There was a young gentleman who dishonored his rank, and a n.o.ble working boy who distinguished himself in that affair. I remember perfectly well the circ.u.mstances to which you refer."
"You mistake, Miss Merlin," retorted Burghe, with a hot flush upon his brow, "I do not refer to that boyish frolic, for it was no more! I refer to--"
"Mr. Burghe, excuse me. Mr. Worth, will you do me the favor to tell the band to strike up a quadrille? Lord Vincent, I presume they expect us to open the ball. Bee, my dear, you are engaged to Mr. Worth for this set.
Be sure when he returns to come to the same set with us and be our vis-a-vis," said Claudia, speaking rapidly.
Before she had finished Ishmael had gone upon her errand, and the band struck up a lively quadrille. Claudia gave her hand to Lord Vincent, who led her to the head of the first set. When Ishmael returned, Bee gave him her hand and told him Claudia"s wish, which, of course, had all the force of a command for him, and he immediately led Bee to the place opposite Lord Vincent and Hiss Merlin.
And Captain Burghe was left to bite his nails in foiled malignity.
But later in the evening he took his revenge and received his punishment.
It happened in this manner: New quadrilles were being formed. Claudia was again dancing with Lord Vincent, and they had taken their places at the head of one of the sets. Ishmael was dancing with one of the poor neglected "wallflowers" to whom Bee had kindly introduced him, and he led his partner to a vacant place at the foot of one of the sets; he was so much engaged in trying to entertain the shy and awkward girl that he did not observe who was their vis-a-vis, or overhear the remarks that were made.
But Claudia, who, with the viscount, was standing very near, heard and saw all. She saw Ishmael lead his shy young partner up to a place in the set, exactly opposite to where Alfred Burghe with his partner, Miss Tourneysee, stood. And she heard Mr. Burghe whisper to Miss Tourneysee:
"Excuse me; and permit me to lead you to a seat. The person who has just taken the place opposite to us is not a proper a.s.sociate even for me, still less for you."
And she saw Miss Tourneysee"s look of surprise and heard her low-toned exclamation:
"Why, it is Mr. Worth! I have danced with him often!"
"I am sorry to hear it. I hope you will take the word of an officer and a gentleman that he is not a respectable person, and by no means a proper acquaintance for any lady."
"But why not?"
"Pardon me. I cannot tell you why not. It is not a story fit for your ears. But I will tell your father. For I think the real position of the fellow ought to be known. In the meantime, will you take my word for the truth of what I have said, and permit me to lead you to a seat?"
"Certainly," said the young lady, trembling with distress.
"I regret exceedingly to deprive you of your dance; but you perceive that there is no other vacant place."
"Oh, don"t mention it! Find me a seat."
This low-toned conversation, every word of which had been overheard by Claudia who, though in another set, stood nearly back to back with the speaker, was entirely lost to Ishmael, who stood at the foot of the same set with him, but was at a greater distance, and was besides quite absorbed in the task of rea.s.suring his timid schoolgirl companion.
Just as Burghe turned to lead his partner away, and Ishmael, attracted by the movement, lifted his eyes to see the cause, Claudia gently drew Lord Vincent after her, and going up to the retiring couple said:
"Miss Tourneysee, I beg your pardon; but will you and your partner do myself and Lord Vincent the favor to exchange places with us? We particularly desire to form a part of this set."
"Oh, certainly!" said the young lady, wondering, but rejoiced to find that she should not be obliged to miss the dance.
They exchanged places accordingly; but as they still stood very near together, Claudia heard him whisper to his partner:
"This evening I think I will speak to your father and some other gentlemen and enlighten them as to who this fellow really is!"
Claudia heard all this; but commanded herself. Her face was pale as marble; her lips were bloodless; but her dark eyes had the terrible gleam of suppressed but determined hatred! In such moods as hers, people have sometimes planned murder.
However, she went through all the four dances very composedly. And when they were over and Lord Vincent had led her to a seat, she sent him to fetch her a gla.s.s of water, while she kept her eye on the movements of Captain Burghe, until she saw him deposit his partner on a sofa and leave her to fetch a cream, or some such refreshment.
And then Claudia arose, drank the ice-water brought her by the viscount, set the empty gla.s.s on a stand and requested Lord Vincent to give her his arm down the room, as she wished to speak to Captain Burghe.
The viscount glanced at her in surprise, saw that her face was bloodless; but ascribed her pallor to fatigue.
Leaning on Lord Vincent"s arm, she went down the whole length of the room until she paused before the sofa on which sat Miss Tourneysee and several other ladies, attended by General Tourneysee, Captain Burghe and other gentlemen.
Burghe stood in front of the sofa, facing the ladies and with his back towards Claudia, of whose approach he was entirely ignorant, as he discoursed as follows:
"Quite unfit to be received in respectable society, I a.s.sure you, General! Came of a wretchedly degraded set, the lowest of the low, upon my honor. This fellow--"
Claudia touched his shoulder with the end of her fan.
Alfred Burghe turned sharply around and confronted Miss Merlin, and on meeting her eyes grew as pale as she was herself.
"Captain Burghe," she said, modulating her voice to low and courteous tones, "you have had the misfortune to malign one of our most esteemed friends, at present a member of our household. I regret this accident exceedingly, as it puts me under the painful necessity of requesting you to leave the house with as little delay as possible!"
"Miss Merlin--ma"am!" began the captain, crimsoning with shame and rage.
"You have heard my request, sir! I have no more to say but to wish you a very good evening," said Claudia, as with a low and sweeping courtesy she turned away.
Pa.s.sing near the hall where the footmen waited, she spoke to one of them, saying:
"Powers, attend that gentleman to the front door."
All this was done so quietly that Alfred Burghe was able to slink from the room, un.o.bserved by anyone except the little group around the sofa, whom he had been entertaining with his calumnies. To them he had muttered that he would have satisfaction; that he would call Miss Merlin"s father to a severe account for the impertinence of his daughter, etc.
But the consternation produced by these threats was soon dissipated. The band struck up an alluring waltz, and Lord Vincent claimed the hand of Beatrice, and Ishmael, smiling, radiant and unsuspicious, came in search of Miss Tourneysee, who accepted his hand for the dance without an instant"s hesitation.
"Do you know"--inquired Miss Tourneysee, with a little curiosity to ascertain whether there was any mutual enmity between Burghe and Ishmael--"do you know who that Captain Burghe is that danced the last quadrille with me?"
"Yes; he is the son of the late Commodore Burghe, who was a gallant officer, a veteran of 1812, and did good service during the last War of Independence," said Ishmael generously, uttering not one word against his implacable foe.
Miss Tourneysee looked at him wistfully and inquired: "Is the son as good a man as the father?"
"I have not known Captain Burghe since we were at school together."
"I do not like him. I do not think he is a gentleman," said Miss Tourneysee.
Ishmael did not reply. It was not his way to speak even deserved evil of the absent.
But Miss Tourneysee drew a mental comparison between the meanness of Alfred"s conduct and the n.o.bility of Ishmael"s. And the dance succeeded the conversation.
Claudia remained sitting on the sofa beside Mrs. Middleton, until at the close of the dance, when she was rejoined by the viscount, who did not leave her again during the evening.
The early summer nights were short, and so it was near the dawn when the company separated.
The party as a whole had been the most splendid success of the season.