The agitated lady and her haughty, handsome son both looked at the door
with an irrepressible start.
A sixteen year old girl was wavering on the threshold, staring into
the elegant room and at the cold, curious faces of the mother and son
with parted lips, and large, somber, frightened dark eyes. Over the
simple, short traveling dress, of plain, dark-gray material, her rich,
burnished golden hair flowed in billows of brightness beneath the wide
brim of her simple hat. A neat pretty maid hovered in the background,
looking far more cool and self-possessed than her lovely young mistress.
St. Leon Le Roy's quick eyes caught and held for a moment the gaze of
those startled ones. He saw a pale, pure face, exquisitely molded,
with perfect features, save, as he said to himself, her nose was
a trifle too short, and her lips too full. But then the defect of
her nose lent character to her face, and the pouting lips showed
tenderness. "A baby face," he said to himself, disdainfully, noting the
quiver of the lips, that trembled like a child's about to cry.
The girl's dark eyes turned quickly from that haughty, handsome face
as if in fear, and sought comfort in the woman's, but it was cold and
haughty too. There was no welcome on it save what cold, conventional
courtesy required. She advanced and gave the newcomer the tips of her
fingers and the side of her cheek to kiss.
"Welcome to Eden, Miss Gordon," she said, chillingly, and then she
led her up to her son. "Allow me to present my son, St. Leon. He only
returned from Europe yesterday," she added.
They bowed to each other with chill courtesy, these two, and that was
all. He was too annoyed at her coming to be ordinarily civil, and she
was too frightened at her grave, stern-looking host to put out her
little mite of a hand to him.
"You have quite surprised me, Beatrix--I suppose I must call you
Beatrix," said Mrs. Le Roy, trying to infuse some warmth into her
frigid manner. "You see, your mamma's letter miscarried, and I have but
just received it, so you must excuse my not sending the carriage to
meet you."
"Certainly," Beatrix murmured, coloring warmly for a moment, and
veiling her splendid eyes beneath their long fringed lashes, while a
sigh of relief escaped her lips as her hostess continued:
"I dare say you would like to be shown your room now, that you may
remove the dust of travel. It is very unpleasant, taking a journey this
warm weather."
Beatrix agreed with her, and when she had herself conducted her and the
maid Clarice to a lovely suite of rooms, all silver and azure, Mrs. Le
Roy returned to her son.
He still stood in the embrasure of the window, pulling his dark
mustache rather sulkily with his slender brown fingers.
"Was there ever such a _contretemps_!" she exclaimed, going up to him.
"What shall we do, St. Leon?"
"Nothing," he answered, rather shortly.
"Nothing?" she echoed, helplessly, yet with an accent of relief in her
voice.
"Why, what is there to do?" he inquired, impatiently. "She is here,
whether we want her or not. We are not barbarians; we cannot send our
guest away. Besides, I have changed my mind; Mrs. Gordon was right."
"Right!" she echoed, gazing up into his face inquiringly.
"My lady-mamma, has our guest quite upset your equanimity?" he
inquired, smiling down at her perturbed face. "You echo my words with
parrot-like pertinacity!"
"If I am disturbed, St. Leon, it is on your account," she replied, with
dignity. "I could endure the girl's visit very well myself."
"So can I, I think," he returned, musingly. "She is not at all what
my fancy painted her--a self-possessed fashionable beauty, who would
rather compel me to dance attendance upon her. I could see that the
little thing was rather afraid of me; I dare say she will keep out of
my way."
"I have no doubt of it. She was positively shy and awkward. Not at all
like her mother, whom I remember as a brilliant belle who held her own
with queenly dignity," said Mrs. Le Roy. "I cannot blame Isabel for her
caution; Beatrix looks too young to have a lover."
"'She's o'er young to marry yet,' certainly," assented her son. "We
will keep the ewe-lamb safe, mamma, and woe be to the wolf that comes
prowling around the precious fold."
He spoke so dryly that she could not tell whether he was in jest or
earnest, and his expression was just as inscrutable as his tone. While
she was puzzling over both, Beatrix returned.
Her plain gray traveling-dress had been exchanged for a pretty, soft,
white robe with delicate laces about it, and she carried a wide sun hat
in her small, dimpled hands.
The big dark eyes did not look quite so frightened now. They looked
yearningly out at the beautiful grounds.
"May I go out there?" she asked. "I have never seen such a beautiful
spot in my life before!"