"I dare say, Miss Eve, that your gentle nature was disposed to judge him as kindly as possible; and, then, I think most Americans, ever since the treaty of Ghent, have been disposed to view all Russians too favourably. No, no; I am satisfied with the account of the English; they live much nearer to St. Petersburg than we do, and they are more accustomed, too, to give accounts of such matters."
"But living nearer, Tom Howel," cried Mr. Effingham, with unusual animation, "in such a case, is of no avail, unless one lives near enough to see with his own eyes."
"Well--well--my good friend, we will talk of this another time. I know your disposition to look at every body with lenient eyes. I will now wish you all a good morning, and hope soon to see you again. Miss Eve, I have one word to say, if you dare trust yourself with a youth of fifty, for a minute, in the library."
Eve rose cheerfully, and led the way to the room her father"s visiter had named. When within it, Mr. Howel shut the door carefully, and then with a sort of eager delight, he exclaimed--
"For heaven"s sake, my dear young lady, tell me who are these two strange gentlemen in the other room."
"Precisely the persons my father mentioned, Mr. Howel; Mr. Paul Powis, and Sir George Templemore."
"Englishmen, of course!"
"Sir George Templemore is, of course, as you say, but we may boast of Mr. Powis as a countryman."
"Sir George Templemore!--What a superb-looking young fellow!"
"Why, yes," returned Eve, laughing; "he, at least, you will admit is a handsome man."
"He is wonderful!--The other, Mr.--a--a--a--I forget what you called him--he is pretty well too; but this Sir George is a princely youth."
"I rather think a majority of observers would give the preference to the appearance of Mr. Powis," said Eve, struggling to be steady, but permitting a blush to heighten her colour, in despite of the effort.
"What could have induced him to come up among these mountains--an English baronet!" resumed Mr. Howel, without thinking of Eve"s confusion. "Is he a real lord?"
"Only a little one, Mr. Howel. You heard what my father said of our having been fellow-travellers."
"But what _does_ he think of us. I am dying to know what such a man _really_ thinks of us?"
"It is not always easy to discover what such men _really_ think; although I am inclined to believe that he is disposed to think rather favourably of some of us."
"Ay, of you, and your father, and Mr. John. You have travelled, and are more than half European; but what _can_ he think of those who have never left America?"
"Even of some of those," returned Eve, smiling, "I suspect he thinks partially."
"Well, I am glad of that. Do you happen to know his opinion of the Emperor Nicholas?"
"Indeed. I do not remember to have heard him mention the Emperor"s name; nor do I think he has ever seen him."
"That is extraordinary! Such a man should have seen every thing, and know every thing; but I"ll engage, at the bottom, he does know all about him. If you happen to have any old English newspapers, as wrappers, or by any other accident, let me beg them of you. I care not how old they are. An English journal fifty years old, is more interesting than one of ours wet from the press."
Eve promised to send him a package, when they shook hands and parted.
As she was crossing the hall, to rejoin the party, John Effingham stopped her.
"Has Howel made proposals?" the gentleman inquired, in an affected whisper.
"None, cousin Jack, beyond an offer to read the old English newspapers I can send him."
"Yes, yes, Tom Howel will swallow all the nonsense that is _timbre a Londres_."
"I confess a good deal of surprise at finding a respectable and intelligent man so weak-minded as to give credit to such authorities, or to form his serious opinions on information derived from such sources."
"You may be surprised, Eve, at hearing so frank avowals of the weakness; but, as for the weakness itself, you are now in a country for which England does all the thinking, except on subjects that touch the current interests of the day."
"Nay, I will not believe this! If it were true, how came we independent of her--where did we get spirit to war against her."
"The man who has attained his majority is independent of his father"s legal control, without being independent of the lessons he was taught when a child. The soldier sometimes mutinies, and after the contest is over, he is usually the most submissive man of the regiment."
"All this to me is very astonishing! I confess that a great deal has struck me unpleasantly in this way, since our return; especially in ordinary society; but I never could have supposed it had reached to the pa.s.s in which I see it existing in our good neighbour Howel."
"You have witnessed one of the effects, in a matter of no great moment to ourselves; but, as time and years afford the means of observation and comparison, you will perceive the effects in matters of the last moment, in a national point of view. It is in human nature to undervalue the things with which we are familiar, and to form false estimates of those which are remote, either by time, or by distance. But, go into the drawing-room, and, in young Wenham, you will find one who fancies himself a votary of a new school, although his prejudices and mental dependence are scarcely less obvious than those of poor Tom Howel."
The arrival of more company, among whom were several ladies, compelled Eve to defer an examination of Mr. Wenham"s peculiarities to another opportunity. She found many of her own s.e.x, whom she had left children, grown into womanhood, and not a few of them at a period of life when they should be cultivating their physical and moral powers, already oppressed with the cares and feebleness that weigh so heavily on the young American wife.
Chapter XIII.
"Nay we must longer kneel; I am a suitor."
QUEEN KATHERINE.
The Effinghams were soon regularly domesticated, and the usual civilities had been exchanged. Many of their old friends resumed their ancient intercourse, and some new acquaintances were made. The few first visits were, as usual, rather labored and formal; but things soon took their natural course, and, as the ease of country life was the aim of the family, the temporary little bustle was quickly forgotten.
The dressing-room of Eve overlooked the lake, and, about a week after her arrival, she was seated in it enjoying that peculiarly lady-like luxury, which is to be found in the process of having another gently disposing of the hair. Annette wielded the comb, as usual, while Ann Sidley, who was unconsciously jealous that any one should be employed about her darling, even in this manner, though so long accustomed to it, busied herself in preparing the different articles of attire that she fancied her young mistress might be disposed to wear that morning. Grace was also in the room, having escaped from the hands of her own maid, in order to look into one of those books which professed to give an account of the extraction and families of the higher cla.s.ses of Great Britain, a copy of which Eve happened to possess, among a large collection of books, _Allmanachs de Gotha_, Court Guides, and other similar works that she had found it convenient to possess as a traveller.
"Ah! here it is," said Grace, in the eagerness of one who is suddenly successful after a long and vexatious search.
"Here is what, coz?"
Grace coloured, and she could have bitten her tongue for its indiscretion, but, too ingenuous to deceive, she reluctantly told the truth.
"I was merely looking for the account of Sir George Templemore"s family; it is awkward to be domesticated with one, of whose family we are utterly ignorant."
"Have you found the name?"
"Yes; I see he has two sisters, both of whom are married, and a brother who is in the Guards. But--"
"But what, dear?"
"His t.i.tle is not so _very_ old."
"The t.i.tle of no Baronet _can_ be very old, the order having been inst.i.tuted in the reign of James I."
"I did not know that. His ancestor was created a baronet in 1701, I see. Now, Eve--"
"Now, what, Grace?"