"I"ll go and speak to him myself," said the lady, excitedly; and she tripped into the study, where the guest was sitting, with his hat on his knees; a tall, narrow-shouldered man, with a shifty eye. Somehow the sight of him was disappointing, she could hardly tell why, for he rose to greet her very politely, and thanked her effusively.
"My wife will be most grateful, I am sure--most grateful for your kindness. It will save her so much trouble."
"Here are the addresses you want," said Mrs. Reed, hastily scratching them off at her husband"s desk, "and if Mrs. Pickens wants any others, I shall be happy to be of use to her."
"Thank you! thank you! You see, she"s a stranger here, and doesn"t know anything about it."
"You have not been in this part of the country before?"
"No--oh, no, I come from Clarinda, Iowa. At least, I always register from there, though I haven"t any house there now; and my present wife was a Missouri woman, though she"s never lived in the State much. I had to be in Boston on business this summer, so thought I"d take a place outside, and Mr. Bowles, the real estate agent, said this was the handsomest going, and the country first-rate; but my wife"s a little disappointed."
"I suppose, if she has travelled so much, she has seen a great deal of fine scenery--but this is generally thought a pretty place."
"Yes, certainly--very rustic, though, ain"t it?"
"I suppose so," said his hearer, a little puzzled, while for the first time her husband looked up, alert and amused. "I will call on Mrs.
Pickens," she hastened to say, "if she would like to see me."
"Yes, certainly; delighted, I"m sure; yes, she"d be delighted to see you, and so would Miss Minnie, too."
"What a very queer man!" thought Mrs. Reed. But she only smiled sweetly, and made a little move, as if the interview were fairly over. Her visitor, however, did not seem inclined to depart, and after a moment"s silence began again.
"And there"s another thing; if you would be so very kind as to recommend--I mean, introduce--we know so few people here, and Miss Minnie wants everything very stylish; perhaps you know some nice young men who would like to be ushers; I believe that is what they are called.
It would be a good thing for them to be seen at; everything in first-cla.s.s style, you know."
The Reverend Richard, whose attention was now thoroughly aroused, beamed full on the speaker a guileless smile, while his wife thoughtfully murmured, "Let me see; do you expect a great many people?"
"Oh, no, we don"t know many round here; but if you and your family, and the ushers and their families, would come to the house, it would make quite a nice little company. As to the church--anyone that liked--it would be worth seeing."
"I can find some ushers," said Mrs. Reed, still musing; "two at least; that will be enough, I should think."
"And then," murmured Mr. Pickens, as if checking off a mental list, "there is a young man to go with the bridegroom, I believe. I never had one, but Miss Minnie says it"s the fashion."
"Oh, yes, a "best man!"" explained his hostess, "but--the bridegroom usually selects one of his intimate friends for that."
"I don"t believe Mr. MacJacobs has any friends; round here, that is. He came from Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania, but he"s never been there since he was a boy. He"s been in New Orleans, and then in Europe, as travelling agent for MacVickar & Company. I suppose you"ve heard of _them_."
"I dare say I can find a best man."
"Thank you. You are very kind; yes, very kind indeed, I"m sure."
"I presume," interposed the host, in bland accents, "you wish to give away the bride yourself?"
"Yes!" said Mr. Pickens, starting; "oh, yes, I suppose I can, if there"s not too much to do. Should I have to say anything?"
"Scarcely," replied the clergyman, rea.s.suringly. "I ask a question to which you are supposed to reply, but a nod will be quite sufficient. The bridegroom is generally audible, and sometimes the bride, but I have never heard a sound proceed from the bride"s father."
"Very good--very good; it will be very pleasant to join in your service, I am sure. Many thanks to you for your kind advice. I will now take my leave," and after a jerking bow or two he departed, with a sort of fluttering, bird-like step. The pastor laughed, but his wife looked sober.
"Our friend is as amusing a specimen as I ever encountered," he began.
"Amusing! I call him disgusting, with his "Miss Minnie "and "take his leave." He can"t be a gentleman; there is something very suspicious about the whole affair."
"Indeed! and what do you suspect?"
"I don"t believe there"s a wedding at all. Perhaps he"s an impostor who wants to get in here to steal."
"Do you miss anything?"
"No," said the lady, after a peep into her dining-room. "I can"t say I do. But he may come back on this pretended wedding business. Are you sure that he really is Mr. Perley Pickens?"
"Why, yes. I have never spoken to him before, but I have seen him at the post-office, opening his box, and again at the station. I cannot be mistaken in that walk of his."
"Well, he may be the head of a gang of thieves, and have taken the house and got up this scheme of a wedding for some end of his own."
"Such as what?"
"Why, to cheat somebody, somehow. I am sure you will never get a wedding fee for it; and he may not pay any of the bills, and the people may bother us."
"He gave me the name of his Boston bankers, May & Maxwell, to whom he said I could refer the tradespeople, if they wished it, "being a stranger here himself," as he justly remarked. But whom, my dear, do you expect to provide for ushers or best man?"
"Oh, for ushers, the Crocker boys will do. They will be glad of something to amuse them in vacation."
"Are they not rather young? Fred can hardly be eighteen yet."
"Well! he is six feet and over. One needn"t tell his age; and as for best man, I think William Winchester wouldn"t mind it--to oblige me."
"But why, my love, since you are so distrustful, are you so anxious to be of use in this matter?"
"Why!" echoed his wife, triumphantly; "it"s the best way to encourage them to go on, and then, don"t you see? if they have any dishonest designs, they"ll be the sooner exposed; and then--I do want to see what the end of it all will be--don"t you?"
In pursuance of these ideas, Mrs. Reed, next afternoon, put on her best bonnet, and went to call on the ladies of the Pickens family. The gardens and shrubberies of the Maynard house, always beautiful, yet showed already the want of the master"s eye. The servant who opened the door was of an inferior grade, and the drawing-room, stripped of Mrs.
Maynard"s personal belongings, looked bare and cold. Mrs. Reed sat and sighed for her old friend full quarter of an hour, before a pale, slim, pretty girl, much dressed, and with carefully crimped locks, came in with, "It"s very kind in you to call. Aunt Delia"s awfully sorry to keep you waiting, but she"ll be down directly."
"I am very glad to see you," said Mrs. Reed, looking with some attention at the probable bride-elect.
"Aunt Delia was sitting in her dressing-sack. She generally does, day-times. It"s so much trouble to dress, she thinks. Now I think it"s something to do; there isn"t much else, here."
"This is a lovely place. I always admire it afresh every time I come here."
"It"s lonesome; but then, it"s pleasant enough for a little while. I never care to stay long in any one place. I"ve lived in about a hundred since I can recollect; and I wouldn"t take a house in any one of "em for a gift, if I had to live in it."
"Perhaps you may feel differently when you have a house of your own."
"Well, that"s one of the things Mr. MacJacobs and I quarrel about. I want to board, and he wants to take a flat. I tell him I"ll do that, if he"ll get one where we can dine at the table d"hote. That"s about as easy as boarding. As like as not, when we get settled, he"ll have to go off somewhere else; but if he is willing to pay for it himself, why, let him! Here"s Aunt Delia," she suddenly added, as a fresh rustle announced the entrance of a stout lady, also very handsomely attired, and carrying a large fan, which she waved to and fro, slowly but steadily, gazing silently over it at her visitor, whom Minnie introduced with some explanation, after which she remarked that it was "awfully hot."
"It is warm; but I have not found it unpleasant. I really enjoyed my walk here."