I wonder what made me waste time thinking about Miss Bettie Simcoe and
human peculiarities when I started to say something about sitting under
the trees with Whythe at the MacLean party, but, born a rambler, I will
ramble unto death, and there's no use wasting time lamenting natural
deficiencies. Whythe, of course, couldn't very conveniently make
personal remarks, as people were passing pretty close, though he did
say I looked like a dream, which I did not, being too brown for a
dream; but I did look real nice. I fished out one of the party dresses
Mother made Clarissa put in my trunk, which I haven't worn since I have
been here, and I suppose it suited my brownness, as it was creamy and
stuck out in the silly way skirts stick now, and it was new-fashioned
enough to make everybody look at it and nudge a little. Whythe thought
it was lovely, and told me so sixteen times, which was tiresome, and
then I saw he was watching Elizabeth, who was on the porch with her new
beau and did not know really whether my dress was blue or pink. The
only thing he was thinking of was that not far from him was a
superseder in possession of something which was once his. Whythe
doesn't like to be superseded in anything affecting his personal
estimate of himself.
The Lord certainly let loose a lot of contradictions when he started
the human race. When I saw the way Whythe was watching Elizabeth, and
remembered how she had looked at him when he passed her a few minutes
before, I knew two specimens of a common variety were before me, and I
made up a parable as I watched them watch each other. The two
specimens had been in love and been engaged. They had a fuss. The
engagement was broken. She was mad, and he was mad, and each thought
the other would make the first advance to own up and make up; but
before it could be done a young person appeared and distracted
temporarily the attention of the man, and the girl went away to see
what she could do. The man repaired the damage done unto him by saying
pretty things to the new person, which was good for his pride and kept
him in practice, and all was going well when the first maiden returned
with a new possession.
The new possession was a son of great wealth, but the Faithless One was
made to understand, without words, that his Cruelty was driving the
Maid to Marriage with another, and his Vanity was appeased, and in his
heart he rejoiced and said unto himself: "It is even as I thought, and
that piece of punk she has brought back is bitter unto her, and in
comparison to me he is nothingness indeed. And I would arise and punch
his head if it were not for the New Person who may love me very much."
And the young man was sorrowful when he thought on these things and yet
glad also, for the heart of man is receptive to the love of all kinds
of women, and it is pleasing unto him to believe he is pleasing unto
them.
And seeing that which had come to pass, the New Young Person made up
her mind that the Young Man and the Young Maid who had once loved must
love again, and in her heart she said it is a vain thing to believe in
the words of a man. They cometh out as cometh breath, then pass away
and are remembered by him no more. And she took counsel with herself
as to how she might bring to pass that which the simple souls knew not
how to bring, and, lo! as she thought it came unto her. That's a true
parable!
What came was the thought of a picnic. Whythe and Elizabeth must
accidentally have a chance to come across each other and have it out,
and the best way they could do it would be outdoors, where it is
convenient to wander off and get away from nudgers and commenters; and
being nothing but impulse, I turned to Whythe, who was still
unconsciously watching Elizabeth, and asked him if he would help me
with something I was anxious to do. He said of course, and wanted to
know what it was. When I told him I would tell him the next day he
asked me to drive with him in the morning, and didn't like it because I
declined. That is, he didn't like my reason, which was that, as he had
been out of his office for some time, his business must need attending
to, and I didn't think it ought to be left any longer. He seemed to
think that a very unnecessary remark, and I realized he liked
Elizabeth's kind better. She would never have dreamed of telling him
his business needed attention. Elizabeth is the Admired and Honored
type of Womanhood which does not think it is ladylike to have knowledge
of business matters.
Seeing the look on his face, I said to myself: "Kitty Canary, it is all
over. A pin has been stuck in your balloon and the air is out." And I
got up and went in and danced with every man dancer in the room, and
hardly knew who they were, the breaks were so often. I had a good
time, but also I had a right sinky feeling, for it's pretty wabbly to
realize that nothing human is to be depended on very long, and that a
girl may be engaged one day to a man and not speaking to him the next.
Not that I had ever been engaged. I hadn't, not caring for what goes
with engagements, but I might have been if I hadn't remembered about
the different things I have fallen in and been fished out of when there
was some one by to haul me out. Nobody being by, I had to take care of
myself, and I thought it best to go only so far and no farther.
On the way home Whythe tried to say some things pretty low about how he
had missed me while away, but Miss Susanna and Miss Araminta were in
the back seat of the car (it was Mr. Lipscomb's Ford, and borrowed, of
course), and he had to be so careful it was a strain, and as I didn't
answer he stopped after a while. It takes two to do more things than
make a bargain, and to battledore love without having it shuttlecocked
back isn't much fun. He wanted to know what was the matter when I got
out, and I told him it was sleep. He didn't seem to like that, either.
It's hard to please men.