Aos homens todos
Lhes deu um livro so' a natureza,
O proprio coração.
CATÂO.
Nature hath given to all men one same book,
'Tis their own heart.
E se voi stanchi fossi d' ascoltare
Si vi potrete riposar in tanto.
ZINABI.
"I don't know when I have been so vexed," said Harriet, who was sitting
with Margaret, while the ladies went up to dress. "I'm sure you will
never be friends with me after this contretemps."
"Indeed I shall," said Margaret. "You could not help it, I know; and it
is no such great misfortune after all."
Harriet drew the fire together, rang for coffee, and pushed over a
footstool to Margaret.
"We will try to make ourselves comfortable," said she. "I have told the
women to come in and show you their dresses before they start. Then you
shall have some strong coffee, and then to bed."
"I wish," said Margaret hesitating, "I wish you would tell me your
history, as you promised."
"That is very sly," said Harriet laughing, "because I cannot refuse you
anything under the circumstances. But I will do it, and the more
readily, as I have not much to tell, so drink your coffee, and listen.
Once upon a time--"
"Oh, but a real history if you please!" said Margaret.
"This is real," said Harriet, laughing.--"Must I not begin at the
beginning? Well, if you like it, _tout court_. I am the youngest of the
family. Mamma doats on me--Papa likes me very well. Charles, the one you
have seen, is the eldest--he wears his glass in his eye--I do not think
he has any other peculiarity. Then comes Lucy, she is a good girl, and I
am very fond of her. I could tell you a secret that would a little
surprise you; that is, if you have observed any of the bye-play of the
last day or two."
"Oh, do!" said Margaret. "I really will keep it."
"I believe you!" said Harriet. "It shall come in due course. My second
brother, Evan, is just called to the bar. He has a good deal of
character, and is therefore my favourite. I should rather like you to
see Evan. Alfred, the youngest son, is in the army; and there is the
outline of a Baronet's family."
"It is very amusing," said Margaret. "I like better to hear real stories
than to read them."
"For me," said Harriet. "I was very sickly as a child, and I spent most
of my time with an uncle, who is very fond of me, and who lives in a
romantic part of the country, and keeps up an old manor-house in the
old English style. My uncle and aunt Singleton are both characters--but
I can't stay to describe all my relations."
"Oh do! I like descriptions," said Margaret.
"Well. Aunt Singleton is the quietest little dormouse that ever was
seen. She creeps about the house in her black silk gown, is as deaf as a
post, and speaks in a whisper. My uncle is a keen sportsman; he taught
me to ride, and drive, and angle; and established my health, without
improving my manners. He is very proud of me, because he has made me
what I am. People think I am trying to imitate Die Vernon, when I am
merely following the pursuits natural to such a course of education."
"And how did you learn your lessons all the while?" asked Margaret.
"Never learned any;" replied Harriet. "I picked up French from a
lady's-maid; Italian, from a music master, who could not speak English;
and Spanish, when my father was Envoy at Madrid. I can speak and write
these languages almost as well as my own; and this with a good deal of
desultory reading, is the sum total of my education. I don't even know
the multiplication table!"
Margaret laughed.
"You saw Lord Raymond on the course to-day."
"Yes," replied Margaret.
"He used often to pay my uncle a visit, and he always took the notice of
me that men are apt to take of children. I used to ride with him and my
uncle. I was very fond of horses and dogs, and enjoyed field sports as
much as he did. Every visit he paid, Lord Raymond asked me if I would be
his little wife; and I as regularly said, 'no, thank you.' I always
thought he was unable to leave off any habit. He has just left off this
one though."
"Has he?" said Margaret inquiringly.
"You shall hear. Well, when I was about seventeen, George Gage came to
see my uncle. We took a vast fancy to each other; that is, after our
fashion:--we were neither of us in the Romeo and Juliet school.
Fools--as you can imagine."
Margaret's interest became very deep at this crisis.
Harriet threw her curls off her forehead, and went on.
"He admired my riding and my eyes, and, in fact, every thing I said and
did. My uncle was contented; Captain Gage was pleased; we were said to
be too young, and the affair was put off for a year or two. Never do
that, by the way, if you care about the man. I like to mix a little
useful advice with my tale, you observe."
"Why, I think," said Margaret, "that if his love would not last any
time, it had better go before than after marriage."
"I thought," said Harriet, "that he had enough love to last to all
eternity; but I was mistaken. And if he thought the same of me, he was
mistaken too."
At these words she drew herself up proudly, and again scattered her
short curls.
"He went off to his regiment; and the next thing I heard of him was that
he was at the feet of a married woman--a lady famous for detaching men
from their lawful allegiance, whether as husbands or lovers. This Mrs.
Max--but we will not mention names."
"Mrs. Maxwell Dorset!" exclaimed Margaret starting up in her chair.
"What, you have heard of her?" said Harriet, "I believe she enjoys a
pretty extensive reputation. Is your head worse? I have been talking too
much for you, I am afraid."
"Not at all," said Margaret, leaning back again, "pray go on; and will
you give me another cup of coffee?"
"You shall have it," said Harriet, "one need not forget to eat and
drink; that is the last stage of that most deplorable folly--love.
Well--I do not look like a person who would put up with such conduct, do
I?"
"No," said Margaret smiling.
"I wrote immediately to George to signify that as he had made his
choice, he might abide by it--that he was welcome to be Mrs. such a
one's slave, but that I resigned every sort of claim to the honour. I
thought he deserved a little better than Lazarillo de Tormes, who played
the part of lackey to seven mistresses--the rascal--and at last was
almost demolished by two viragos who contended for his services in the
open street."
She laughed scornfully, and went on.
"This made rather a cabal in the family, you may suppose. Papa, who
thought one daughter was disposed of, looked very blank upon my
proceedings. Captain Gage--just like him--took my part. He said that
George had behaved shamefully, and though he hoped it would all come
right again, he could not wonder at my determination. But these things
never do come right again, Margaret."
Margaret sighed.
"The strangest part of the whole affair was George's conduct. He had
been, before this transaction, not at all better than his
neighbours--and that is saying little enough for any man--indeed, as my
good aunt told me, I might reasonably have expected what happened. My
aunt was right, though I own, I could have called her out at the time
for saying so. Well, he suddenly turned over a new leaf; renounced his
extravagances, cut Mrs. Maxwell Dorset, and became quite a moral
character. In fact, behaved as people are supposed to do upon an
engagement instead of a repulse. This was all his pride; just to show me
what an exemplary character I had thrown away."
"And you," said Margaret, "how did you bear it?"
"Very coolly, I promise you;" said Harriet, "I grew thin, and irritable,
and so yellow that I was afraid to look at my own face in the glass.
Aunt Singleton plagued me with asses milk. Uncle Singleton gave me a
capital hunter. I don't know which remedy it was, but I very soon
forgot all about Master George."
Margaret did not quite believe this, but she made no remark.
"Still," continued Harriet, "I was very glad when papa was appointed
Envoy to Madrid. I insisted on going with him, and enjoyed our residence
in Spain beyond all description. Just before we set out, Lord Raymond
asked me again to be his little wife. I was not exactly in the frame of
mind to feel pleased with his politeness; so I told him, that I was
tired of having to answer the same idle question, and so took leave of
him in a pet.
"We were two years at Madrid; when we came back, the first person I saw
was Lord Raymond. I was afraid he was going to bore me again. Not at
all. He took the first opportunity to tell me that Lucy had been more
complaisant than I had; that they were engaged, but wished to keep it a
profound secret for the present, while his pecuniary affairs are
undergoing certain regulations. But that dog in the manger, George,
thinks that Lord Raymond's attentions are directed to me; and cannot
contain his malice on the subject, although it is certainly no concern
of his."
"I do not wonder he thinks so," said Margaret, "I am sure I did."
"Yes! because poor Lord Raymond cannot pay Lucy the attention he would
wish to do," said Harriet, "and because from habit, he has always been
used to consider me as somebody that he ought to follow about, and make
a fuss with; and as he is really kind-hearted, he fidgets about me ten
times more, now that I have been very ill."
"And about your illness," said Margaret.
"Nothing romantic, I can assure you," said Harriet. "I went to see my
Uncle Singleton on my return, and one day, having paid a visit to the
wife of one of his park-keepers, a young woman who had formerly been my
maid, and who was then ill, I had the bad luck to catch her complaint,
which was typhus fever. You cannot imagine a greater bore; and I have
lost all my hair you see, I have had both disorders, and I pronounce
typhus fever to be considerably worse than the tender passion. I hope
you may have neither. It is the best wish I can frame for you."
"Thank you for your wish and your story," said Margaret, "it is really a
romance."
"That is the worst of it," said Harriet, "I am twenty, and I have
already lived a whole life; there is no more excitement for me. I shall
marry a country curate, and teach at Sunday schools, I think."
"What a great deal of romance there is in the world," said Margaret.
"True," said Harriet, "some writer says, 'that everybody's heart would
be a romance if it were accurately delineated;' not everybody's,
though!" she exclaimed with a peal of laughter, "that man who set next
to me at dinner. What was his name?"
"Mr. Elliot," said Margaret, beginning to laugh in her turn.
"Aye, Mr. Elliot--fancy his heart!" exclaimed Harriet, bursting into
fresh peals of laughter, "the keenest pang he could feel would be
hunger; his most exquisite enjoyment a pocket-full of money. No, cry you
mercy--there must be some exceptions to the poet's rule."
"On my word, you two seem to be very merry," said Miss Gage, coming in,
"I hope not more merry than wise. How is all this to agree with your
head, my dear Margaret?"
"Oh, I have been so amused," said Margaret, taking Miss Gage's hand,
"that I have forgotten the pain. How beautiful you look, Bessy."
"Yes," said Harriet looking attentively at her, "that white gauze with
corn-flowers, has a very tolerable effect. How well they look on your
light hair; commend me to such a high tiara of flowers. It gives you the
aspect of an empress."
Miss Gage laughed; and Harriet calling in the other ladies, commented
upon them with as much indifference as if they had been a set of wax
figures.
"There," said she, "what do you say to Lucy? Do you like pink crape,
little one? It is very well made; but I prefer white for candlelight.
Well, that is the most knowing little cap I have seen a long time, look
Margaret; it is made of gold twist. Bravo! Miss Lawson Smith. That is an
Indian fan, I suppose, Miss Selwyn. After all, I think Miss Somerton has
the prettiest dress; those little bouquets are placed to a wish. Eh,
Margaret!"
"They are all charmingly dressed," said Margaret, "pray, dear Bessy,
remember to tell me all about it."
"I will, indeed," said Elizabeth, "I will try and recollect everybody's
partners; and the different ices at supper. Those are the two leading
features of a ball."
"Shall you dance the Mazourka, Bessy?" asked Margaret.
"I--no; I dance very little," said Elizabeth, "a quadrille or two, just
for form's sake."
"She stands talking to her father," said Harriet, as soon as the ladies
had withdrawn, "that is the way she spends the best part of the evening.
I often wonder how Bessy can manage to keep single. She is so very much
admired."
"How is it then?" asked Margaret.
"I suppose her father makes her fastidious," said Harriet, "indeed, I do
not suppose she would easily find such a person as Captain Gage. I know
two people now who would be very happy to die for her."
Margaret opened her eyes.
"Young Haveloc has been talked of for her; because they live in the same
county," said Harriet; "but any child can see there is nothing in that
quarter. By the way, he is very intimate with my brother Evan."
"Indeed," said Margaret.
"Well, good night, my poor little martyr," said Harriet; "I am heartily
sorry for you, because, until you have tried, you cannot possibly know
what a very stupid affair a ball is."
Margaret returned her farewell, and went to bed, her head full of races,
Mr. Gage, Mrs. Maxwell Dorset, her white crape gown, and Bessy's wreath
of corn-flowers.