"You cannot reconstruct human nature," she protested, "and when you shall have gotten your system thoroughly under way, those who have gotten in positions of power will use their advantage for their own benefit, and then you will still have to begin all over again." But Wolffert was certain of the result and pointed out the work of his friend John Marvel as a proof of his theory.
While, at first, the broad-shouldered young clergyman fled from her presence with a precipitation which was laughable, it was not long before he appeared to have steeled himself sufficiently against her shafts of good-natured persiflage to be able to tolerate her presence, and before a great while had pa.s.sed, her friends began to tease her on the fact that wherever she went Mr. Marvel was pretty sure to appear.
One of her old cousins, half-rallyingly and half-warningly, cautioned her against going too far with the young man, saying, "Mr. Marvel, my dear, is too good a man for you to amuse yourself with, and then fling away. What is simply the diversion of an hour for you, may become a matter of real gravity with him. He is already deeply interested in you and unless you are interested in him----"
"Why, I am interested in him," declared the girl, laughing. "Why, he tells me of all the old sick women and cats in the parish and I have an engagement to go around with him and see some old women to-morrow. You ought to see some that we went to visit the other day!"
"I know, my dear, but you must not make fun of his work. He is happy in it and is accomplishing a great deal of good, and if you should get him dissatisfied----"
"Oh, no, indeed; I gave him some money last week for a poor family to get some clothes so that they could come to church. They were named Banyan. They live near the mines. The whole family were to be christened next Sunday, and what do you suppose they did? As soon as they got the clothes they went last Sunday to a big baptizing and were all immersed!
I was teasing him about that when you heard me laughing at him."
"The wretches!" exclaimed her cousin. "To think of their deceiving him so!"
"I know," said the girl. "But I think he minded the deception much more than the other. Though I charged him with being disappointed at not getting them into his fold, really, I don"t think he minded it a bit. At least, he said he would much rather they had gone where they would be happy."
"Now, Mr. Marvel"s friend, Mr. Wolffert, is a different matter. He appears quite able to take care of himself."
"Quite," said Miss Leigh dryly.
"But, my dear," said her cousin, lowering her voice, "they say he is a Jew."
"He is," said Eleanor.
"You know it?"
"Yes, he told me so himself."
"Told you himself! Why, I thought--! How did he come to tell you?"
"Why, I don"t know. We were talking and I said something foolish about the Jews--about some one being "as rich and stingy as a Jew," and he smiled and said, "Are all Jews rich--and stingy?" And I said, "If they have a chance," and he said, "Not always. I am a Jew and I am not rich."
Well, I thought he was fooling, just teasing me--so I went on, and do you know he is not only a Jew, but Mr. Marvel says he is rich, only he does not claim his money because he is a Socialist. Mr. Marvel says he could go home to-morrow and his father would take him and lavish money on him; but he works--works all the time among the poor."
"Well, I must say I always liked him," said her cousin.
"But he isn"t such good fun to tease as Mr. Marvel--he is too intense.
Mr. Marvel does get so red and unhappy-looking when he is teased."
"Well, you have no right to tease him. He is a clergyman and should be treated with respect. You wouldn"t dare to tease your rector in town--the great Dr.--What is his name?"
"Oh! wouldn"t I? Dr. Bartholomew Capon. Why, he is one of the greatest beaux in town. He"s always running around to see some girl--ogling them with his big blue eyes."
"Eleanor!" exclaimed her cousin reprovingly.
"Why, he"d marry any one of the Canter girls who would have him, or Aunt Sophia, or----"
"Eleanor, don"t be profane."
The old lady looked so shocked that the girl ran over and kissed her, with a laugh.
"Why, I"ve told him so."
"Told him? You haven"t!"
"Yes, I have. I told him so when he tried to marry me. Then he tried Aunt Sophia."
"What! Eleanor, you are incorrigible. You really are. But do tell me about it. Did he really court you? Why, he"s old enough to be your----"
"Grandfather," interrupted the girl. "That"s what I told him, substantially."
"Served him right, too. But he must be a fine preacher from what my old friend, Pansy Tipps, once wrote me. Did you ever meet Pansy Tipps? She and her sister live in your city. They went there years ago to press a claim they had to a large fortune left them by their father, Colonel Tipps, who used to be a very rich man, but left his affairs somewhat complicated, I gather from what Pansy writes me, or did write, for she does not write very often now. I wish you"d go and see them when you go back."
"I will," said Eleanor. "Where do they live?"
"At a Mrs. Kale"s--she keeps a boarding-house--I don"t know the exact location, and mislaid Pansy"s letter a year or more ago, but you will have no difficulty in finding it. It must be in the fashionable quarter and I should think any one could tell you where she lives."
"I will find her," said Eleanor, laughing.
XII
JOHN MARVEL
When, a little later, a scourge of diphtheria broke out in a little mining camp not far from the home of Miss Leigh"s relatives and she learned that John Marvel spent all his time nursing the sick and relieving their necessities as far as possible, she awakened to a realization of the truth of what her cousin had said, that under his awkward exterior lay a mine of true gold.
Day by day reports came of the spread of the deadly pestilence, making inroads in every family, baffling the skill and outstripping the utmost efforts of the local physician; day by day, the rumor came that wherever illness appeared there was John Marvel.
One afternoon Miss Leigh, who had ridden over in the direction of the mining village to try and get some information about the young clergyman, who, a rumor said, had been stricken himself the day before, came on him suddenly in a by-path among the hills. At sight of her he stopped and held up his hand in warning, and at the warning she reined in her horse.
"Don"t come nearer," he called to her.
"What is the matter?" she asked. "How are you?" For even at that distance--perhaps, some fifty paces--she could see that he looked wretchedly worn and wan.
"Oh, I"m doing very well," he replied. "How are you? You must not come this way! Turn back!"
She began to rein her horse around and then, on a sudden, as his arm fell to his side, and, stepping a little out of the path, he leant against a tree, the whole situation struck her. Wheeling her horse back, she rode straight up to him though he stiffened up and waved her back.
"You are ill," she said.
"Oh, no. I am not ill, I am only a bit tired; that is all. You must not come this way--go back!"
"But why?" she persisted, sitting now close above him.
"Because--because--there is sickness here. A family there is down." He nodded back toward the curve around which he had just come. "The Banyan family are all ill, and I am just going for help."
"I will go--I, at least, can do that. What help? What do you want?"