"It was only yesterday, Elinor," added the new Mrs. Hubbard, "that Black Bess, who made the cake you are eating, told me when she brought it home, that she hoped soon to make your own wedding-cake."
"She has had the promise of it ever since I was five years old,"
said Elinor,
"Is it possible that Black Bess is still living and baking?" said Harry. "I can remember her gingerbread, as long as I can recollect anything. I once overheard some Longbridge ladies declare, that they could tell Black Bess"s cake as far as they could see it; which struck me as something very wonderful."
"She seems to be a person of great importance," said Mrs.
Creighton; "I shall hope soon to make her acquaintance. My dear Miss Elinor, I wish you would bear in mind that your wedding-cake has been ordered these dozen years. I am afraid you forget how many of us are interested in it, as well as Black Bess."
"Our notable housekeepers you know, tell us that wedding-cake will bear keeping half-a-century," said Elinor, smiling.
"That is after the ceremony I am sure, not before," said Mrs.
Creighton.
Elinor seemed at last annoyed by these persevering allusions, and several persons left the group. Hazlehurst took a seat by Miss Patsey; he was anxious to show her that her brother-in-law"s behaviour, had in no manner changed his regard for herself and her family.
"Where is Charlie," he asked.
"He has gone off to Lake Champlain now. I hope you and Charlie will both soon get tired of travelling about, Mr. Hazlehurst; you ought to stay at home with your friends."
"But I don"t seem to have any home; Charlie and I are both by nature, home-bred, home-staying youths, but we seem fated to wander about. How is he coming on with his pictures?--has he nearly done his work on the lakes?"
"Yes, I believe so; he has promised to come to Longbridge next month, for the rest of the summer. He has been distressed, quite as much as the rest of us, Mr. Hazlehurst, by these difficulties--"
"Do not speak of them, Miss Patsey; it is a bad business; but one which will never interfere between me and my old friends, I trust."
Miss Patsey looked her thanks, her mortification, and her sympathy, but said nothing more.
The carriage which was to convey the bride and groom to the steamboat, soon drove to the door; and taking leave of their friends, the happy couple set off. They turned back, however, before they were out of sight, as Mrs. Hubbard wished to change the travelling-shawl she had first selected for another. Mr.
Wyllys, Elinor, and Harry accompanied them to the boat; and they all three agreed, that the groom had not yet been guilty of napping; although Hazlehurst declared, that as the seats on deck were cool and shady, he had little doubt that he would be dozing before the boat was out of sight.
Those who feel the same anxiety for the welfare of the children, during their mother"s absence, which weighed upon the mind of Miss Agnes, will be glad to hear that they were all three carried to Wyllys-Roof, under the charge of an experienced nurse. And it must be confessed, that it was long since little George, a riotous child, some seven years old, had been kept under such steady, but kind discipline, as that under which he lived, during this visit to his grandfather.
Mr. Ellsworth and Harry pa.s.sed the morning at Longbridge, engaged with their legal affairs; and in the evening Hazlehurst left Wyllys-Roof for Philadelphia; and Mrs. Stanley accompanied him, on her way to Greatwood.
CHAPTER XV. {x.x.xVIII}
"------- But by the stealth Of our own vanity, we"re left so poor."
HABINGTON.
{William Habington (English poet and dramatist, 1605-1664), "Castara" I.20-21}
Now that Harry had left the house, Mrs. Creighton"s attention was chiefly given to Mr. Wyllys; although she had as usual, smiles, both arch and sweet, sayings, both piquant and agreeable, for each and all of the gentlemen from Broadlawn, who were frequent visiters at Wyllys-Roof. Mr. Stryker, indeed, was there half the time. It was evident that the lady was extremely interested in Hazlehurst"s difficulties; she was constant in her inquiries as to the progress of affairs, and listened anxiously to the many different prognostics as to the result. Miss Agnes remarked indeed, one day, when Mr. Ellsworth thought he had succeeded in obtaining an all-important clue, in tracing the previous career of Harry"s opponent, that his sister seemed much elated--she sent an extremely amiable message to Hazlehurst in her brother"s letter. It afterwards appeared, however, on farther inquiry, that this very point turned out entirely in favour of the sailor, actually proving that nine years previously he had sailed in one of the Havre packets, under the name of William Stanley. Mrs.
Creighton that evening expressed her good wishes for Harry, in a much calmer tone, before a roomfull {sic} of company.
"Ladies, have you no sympathizing message for Hazlehurst?"
inquired Mr. Ellsworth, as he folded a letter he had been writing.
"Oh, certainly; we were sorry to hear the bad news;" and she then turned immediately, and began an animated, laughing conversation with Hubert de Vaux.
"What a difference in character between the brother and sister,"
thought Miss Agnes, whose good opinion of Mr. Ellsworth had been raised higher than ever, by the earnest devotion to his friend"s interest, which appeared throughout his whole management of the case.
The family at Wyllys-Roof were careful to show, by their friendly attention to the Hubbards, that their respect and regard for them had not suffered at all by the steps Mr. Clapp had taken. Miss Agnes and Elinor visited the cottage as frequently as ever. One morning, shortly after the wedding, Miss Wyllys went to inquire after Mrs. Hubbard, as she was in the habit of doing. She found Mary Hubbard, the youngest daughter, there, and was struck on entering, by the expression of Miss Patsey"s face--very different from her usual calm, pleasant aspect.
"Oh, Miss Wyllys!" she exclaimed, in answer to an inquiry of Miss Agnes"s--"I am just going to Longbridge! My poor, kind uncle Joseph!--but he was always too weak and indulgent to those girls!"
"What has happened?" asked Miss Wyllys, anxiously.
"Dreadful news, indeed; Mrs. Hilson has disgraced herself!--Her husband has left her and applied for a divorce! But I do not believe it is half as bad as most people think; Julianna has been shamefully imprudent, but I cannot think her guilty!"
{"Her husband has left her..." = this incident seems to reflect the unhappy marriage between Henry Nicholas Cruger (1800-1867) -- a close friend of the Cooper family -- and the free-wheeling Harriet Douglas (1790-1872). After their 1833 marriage, Harriet Douglas insisted on living her own life -- often in Europe; Cruger eventually left her and in 1843 began a lengthy and highly public divorce action based on desertion. The Cooper family strongly disapproved of Harriet Douglas, and she is believed to have been an inspiration for the free-wheeling Mary Monson in James Fenimore Cooper"s last novel, "The Ways of the Hour"
(1850)}
Miss Wyllys was grieved to hear such a bad account of her old neighbour"s daughter.
"Her husband has left her, you say; where is she now?"
"Her father brought her home with him. He went after her to Newport, where she had gone in the same party with this man--this Mr. de Montbrun, and a person who lives in the same boarding-house, a Mrs. Bagman, who has done a great deal of harm to Julianna."
"Sad, indeed!" exclaimed Miss Agnes.
"Charles says it is heart-rending, to see my poor uncle, who was so proud of his good name--thought so much of his daughters!
Often have I heard him say: "Let them enjoy life, Patsey, while they are young; girls can"t do much harm; I love to see them look pretty and merry." They never received any solid instruction, and since her marriage, Julianna seems to have been in bad company.
She had no children to think about, and Mr. Hilson"s time is always given to his business; her head was full of nonsense from morning till night; I was afraid no good would come of it."
"It is at least a great point, that she should have come back with her father."
"Yes, indeed; I am thankful for it, from the bottom of my heart.
Oh, Miss Wyllys, what a dreadful thing it is, to see young people going on, from one bad way to another!" exclaimed Miss Patsey.
"We must hope that her eyes will be opened, now."
"If she had only taken warning from what Charles told her about this Mr. de Montbrun; he had seen him at Rome, and though he had no positive proofs, knew he was a bad man, and told Mrs. Hilson so. It is surely wrong, Miss Wyllys, to let all kinds of strangers from foreign countries into our families, without knowing anything about them."
"I have often thought it very wrong," said Miss Agnes, earnestly.
"But Mrs. Hilson wouldn"t believe a word Charles said. She talked a great deal about aristocratic fashions; said she wouldn"t be a slave to prudish notions--just as she always talks."
"Where was her husband, all this time?"
"He was in New York. They had not agreed well for some time, on account of her spending so much money, and flirting with everybody. At last he heard how his wife was behaving, and went to Saratoga. He found everybody who knew her, was talking about Julianna and this Frenchman. They had a violent quarrel, and he brought her back to town, but gave her warning, if ever she spoke again to that man he would leave her. Would you believe it!--in less than a week, she went to the theatre with him and this Mrs.
Bagman! You know Mr. Hilson is a quiet man in general, but when he has made up his mind to anything, he never changes it: when he came in from his business, and found where his wife had gone, he wrote a letter to Uncle Joseph, and left the house."
"But what does Mrs. Hilson say? Does she show any feeling?"