MISS EATON MAKES MISS CRAWFORD A VISIT.
"The next morning there came a knock at the door; it was my maid. She
came to inform me that the General was ready to start, and desired to
bid me good-bye.
"I went down stairs and met him coming out of his wife's room.
"'Pray go and comfort her,' he said in a tremulous voice; 'I would not
have undertaken this journey if I had thought that she would have felt
it so much, though she insists on my going; she is very cheerful now,
but I am afraid she will break down when I am gone.'
"'I will do all that I can to comfort her,' I said.
"'I am sure of that! I could not leave her if you were not here. James
is fond of his mother--but--well, young men will be young men.'
"I did not attempt to return his smile--I was too indignant with young
Mr. Harrington to aid in glossing over his conduct.
"'Believe me, my dear ward,' said the General suddenly, 'only a grave
reason has made me start on this journey. Good bye--God bless you. Let
me find you well and happy when I return.'
"He touched my forehead gently with his lips, and was gone.
"I was about to knock at Mrs. Harrington's door, when I saw James coming
down the corridor, evidently going there, too. I turned away and went
into the salon. I did not wish even to exchange a word with him then.
"It might have been half an hour after, when Lucy Eaton tapped at the
door and opened it before I could speak.
"'I knew you were here alone,' she said, 'may I come in?'
"How pretty she looked, standing there in her dress of thin blue muslin,
her golden hair falling about that lovely face which, probably, had
never in her whole life been disturbed by a single thought or fancy that
could cause pain to another.
"'So the General has gone to Cadiz,' she said, as she came into the room
and flung herself in a graceful attitude on the sofa near me. 'How lost
dear Mrs. Harrington will be;--we must all try to console her.'
"I was so unreasonable and bad tempered that I fear my first impulse was
to ask her what possible right she could have to offer the lady
consolation; but I managed to keep back that little ebullition of
temper, and answered, instead--
"'He will only be gone a few days; Mrs. Harrington will not have a great
deal of time to be lonely.'
"'And then she has you with her, and I can't fancy anybody feeling
solitary, dear Miss Crawford, while they can have your society.'
"'Dear Miss Crawford,' was in no mood to accept compliments
patiently--they would have had a false ring to my ear at that moment,
coming even from those whom I knew well and loved, so they were not
likely to be accepted with good grace from this comparative stranger. I
suppose she would have thought me unkind for considering her so, but I
never found it easy to get up the girlish enthusiasm necessary for
cementing sudden and violent friendship.
"'That is a very pretty speech,' I said bluntly, 'but it doesn't mean
anything at all.'
"Lucy dropped her tiny hands and went off into a peal of laughter that,
I must confess, was sweet as a chime of silver bells.
"'You do say the oddest things!' she exclaimed. 'I never knew any one so
original as you are, but dear Miss Crawford, though I like it
exceedingly myself, do you think--'
"She hesitated, and as I saw she never would finish her sentence unless
I asked the desired question, I inquired--
"'Do I think what, Miss Eaton?'
"'That--that gentlemen quite like it. Young girls have to be so
particular, you know, or they displease them.'
"'Really,' I said, 'I have never taken the trouble to think about the
matter; and to tell you the truth, I fear I should not much care, even
if I had.'
"'Ah, to be sure, you are differently situated from so many girls--with
your beauty and your great fortune, whatever you say or do will always
be thought charming--Oh, dear Miss Crawford, I did not mean that--indeed
I did not! Now you are vexed with me, I am sure.'
"'I am not quite bad tempered enough to take offence where none is
meant, Miss Eaton.'
"'Bad tempered? Why, I think you have the sweetest disposition I ever
knew! Mamma was saying only this morning, that you had a face like an
angel.'
"I doubted that, for I was confident Mrs. Eaton had no great
prepossession in my favor, but of course I let it pass.
"'I am so heedless,' moaned Lucy; 'I say everything that comes in my
head--mamma says she wishes I could acquire a little of your
dignity--but I never shall be like you--never.'
"The glance of self satisfaction which she cast in the mirror where her
pretty figure was reflected gracefully curled up among the sofa
cushions, was extremely amusing to me.
"'I think,' I said, 'that you may congratulate yourself on there being
no resemblance between us.'
"'Oh, that was not what I meant,' she replied. 'You are very beautiful,
and I am sure nobody would ever say that of poor little me.'
"I thought I had now talked all the nonsense that the most exaggerated
idea of courtesy could require, so I said--
"'You must not think me unkind, but--'
"'Unkind?' she repeated. 'I never knew you to have an unkind thought.
Whatever you do or say would always be considered charming.'
"'More pretty speeches,' said I, trying to laugh, for I had the grace to
feel a little ashamed of my ill humor. 'You quite overwhelm me with them
to-day--let me try my skill. Do you know that your dress is particularly
becoming, and that you are looking your very loveliest to-day?'
"'Oh, my! no,' returned she, glancing at herself in the opposite mirror.
'I don't think the dress pretty at all--it's mamma's taste--and I am
sure I am looking horribly. I told mamma I would not come in, only I was
certain there was nobody here beside you.'
"'I have not seen Mrs. Harrington since the General left,' I said, by
way of trying to bear my part in the conversation more than from any
other reason; 'but her son is with her.'
"'Mr. Harrington is so devoted to his mother,' exclaimed Lucy. 'Mamma
says that he is a model, and that so good a son could not fail to
make--'
"She broke off with a little attempt at embarrassment, that was rather a
failure.
"'Would make a good husband, you mean, I suppose,' returned I. 'That is
the old proverb, I believe.'
"'Yes--but I hesitated--I'm so foolish. It always seems immodest to name
such things outright.'
"'I am sorry that I am immodest,' said I, 'but straight-forward words
are natural to me, and I utter them abruptly sometimes.'
"'I suppose I really ought to go and see if I can do anything for Mrs.
Harrington. She is probably alone by this time.'
"At that moment the door opened, and James looked into the room. He did
not see Lucy Eaton where he stood, and said coldly enough--
"'Miss Crawford, if you have leisure, my mother would like to see you.'
"'Certainly,' I said, rising.
"'And I must go back,' cried Lucy, springing up in a flutter. 'Mamma
will positively think I am lost.'
"'Good morning, Miss Eaton,' James said; 'pray excuse me. I supposed
Miss Crawford was alone. I beg pardon of both for having interrupted
you.'
"'Oh, there was no interruption,' said Lucy, moving toward him with her
thin dress sweeping out like a cloud. 'We were through talking, and what
do you suppose it was all about?' she added coquettishly.
"'I really have no idea,' he answered, with a degree of indifference
that I wondered she did not notice.
"'I am sure I shall not tell you,' she said, tossing her curls. 'We'll
not tell, will we, Miss Crawford?' I was busy putting away some books
that had been lying on a chair, and so had an excuse for being
conveniently deaf.
"'Since you are so determined, it would be useless for me to attempt to
persuade you,' James replied, and I knew that he was trying to be polite
in order to hide how it bored him to stand there and talk nonsense.
"I think that a few days before it would have pleased me to have this
proof that Mr. Harrington did not care so much for pretty Lucy Eaton,
but it brought me no satisfaction now. Straightway, as if something had
whispered it in my ear, came the reason for his indifference. His mind
was so completely engrossed by thoughts of our conversation about the
girl Zillah, that there was no room for other ideas to find a place.
"The bare idea turned me faint with indignation and disquiet. The worst
thing of all--the hardest to bear--was to lose my respect for him; and
he was forcing me rapidly to do that.
"If he had loved Lucy Eaton, it would have been an honorable affection,
such as every man has a right to choose for himself; but in this
entanglement, which I was more and more convinced fettered his feelings
and movements, there could be nothing but secresy and dishonor.
"I wanted to go away--to get beyond the sight of his face--the sound of
his voice. As I stood there listening to their idle conversation, I felt
that I almost hated the man. With his wicked secret on his soul what
right had he to bring himself into the presence of innocent women, and
assume a position of equality with them. I knew how foolish it all
was--I tried to think that the meanness was in my entertaining such
suspicions, but I could no more change my feelings than I could banish
my doubts.
"I walked to the door; as James stepped aside to allow us to pass, I
caught one strange, troubled look from his eyes, which I could not
understand. Did it mean that he believed I had divined his secret, and
was appealing to my generosity for silence?
"There was no time to think about it. Lucy was holding me by the sleeve
and saying--
"'I don't believe you have heard a syllable Mr. Harrington has said. His
mother wants us to go out driving with her toward sunset.'
"'So Mrs. Harrington told me this morning.'
"'But you did not mention it.'
"'No, because she spoke before she knew of her husband's journey, and I
thought she might not feel inclined to go out.'
"'I am sure I shall be delighted,' Lucy said. 'Do you mean to take the
other seat, Mr. Harrington?'
"'If you permit.'
"'Oh, my! I'm sure it's not for me to say! But I know your mother never
half enjoys herself unless you are present, and really, one feels so
much safer driving when there's a gentleman along. One never knows what
these dreadful Spanish coachmen may do.'
"'I believe ours is very trusty,' James replied. 'Please don't hint your
fears to my mother, or she would not drive again while she is here.'
"'Oh, of course not! Any way, I did not mean anything--I always speak
without thought! Mamma says my head is no better than a feather. Isn't
that cruel of her, Mr. Harrington?'
"'You can console yourself by being certain that she does not mean it.'
"'Oh, I don't know! Mamma has a great admiration for dignified, stately
creatures, like our dear Miss Crawford. She says I will be nothing but a
spoiled little kitten all my days.'
"James looked so impatient of all this nonsense, that I was amused in
spite of myself. I went away to his mother's room, and left him to free
himself from Miss Eaton the best way he could."