coldly.
This sudden check did not produce the effect upon Margaret that it might
upon some people. She never cried upon such occasions: she forced back
her tears, at once, and sat cold and silent.
Mr. Humphries handed her toast and cakes in vain.
Mr. Gage rose, and employed himself in altering the lamp.
"Does the doctor come again this evening, Miss Capel?" asked Mr.
Singleton.
"Yes, Sir, the last thing," replied Margaret, "he asked when the house
would be shut up, but Mrs. Singleton desired him to name his own time,
and he appointed eleven."
"It is just ten now," said Mr. Singleton, looking at his watch.
Mr. Gage looked at his watch too, which did not seem at all necessary,
and then altered the lamp again.
"Who sits up with Harriet to-night?" asked Mr. Singleton.
"Her maid, Sir; Mrs. Singleton would not hear of my sitting up."
"Perfectly right," said Mr. Gage, "if I were Mrs. Singleton, I should be
inclined to forbid you the room altogether; you run a great risk of
infection."
"I am sure," said Mr. Humphries, "I wish I could be of use; I only wish
I could sit up, that's all."
Mr. Gage remarked with much disdain, "that his sitting up with a young
lady would possess, at least, the charm of novelty;" and then he turned
away and loitered to the fire-place.
Mr. Humphries drew his chair closer to Margaret.
"This is very dull for you, Miss Capel," he began.
"Very sad for me," said Margaret.
"You are not afraid of being with Miss Conway?"
"Not at all; I never was timid about infection."
"I think--(_a long pause_)--I think you are an angel, Miss Capel."
"Do you, Mr. Humphries," said Margaret unconsciously; her whole mind
occupied with Harriet's illness, and the unkind indifference displayed
by Mr. Gage.
For a little while Mr. Humphries had to endure a paroxysm of
bashfulness; when he recovered, the first words he uttered were: "I like
you very much!"
Margaret, who was fitting a steel pen into a mother of pearl handle,
replied: "you are very good, Mr. Humphries. Is not this a pretty pen?"
He took it in his clumsy way, and then began to laugh.
"I--I meant," he began; but here his courage failed him, and he gave her
back the pen, looking suspiciously at Mr. Singleton and George Gage, who
were conversing in whispers at the other end of the room.
"Can you tell me what o'clock it is, Mr. Humphries?" asked Margaret.
"Twenty minutes to eleven."
"Thank you."
"I shall not hunt to-morrow, Miss Capel," said Mr. Humphries,
"somehow--"
He wanted an interpreter; "somehow," meant that while Harriet was ill,
he did not think he should quite enjoy a run with the hounds. Margaret
understood his meaning and smiled.
Mr. Humphries returned her smile with his usual breadth of expression,
revealing a perfect semicircle of dazzling teeth, and then said: "Coming
home from hunting, last time--"
"Yes, Mr. Humphries."
"Gage, and I--"
"Yes, Mr. Humphries."
"I wish you would say yes always!"
Here a prodigious smile, and the usual symptoms of vanishing under the
table.
"But it would not make sense always, Mr. Humphries," replied Margaret.
"You said that day, you did not believe that people could be in love
twice."
"I thought you said so, and I agreed to it," said Margaret, still
looking at the pen-holder.
"No, I didn't; you did."
"Oh! was that it? I think it must be near eleven."
Margaret laid down the pen, and rose to leave the room.
Mr. Humphries thought he had better make haste.
"Miss Capel, I say, were you ever in love?" he stammered in much
confusion.
Margaret was certainly a little startled. She had been so engrossed by
her own thoughts that she had not observed the progress her companion
was making.
"If I ever have been," she said tranquilly, "as I am now single, Mr.
Humphries, you must suppose it would be an unpleasant subject for me to
touch upon."
He seemed struck by her calm, grave manner, but he stumbled on.
"Because, I was in love once--with a very nice girl--when I was at
Christ Church; but, for all that, I feel as if--I should be in love
again--"
Margaret held out her hand, and said gently, but coldly, "Good night,
Mr. Humphries."
He took her hand, kissed it, seemed very much inclined to cry, but let
her pass him without a word. He had perfectly understood her manner.