"We could hear Nelly struggling in her stall, and I tell you it made us sick! Unluckily we had chained her, in antic.i.p.ation of her trying to get loose, and go after Prince. She"d never been left at home this way before, and we"d taken extra pains to secure her.
"The stable doors were fastened by a heavy bolt; again and again I tried to push it back, but it was so fiery hot I couldn"t touch it, and when I tried to hammer it, the flames drove me off.
"There was nothing for it but to leave poor Nelly to her fate. It seemed as if she divined our intent, for, as we turned away, she uttered a piercing scream. Mother burst into tears.
""I can"t stand it," she said, covering her ears.
"Again and again Nelly"s voice rang out. Steve stood there, his face drawn and white. All at once he took out his watch.
""It"s twelve o"clock!" he cried; "father"ll be home in a moment, and if Prince hears Nelly he"ll go mad. Head "em off, Jack!"
"I didn"t wait for another word, but ran with all my might down the road by which they always came.
"As fate would have it, they had chosen the other one that day, and were well along, before I caught sight of them. Father had taken Prince out of the plow, and harnessed him to a little single-seated gig we had. He was driving him, and Ned was walking behind. I saw Steve running toward them, but he was still at a distance.
""Father," I yelled at the top of my voice, "stop! father! the stable"s on fire. Turn Prince back. Nelly is burning!"
"Father didn"t seem to understand, for although he listened, he kept driving slowly on.
"I shouted again, running toward them, and gesticulating frantically.
All at once Ned caught my meaning, and bounding like a deer in front of the gig, grabbed Prince by the head to turn him, but at that very moment a terrible scream from poor Nelly split our ears, and in less time than it takes to tell there was a maddened horse plunging in midair, with four strong men clinging to him, trying to hold him back.
""Let him go, boys! Let him go!" shouted father; "it"s no use! Let him go, I tell you! He"ll kill us all!"
""Oh, G.o.d! I can"t let the old fellow burn up!" sobbed Steve.
"But Prince had begun to lay about him with his teeth, and father knocked Steve down to get him out of the way.
"I believe we all sobbed, as we watched the old hero go up that hill and into the stable; Nelly was quiet now, and the doors were down.
"We heard him groan once or twice, and then mother came to meet us, and took us all into the house.
"It"s out yonder-the monument we put up. It"s over both of them."
"Well, what has that horse story to do with men?" asked a sneering voice, when I had finished my little tale, and Mrs. Purblind and I were sitting silent.
I turned, and to my astonishment and disgust saw Mrs. Cynic, who had come in quietly, un.o.bserved by me, as I was reading.
I should not have answered her a word, but Mrs. Purblind thought to avert an awkward situation, so she said:
"It ill.u.s.trates the devotion of the masculine nature, I suppose."
"In horses? Yes; it"s a pity that it hasn"t been evoluted into men."
"It has," I answered curtly, "for those who are capable of seeing and appreciating it."
This probably made her angry, for she turned on me with her most evil expression:
"It"s a mystery to me why, with your overweening admiration for the other s.e.x, you haven"t married, Miss Leigh. You must have had countless opportunities; child-like faith, such as yours, must be very attractive to them."
I stared at her a moment in silence; her insolence stupefied me. Then I think I opened the nearest window, and pitched her out. Mrs. Purblind insists I did not do that, exactly, but that I got rid of her. As she hasn"t been in since, a desirable result was obtained, and I don"t much care what the method may have been.
I aired my house the rest of the day, having a wish to cleanse it, and protect my moral nature, much as one would rid a place of sewer gas, to protect the physical being.
I was not in a very good temper after all this, and it annoyed me to see Randolph Chance coming in before taking his train. He had been calling oftener than usual of late, but he didn"t seem to have much to say, and so his coming gave no especial pleasure.
To-day what talk we had ran on flowers for a time, when Mr. Chance, awkwardly and out-of-placedly, asked me how I liked the _Reve d"or_ rose. This was the kind of rose I had received every morning, during my illness.
I looked at him inquiringly. I confess my heart was beating faster.
He flushed, and said abruptly:
"You must have known I sent you those."
"I did not," I answered rather coldly; "there was no card or note with them."
"I thought you"d know," he said with increasing embarra.s.sment; and then he added, almost desperately, "you must know, Constance, that I love you."
"I know nothing," I replied, drawing myself up haughtily; "I take nothing of this kind for granted. If you want me to understand, you must come out openly."
"I have done enough, surely," he said, "enough to lead you to guess the truth."
"I guess nothing of this sort!" I reiterated; "what right have you to place me in this position? What right have you, or any other man to deprive a woman of one of her dearest privileges-that of being wooed?"
"Constance!" he cried, and all his embarra.s.sment was gone, "aren"t there a thousand ways of saying "I love you?" and haven"t I said it in every way but one?"
"That one was the most important of all," I answered; "I would have given more to hear those words than to receive every other token."
His face lighted up with a sudden flash, and he started impulsively toward me.
"Then you _do_ love me, my darling-I have hardly dared to hope."
But I drew back, and answered pa.s.sionately,
"No, I do not! I love no man who can trifle with a young girl, or any woman-no man who has the effrontery to expect some one to take for granted a courtship that has never existed!"
"For Heaven"s sake, what _do_ you mean?"
"Go to Miss Sprig and inquire; she has more reason to take your love for granted than I."
"I"ll not go to her, but I shall leave you," he said, with a white face.
"You certainly don"t care for me, or you would never deal me such an unjust thrust as this."
And then I heard him close the front door. I think the neighborhood heard him.
I walked to the window. He was gone.
I told myself I was glad of it-that a good lesson had been taught.