Colonel Bury was the most open-hearted old bachelor in the country. His
imagination never could conceive the possibility of everybody not
being glad to meet everybody, his house could never be too full, his
dinner-parties of ‘a few friends’ overflowed the dining-room, and his
‘nobody’ meant always at least six bodies. Every season was fertile
in occasions of gathering old and young together to be made happy, and
little Mary Ferrars, at five years old, had told her mamma that ‘the
Colonel’s parties made her quite dissipated.’
One bright summer day, his beaming face appeared at Willow-Lawn with a
peremptory invitation. His nephew and heir had newly married a friend of
Albinia’s girlhood, and was about to pay his wedding visit. Too happy to
keep his guests to himself, the Colonel had fixed the next Thursday for
a fete, and wanted all the world to come to it--the Kendals, every one
of them--if they could only sleep there--but Albinia brought him to
confession that he had promised to lodge five people more than the house
would hold; and the aunts were at the parsonage, where nobody ventured
to crowd their servants.
But there was a moon--and though Mr. Kendal would not allow that she was
the harvest moon, the hospitable Colonel dilated on her as if she had
been bed, board, and lodging, and he did not find much difficulty in his
persuasions.
Few invitations ever gave more delight; Albinia appreciated a holiday
to the utmost, and the whole family was happy at Sophy’s chance of at
length seeing Fairmead, and taking part in a little gaiety. And if Mr.
Kendal’s expectations of pleasure were less high, he submitted very
well, smiled benignantly at the felicity around him, and was not once
seen to shudder.
Sarah Anne Drury had been invited to enliven grandmamma, and every
one augured a beautiful day and perfect enjoyment. The morning was
beautiful, but alas! Sophy was hors de combat, far too unwell to think
of making one of the party. She bore the disappointment magnanimously,
and even the pity. Every one was sorry, and Gilbert wanted her to go
and wait at Fairmead Parsonage for the chance of improving, promising
to come and fetch her for any part of the entertainment; and her father
told her that he had looked to her as his chief companion while the gay
people were taking their pleasure. No one was uncomfortably generous
enough to offer to stay at home with her; but Lucy suggested asking
Genevieve to come and take care of her.
‘Nay,’ said Sophy, ‘it would be much better if she were to go in my
stead.’
Gilbert and Lucy both uttered an exclamation; and Sophy added, ‘She
would have so much more enjoyment than I could! Oh, it would quite make
up for my missing it!’
‘My dear,’ said grandmamma, ‘you don’t know what you are talking of. It
would be taking such a liberty.’
‘There need be no scruples on that score,’ said Albinia; ‘the Colonel
would only thank me if I brought him half Bayford.’
‘Then,’ cried Sophy, ‘you think we may ask her? Oh, I should like to run
up myself;’--and a look of congratulation and gratitude passed between
her and her brother.
‘No, indeed, you must not, let me go,’ said Lucy, ‘I’ll just finish this
cup of tea--’
‘My dear, my dear,’ interposed Mrs. Meadows, ‘pray consider. She is a
very good little girl in her way, but it is only giving her a taste for
things out of her station.’
‘Oh! don’t say that, dear grandmamma,’ interposed Albinia, ‘one good
festival does carry one so much better through days of toil!’
‘Ah, well! my dear, you will do as you think proper; but considering who
the poor child is, I should call it no kindness to bring her forward in
company.’
Something passed between the indignant Gilbert and Sophy about
French counts and marquises, but Lucy managed much better. ‘Dear me,
grandmamma, nobody wishes to bring her forward. She will only play with
the children, and see the fireworks, and no one will speak to her.’
Albinia averted further discussion till grandmamma had left the
breakfast-table, when all four appealed with one voice to Mr. Kendal,
who saw no objection, whereupon Lucy ran off, while Albinia finished her
arrangements for the well-being of grandmamma, Sophy, and Maurice, who
were as difficult to manage as the fox, goose, and cabbage. At every
turn she encountered Gilbert, touching up his toilette at each glass,
and seriously consulting her and Sophy upon the choice between lilac and
lemon-coloured gloves, and upon the bows of his fringed neck-tie.
‘My dear Gilbert,’ said Albinia, on the fifth anxious alternative, ‘it
is of no use. No living creature will be the wiser, and do what you
will, you will never look half so well as your father.’
Gilbert flung aside, muttering something about ‘fit to be seen,’ but
just then Lucy hurried in. ‘Oh! mamma, she wont go--she is very much
obliged, but she can’t go.’
‘Can’t! she must,’ cried Albinia and Gilbert together.
‘She says you are very kind, but that she cannot. I said everything I
could; I told her she should wear Sophy’s muslin mantle, or my second
best polka.’
‘No doubt you went and made a great favour of it,’ said Gilbert.
‘No, I assure you I did not; I persuaded her with all my might; I said
mamma wished it, and we all wished it; and I am sure she would really
have been very glad if she could have gone.’
‘It can’t be the school, it is holiday time,’ said Gilbert. ‘I’ll go and
see what is the matter.’
‘No, I will go,’ said Albinia, ‘I will ask the old ladies to luncheon
here, and that will make her happy, and make it easier for Sophy to get
on with Sarah Anne Drury.’
Lucy had seen Genevieve alone; Albinia took her by storm before Madame
Belmarche, whose little black eyes sparkled as she assured Mrs. Kendal
that the child merited that and every other pleasure; and when Genevieve
attempted to whisper objections, silenced her with an embrace, saying,
‘Ah! my love, where is your gratitude to Madame? Have no fears for us.
Your pleasure will be ours for months to come.’
The liquid sweetness of Genevieve’s eyes spoke of no want of gratitude,
and with glee which she no longer strove to repress, she tripped away to
equip herself, and Albinia heard her clear young voice upstairs, singing
away the burthen of some queer old French ditty.
Albinia found Gilbert and Sophy in disgrace with Lucy for having
gathered the choicest flowers, which they were eagerly making up into
bouquets. Genevieve’s was ready before she arrived in the prettiest
tremor of gratitude and anticipation, and presented to her by Gilbert,
whilst Sophy looked on, and blushed crimson, face, neck, and all, as
Genevieve smelt and admired the white roses that had so cruelly been
reft from Lucy’s beloved tree.
With every advantage of pretty features, good complexion, and nice
figure, the English Lucy, in her blue-and-white checked silk, worked
muslin mantle, and white chip bonnet with blue ribbons, was eclipsed by
the small swarthy French girl, in that very old black silk dress, and
white trimmed coarse straw bonnet, just enlivened by little pink bows
at the neck and wrists. It had long been acknowledged that Genevieve was
unrivalled in the art of tying bows, and those pink ones were paragons,
redolent of all her own fresh sprightly archness and refinement. Albinia
herself was the best representative of English good looks, and never had
she been more brilliant, her rich chestnut hair waving so prettily on
the rounded contour of her happy face, her fair cheek tinted with such
a healthy fresh bloom, her grey eyes laughing with merry softness, her
whole person so alert and elastic with exuberant life and enjoyment,
that grandmamma was as happy in watching her as if she had been her own
daughter, and stroked down the broad flounces of her changeable silk,
and admired her black lace, as if she felt the whole family exalted by
Mrs. Kendal’s appearance.
It was a merry journey, through the meadows and corn-fields, laughing
in the summer sunshine, and in due time they saw the flag upon Fairmead
steeple, and Albinia nodded to curtseying old friends at the cottage
doors. The lodge gate swung open wide, and the well-known striped
marquee was seen among the trees in the distance, as they went up the
carriage road; but at the little iron gate leading to the shrubbery
there was a halt; Mr. Ferrars called to the carriage to stop, and
opened the door. At the same moment Albinia gave a cry of wonder, and
exclaimed, ‘Why, Fred? is William here?’
‘No; at Montreal, but very well,’ was the answer, with a hearty shake of
the hand.
‘Edmund, it is Fred Ferrars,’ said Albinia. ‘Why, Maurice, you never
told us.’
‘He took us by surprise yesterday.’
‘Yes; I landed yesterday morning, went to the Family Office, found
Belraven was nowhere, and the aunts at Fairmead, and so came on here,’
explained Fred, as he finished shaking hands with all the party, and
walked on beside Albinia. He was tall, fresh-coloured, a good deal like
her, with a long fair moustache, and light, handsome figure; and
Lucy, though rather disconcerted at Genevieve being taken for one of
themselves, began eagerly to whisper her conviction that he was Lord
Belraven’s brother, mamma’s first cousin, captain in the 25th Lancers,
and aide-de-camp to General Ferrars.
It was the first meeting since an awkward parting. The only son of a
foolish second marriage, and early left an orphan, Frederick Ferrars
bad grown up under the good aunts’ charge, somewhat neglected by
his half-brother, by many years his senior. He was little older than
Albinia, and a merry, bantering affection had always subsisted between
them, till he had begun to give it the air of something more than
friendship. Albinia was, however, of a nature to seek for something of
depth and repose, on which to rely for support and anchorage. Fred’s
vivacious disposition had never for a moment won her serious attachment;
she was ‘very fond of him,’ but no more; her heart was set on sharing
her brother’s life as a country pastor. She went to Fairmead, Fred was
carried off by the General to Canada, and she presently heard of
his hopeless attachment to a lovely Yankee, whom he met on board the
steamer. All this was now cast behind the seven most eventful years of
Albinia’s life; and in the dignity of her matronhood, she looked more
than ever on ‘poor Fred’ as a boy, and was delighted to see him again,
and to hear of her brother William.
A few steps brought them to the shade of the large cedar-tree, where
was seated Winifred, and Mrs. Annesley was with her. The greetings
had hardly been exchanged before the Colonel came upon them in all his
glory, with his pretty shy bride niece on his arm, looking very like the
Alice Percy of the old times, when Fred used to tease the two girls.
Genevieve was made heartily welcome, and Sophia’s absence deplored, and
then the Colonel carried off the younger ones to the archery, giving his
arm to the much-flattered Lucy, and followed by Gilbert and Genevieve,
with Willie and Mary adhering to them closely, and their governess in
sight.
Mr. Ferrars and Mr. Kendal fell into one of their discussions, and
paced up and down the shady walk, while Albinia sat, in the complete
contentment, between Alice and Winifred, with Fred Ferrars on the turf
at their feet, living over again the bygone days, laughing over ancient
jokes, resuscitating past scrapes, tracing the lot of old companions,
or telling mischievous anecdotes of each other, for the very purpose of
being contradicted. They were much too light-hearted to note the lapse
of time, till Maurice came to take his wife home, thinking she had had
fatigue enough. Mrs. Annesley went with her, and Albinia, on looking
for her husband, was told that he had fallen in with some old Indian
acquaintances; and Charles Bury presently came to find his wife, and
conduct the party to luncheon. There was no formal meal, but a perpetual
refection laid out in the dining-room, for relays of guests. Fred took
care of Albinia and here they met Miss Ferrars, who had been with one
of her old friends, to whom she was delighted to exhibit her nephew and
niece in their prime of good looks.
‘But I must go,’ said Albinia; ‘having found the provisions, I must
secure that Mr. Kendal and the children are not famished.’
Fred came with her, and she turned down the long alley leading to the
archery-ground. He felt old times so far renewed as to resume their
habits of confidence, and began, ‘I suppose the General has not told you
what has brought me home?’
‘He has not so much as told me you were coming.’
‘Ay, ay, of course you know how he treats those things.’
‘Oh--h!’ said Albinia, perfectly understanding.
‘But,’ continued Frederick, eagerly, ‘even he confesses that she is the
very sweetest--I mean,’ as Albinia smiled at this evident embellishment,
‘even he has not a word of objection to make except the old story about
married officers.’
‘And who is _she_, Fred?’
‘Oh, mamma, there you are!’ and Lucy joined them as they emerged on the
bowling-green, where stood the two bright targets, and the groups of
archers, whose shafts, for the most part, flew far and wide.
‘Where are the rest, my dear? are they shooting?’
‘Yes; Gilbert has been teaching Genevieve--there, she is shooting now.’
The little light figure stood in advance. Gilbert held her arrows, and
another gentleman appeared to be counselling her. There seemed to be
general exultation when one of her arrows touched the white ring outside
the target.
‘That has been her best shot,’ said Lucy. ‘I am sure I would not shoot
in public unless I knew how!’
‘Do you not like shooting?’ asked Captain Ferrars; and Lucy smiled, and
lost her discontented air.
‘It hurts my fingers, she said; ‘and I have always so much to do in the
garden.’
Albinia asked if she had had anything to eat.
‘Oh, yes; the Colonel asked Gilbert to carve in the tent there, for the
children and governesses,’ said Lucy, ‘he and Genevieve were very busy
there, but I found I was not of much use so, I came away with the Miss
Bartons to look at the flowers, but now they are shooting, and I could
not think what had become of you.’
And Lucy bestowed her company on Albinia and the Captain, reducing him
to dashing, disconnected talk, till they met Mr. Kendal, searching for
them in the same fear that they were starving, and anxious to introduce
his wife to his Indian friends. When at the end of the path, Albinia
looked round, the Lancer had disappeared, and Lucy was walking by her
father, trying to look serenely amused by a discussion on the annexation
of the Punjaub.
The afternoon was spent in pleasant loitering, chiefly with Miss
Ferrars, who asked much after Sophy, lamented greatly over Winifred’s
delicate health, and was very anxious to know what could have brought
Fred home, being much afraid it was some fresh foolish attachment.
Ominous notes were heard from the band, and the Colonel came to tell
them that there was to be dancing till it was dark enough for the
fireworks, his little Alice had promised him her first country-dance.
Fred Ferrars emerged again with a half-laughing, half-imploring, ‘For
the sake of old times, Albinia! We’ve been partners before!’
‘You’ll take care of Lucy,’ said Albinia, turning to her aunt; but Mr.
Winthrop had already taken pity on her, and Albinia was led off by her
cousin to her place in the fast lengthening rank. How she enjoyed it!
She had cared little for London balls after the first novelty, but these
Fairmead dances on the turf had always had an Arcadian charm to her
fancy, and were the more delightful after so long an interval, in the
renewal of the old scene, and the recognition of so many familiar faces.
With bounding step and laughing lips, she flew down the middle, more
exhilarated every moment, exchanging merry scraps of talk with her
partner or bright fragments as she poussetted with pair after pair; and
when the dance was over, with glowing complexion and eyes still dancing,
she took Fred’s arm, and heard the renewal of his broken story--the
praise of his Emily, the fairest of Canadians, whom even the General
could not dislike, though, thorough soldier as he was, he would fain
have had all military men as devoid of encumbrances as himself, and
thought an officer’s wife one of the most misplaced articles in the
world. Poor Fred had been in love so often, that he laboured under
the great vexation of not being able to persuade any of his friends to
regard his passion seriously, but Albinia was quite sisterly enough to
believe him this time, and give full sympathy to his hopes and fears.
Far less wealth had fallen to his lot than to that of his cousins, and
his marriage must depend on what his brother would ‘do for him,’ a point
on which he tried to be sanguine, and Albinia encouraged him against
probability, for Lord Belraven was never liberal towards his relations,
and had lately married an expensive wife, with whom he lived chiefly
abroad.
This topic was not exhausted when Fred fell a prey to the Colonel, who
insisted on his dancing again, and Albinia telling him to do his
duty, he turned towards a group that had coalesced round Miss Ferrars,
consisting of Lucy, Gilbert, Genevieve, and the children from the
parsonage, and at once bore off the little Frenchwoman, leaving more
than one countenance blank. Lucy and Willie did their best for mutual
consolation, while Albinia undertook to preside over her niece and a
still smaller partner in red velvet, in a quadrille. It was amusing to
watch the puzzled downright motions of the sturdy little bluff King
Hal, and the earnest precision of the prim little damsel, and Albinia
hovering round, now handing one, now pointing to the other, keeping
lightly out of every one’s way, and far more playful than either of the
small performers in this solemn undertaking. As it concluded she found
that Mr. Kendal had been watching her, with much entertainment, and
she was glad to take his arm, and assure herself that he had not been
miserable, but had been down to the parsonage, where he had read the
newspaper in peace, and had enjoyed a cup of tea in quiet with Winifred
and Mrs. Annesley.
The dancing had been transferred to the tent, which presented a very
pretty scene from without, looking through the drooping festoons of
evergreens at the lamps and the figures flitting to and fro in their
measured movements, while the shrubs and dark foliage of the trees fell
into gloom around; and above, the sky assumed the deep tranquil blue of
night, the pale bright stars shining out one by one. The Kendals were
alone in the terrace, far enough from the gay tumult to be sensible of
the contrast.
‘How beautiful!’ said Albinia: ‘it is like a poem.’
‘I was just thinking so,’ he answered.
‘This is the best part of all,’ she said, feeling, though hardly
expressing to herself the repose of his lofty, silent serenity, standing
aloof from gaiety and noise. She could have compared him and her lively
cousin to the evening stillness contrasted with the mirthful scene in
the tent; and though her nature seemed to belong to the busy world, her
best enjoyment lay with what calmed and raised her above herself; and
she was perfectly happy, standing still with her arm upon that of her
silent husband.
‘These things are well imagined,’ said he. ‘The freedom and absence of
formality give space for being alone and quiet.’
‘Yes,’ said Albinia, saucily, ‘when that is what you go into society
for.’
‘You have me there,’ he said, smiling; ‘but I must own how much I
enjoyed coming back from the parsonage by myself. I am glad we brought
that little Genevieve; she seems to be so perfectly in her element. I
saw her amusing a set of little children in the prettiest, most animated
way; and afterwards, when the young people were playing at some game,
her gestures were so sprightly and graceful, that no one could look
at the English girls beside her. Indeed I think she was making quite a
sensation; your cousin seemed to admire her very much. If she were but
in another station, she would shine anywhere.’
‘How much you have seen, Edmund!’
‘I have been a spectator, you an actor,’ he said, smiling.
Her quiescence did not long continue, for the poor people had begun to
assemble on the gravel road before the front door to see the fireworks,
and she hurried away to renew her acquaintance with her village friends,
guessing at them in the dark, asking after old mothers and daughters
at service, inquiring the names of new babies, and whether the old
ones were at school, and excusing herself for having become ‘quite a
stranger.’
In the midst--whish--hiss, with steady swiftness, up shot in the dark
purple air the first rocket, bursting and scattering a rain of stars.
There was an audible gasp in the surrounding homely world, a few little
cries, and a big boy clutched tight hold of her arm, saying, ‘I
be afeard.’ She was explaining away his alarms, when she heard her
brother’s voice, and found her arm drawn into his.
‘Here you are, then,’ he said; ‘I thought I heard your voice.’
‘Oh! Maurice, I have hardly seen you. Let us have a nice quiet turn in
the park together.’
He resisted, saying, ‘I don’t approve of parents and guardians losing
themselves. What have you done with all your children?’
‘What have you done with yours?’ retorted she.
‘I left Willie and Mary at the window with their governess, I came to
see that these other children of mine were orderly.’
‘Most proper, prudential, and exemplary Maurice!’ his sister laughed.
‘Now I have an equally hearty belief in my children being somewhere,
sure to turn up when wanted. Come, I want to get out from the trees
to look for Colonel Bury’s harvest moon, for I believe she is an
imposition.’
‘No, I’m not coming. You, don’t understand your duties. Your young
ladies ought always to know where to find you, and you where to find
them.’
‘Oh! Maurice, what must you have suffered before you imported Winifred
to chaperon me!’
‘You are in so mad a mood that I shall attempt only one moral maxim, and
that is, that no one should set up for a chaperon, till she has retired
from business on her own account.’
‘That’s a stroke at my dancing with poor Fred, but it was his only
chance of speaking to me.’
‘Not particularly at the dancing.’
‘Well, then--’
‘You’ll see, by-and-bye. It was not your fault if those girls were not
in all sorts of predicaments.’
‘I believe you think life is made up of predicaments. And I want to hear
whether William has written to you anything about poor Fred.’
‘Only that he is more mad than ever, and that he let him go, thinking
that there is no chance of Belraven helping him, but that it may wear
itself out on the journey.’
A revolving circle shedding festoons of purple and crimson jets of fire
made all their talk interjectional, and they had by this time reached
the terrace, where all the company were assembled, the open windows at
regular intervals casting bewildering lights on the heads and shoulders
in front of them. Then out burst a grand wheat-sheaf of yellow flame
with crimson ears and beards, by whose light Albinia recognised Gilbert
standing close to her in the shadow, and asked him where the rest
where.’
‘I can’t tell; Lucy and my father were here just now.’
‘Are you feeling the chill, Gilbert?’ asked Albinia, struck by something
in his tone. ‘You had better look from the window.’
He neither moved nor made answer, but a great illumination of Colonel
Bury’s coat-of-arms, with Roman candles and Chinese trees at the four
corners, engrossed every eye, and flashing on every face, enabled
Albinia to join Mr. Kendal, who was with Lucy and Miss Ferrars. No one
knew where Genevieve was, but Albinia was confident that she could
take good care of herself, and was not too uneasy to enjoy the grand
representation of Windsor Castle, and the finale of interlaced ciphers
amidst a multitude of little fretful sputtering tongues of flame.
Then it was, amid good nights, donning of shawls, and announcing of
carriages, that Captain Ferrars and Miss Durant made their appearance
together, having been ‘looking everywhere for Mrs. Kendal,’ and it was
not in the nature of a brother not to look a little arch, though Albinia
returned him as resolute and satisfied a glance as could express ‘Well,
what of that?’
In consideration of the night air, Mr. Kendal put Gilbert inside the
carriage, and mounted the box, to revel in the pleasures of silence. The
four within talked incessantly and compared adventures. Lucy had been
gratified by being patronized by Miss Ferrars, and likewise had much to
say of the smaller fry, and went into raptures about many a ‘dear little
thing,’ none of whom would, however, stand a comparison with Maurice;
Gilbert was critical upon every one’s beauty; and Genevieve was more
animated than all, telling anecdotes with great piquancy, and rehearsing
the comical Yankee stories she had heard from Captain Ferrars. She
had enjoyed with the zest and intensity of a peculiarly congenial
temperament, and she seemed not to be able to cease from working off her
excitement in repetitions of her thanks, and in discussing the endless
delights the day had afforded.
But the day had begun early, and the way was long, so remarks became
scanty, and answers were brief and went astray, and Albinia thought she
was travelling for ever to Montreal, when she was startled by a pettish
exclamation from Lucy, ‘Is that all! It was not worth while to wake me
only to see the moon.’
‘I beg your pardon,’ said Genevieve, ‘but I thought Mrs. Kendal wished
to see it rise.’
‘Thank you, Genevieve,’ said Albinia, opening her sleepy eyes; ‘she is
as little worth seeing as a moon can well be, a waning moon does well to
keep untimely hours.’
‘Why do you think she is so much more beautiful in the crescent, Mrs.
Kendal?’ said Genevieve, in the most wakeful manner.
‘I’m sure I don’t know,’ said Albinia, subsiding into her corner.
‘Is it from the situation of the mountains in the moon?’ continued the
pertinacious damsel.
‘In Africa!’ said Albinia, well-nigh asleep, but Genevieve’s laugh
roused her again, partly because she thought it less mannerly than
accorded with the girl’s usual politeness. No mere sleep was allowed
her; an astronomical passion seemed to have possessed the young lady,
and she dashed into the tides, and the causes of the harvest-moon, and
volcanoes, and thunderbolts, and Lord Rosse’s telescope, forcing her
tired friend to reply by direct appeals, till Albinia almost wished her
in the moon herself; and was rejoiced when in the dim greyness of the
early summer dawn, the carriage drew up at Madame Belmarche’s house. As
the light from the weary maid’s candle flashed on Genevieve’s face, it
revealed such a glow of deep crimson on each brown cheek, that Albinia
perceived that the excitement must have been almost fever, and went
to bed speculating on the strange effects of a touch of gaiety on
the hereditary French nature, startling her at once from her graceful
propriety and humility of demeanour, into such extraordinary obtrusive
talkativeness.
She heard more the next morning that vexed her. Lucy was seriously of
opinion that Genevieve had not been sufficiently retiring. She herself
had heedfully kept under the wing of Mary’s governess, mamma, or Miss
Ferrars, and nobody had paid her any particular attention; but Genevieve
had been with Gilbert half the day, had had all the gentlemen round her
at the archery and in the games, had no end of partners in the dances,
and had walked about in the dark with Captain Ferrars. Lucy was sure she
was taken for her sister, and whenever she had told people the truth,
they had said how pretty she was.
‘You are jealous, Lucy,’ Sophy said.
Lucy protested that it was quite the reverse. She was glad poor little
Jenny should meet with any notice, there was no cause for jealousy of
_her_, and she threw back her head in conscious beauty; ‘only she was
sorry for Jenny, for they were quite turning her head, and laughing at
her all the time.’
Albinia’s candour burst out as usual, ‘Say no more about it, my dear; it
was a mistake from beginning to end. I was too much taken up with my own
diversion to attend to you, and now you are punishing me for it. I left
you to take care of yourselves, and exposed poor little Genevieve to
unkind remarks.’
‘I don’t know what I said,’ began Lucy. ‘I don’t mean to blame her; it
was just as she always is with Gilbert, so very French.’
That word settled it--Lucy pronounced it with ineffable pity and
contempt--she was far less able to forgive another for being attractive,
than for trying to attract.
Sophy looked excessively hurt and grieved, and in private asked her
step-mother what she thought of Genevieve’s behaviour.
‘My dear, I cannot tell; I think she was off her guard with excitement;
but all was very new to her, and there was every excuse. I was too happy
to be wise, so no wonder she was.’
‘And do you think Captain Ferrars was laughing at her? I wish you would
tell her, mamma. Gilbert says he is a fine, flourishing officer in
moustaches, who, he is sure, flirts with and breaks the heart of every
girl he meets. If he is right, mamma, it would cure Genevieve to tell
her so, and you would not mind it, though he is your cousin.’
‘Poor Fred!’ said Albinia. ‘I am sorry Gilbert conceived such a notion.
But Genevieve’s heart is too sensible to break in that way, even if
Fred wished it, and I can acquit him of such savage intentions. I never
should have seen any harm in all that Genevieve did last night if she
had not talked us to death coming home! Still I think she was off her
balance, and I own I am disappointed. But we don’t know what it is to be
born French!’