It would have been difficult to convince any body of the extent of Margaret"s shyness, for she had the advantage of a very self-possessed manner; therefore, though her heart seemed dying within her, at the effort of making a reply to such a speech, her sweet voice was as calm as ever, when she answered:
"I did not think you rude at all, Mr. Haveloc, for you said nothing; and it would be hard indeed to deny people the free exercise of their thoughts."
"Thank you," said Mr. Haveloc with energy. "I will not be so presumptuous as to offer you any advice; but I hope you will allow me to recommend that you ask Miss Gage her candid opinion of those young ladies. She is so much your friend, that I believe she will have no hesitation in giving it."
"I will, indeed," said Margaret, "you could not have given me better advice."
She smiled and blushed as she spoke, and looked so very lovely, that it was no wonder Mr. Haveloc retained his chair, and made some attempt to draw her into conversation.
Mr. Grey woke up, took his cup of tea, and looked very much pleased to see them talking together, although no two strangers could carry on a more distant and disjointed discourse. He so completely recognized Margaret as a child, that his fancy never suggested to him the possibility of a future attachment being formed between his favourite ward and his beautiful little niece. He merely thought to himself that if Claude would but brighten up a little, and forget all that Italian business, it would make the evenings much more cheerful for poor Margaret.
His musings were interrupted by the entrance of Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt, whose "old woman," as he informed Mr. Grey, had two or three village gossips to drink tea with her, and therefore he had been driven out this miserable night to take his chance of a cup of coffee, and a game of piquet with his friend, Mr. Grey.
"And glad enough you must be to see me," he remarked, "for I suppose these two young people chatter together, and leave you to count the bars of the grate all the evening."
Mr. Grey eagerly disclaimed being ever left to the consoling occupation suggested by his friend.
"Never," he said, "were there kinder or more attentive companions than Claude Haveloc and his niece."
Margaret rang for more coffee, and made up her mind with a look of calm endurance to pa.s.s a disagreeable evening. Among other annoyances to her, Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt was very fond of music, and always insisted on her playing to him while he was engaged at cards.
Mr. Haveloc, highly indignant at being accused of chattering, flung himself into an arm-chair at another table; begged Margaret"s pardon when she half rose to give Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt his cup, made some show of taking it from her, and then threw himself back in his chair with the Quarterly Review in his hand, and a very tolerable share of contempt in his features.
Then Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt managed to teaze Margaret by asking her to play "The Roast Beef of Old England;" or, "The Girl I left behind me;" airs that she had never heard of; and by turning into ridicule the names and compositions of Doehler and Moscheles, with whose works she was familiar. And every now and then he looked up from his game, and asked Mr. Haveloc what he was about, that he did not turn over the young lady"s book, and praise her music; until at last Margaret left the piano in a great pet, and sat down to her netting.
"Well, now, little woman," said Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt, as soon as he had won his game, "how do you get on with Hubert Gage?"
Mr. Haveloc"s eyes were full upon her, and she felt the question to be embarra.s.sing. She blushed, indeed, but she drew herself up, and replied that she got on with him quite well enough. Her acquaintance was with his sister.
"And this young spark, too," said Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt, turning to Mr. Haveloc.
"What! you are letting him slip through your fingers? He goes away to-morrow, I hear." Margaret, changing from red to white, persevered with her netting. Mr. Haveloc dashed his book down on the table, and stalked out of the room; muttering something as he went about "the greatest bore in existence;" and Mr. Grey began a gentle remonstrance with his friend on the impropriety of talking in such a manner to young people.
"They don"t like it, Cas.e.m.e.nt. These jokes never please the parties concerned. There"s Claude gone out of the room in a rage, and my poor little Margaret seems disposed to go out of the room after him."
"I think," said Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt, with a chuckling laugh, "I tell you what, in my young days, the fancies of old people were to be consulted. Now, we have nothing to do but to think how we can please the young ones."
"n.o.body can accuse you of that, Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt," said Margaret, who had taken refuge by the side of Mr. Grey.
"Egad, that"s true enough, Miss Peggy," returned Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt. "No one shall ever tax me with helping to spoil the rising generation."
Mr. Grey said he was no advocate for spoiling people; but he really could not see why such silly remarks should be made on persons; that Claude Haveloc did not like to be the subject of Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt"s raillery, and therefore he did hope--
"Why," interrupted Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt, "the remark, as you call it, that made Master Claude bounce out of the room in such tragedy fashion, was addressed to this little woman here. I asked her, as any body would, how she could let such a sweet-tempered, well-behaved young gentleman slip through her fingers."
"Well--well--the child does not like it;" said Mr. Grey, rather shortly.
"Beg your pardon. Miss Peggy, like other young ladies, has no sort of objection to a hint of that kind. But you don"t relish it, that is very plain; so I"ll mind my manners for the present, at least. Hadn"t you better step out to the young man, my dear, and say that it"s all right, and he may come back again?"
Angry as Margaret was, she could not help smiling at the idea of being sent out to call Mr. Haveloc back like a child. She was very angry, however, and said, that she supposed Mr. Haveloc would return when he chose; but that she imagined few people would be longer than they could help in Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt"s society.
"She is too sharp for you, Cas.e.m.e.nt;" said Mr. Grey, laughing.
"I have raised a hornet"s nest about my ears, I think," said Mr.
Cas.e.m.e.nt, laughing in his turn. "I did not know the child had so much spirit. Well, my old woman, will be on the look out for me, so I will wish you good evening."
As soon as the door closed on his friend, Mr. Grey began to find all the excuses he could for his rudeness. n.o.body, he affirmed, had a better heart than Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt, although his manners might lead a good many people to doubt the fact. He was sure that if any body was in distress, Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt would do them a kindness if he could; and, after all, that was the main point--the disposition was of more importance than the manner.
Margaret was quite ready to admit the truth of this observation; she merely asked, casually, "whether Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt had been ever known to relieve anybody, because there is always opportunity to show kindness among the poor, if people are inclined to do it."
Mr. Grey said, "he did not know any particular instance of Mr.
Cas.e.m.e.nt"s good works; but he was not the less convinced that he had the disposition to be kind."
Margaret smiled, and kept her own opinion in silence.
Mr. Haveloc returned to the room soon after;--replied to some qualifying remark of Mr. Grey"s, that Mr. Cas.e.m.e.nt was a pest to society, and worse than all the plagues of Egypt; and then, taking up his book again, went on reading with much apparent tranquillity.
Margaret continued her netting by the fire-side, and seemed to be quite unconscious of his presence. Mr. Grey, satisfied that the storm had blown over, soon went to sleep, which he frequently did, until roused by the entrance of Land with the candlesticks and a great bunch of keys.
Suddenly Mr. Haveloc started forward, and picked up a mesh which had fallen from Margaret"s work-box. She had been so much accustomed to all those attentions from him, which do not involve any speaking, that this sudden movement did not surprise her. She took her mesh, bowed her head in silence, and went on with her work. She really did not know, for some minutes, that he was leaning on the top of the screen he had placed between her and the fire, and looking earnestly into her face.
"I hope," he said, as soon as she happened to lift her eyes from her netting, "I do hope that miserable old man has not annoyed you very much. I am sure you must feel his vulgarity. If it was not for Mr. Grey, I--but I am afraid he is rather too old to be thrown out of the window."
"Oh, dear, yes!" said Margaret, frightened at the very idea of such extreme measures. "I don"t very much mind him now, I certainly did, at first. But my uncle says he has--some--good qualities."
This confession came out slowly, as if she was by no means willing to admit the possibility of such a thing.
"Mr. Grey has so many good qualities," said Mr. Haveloc, "that he makes over a few, in imagination, to his neighbours. That is the only way I can account for such an a.s.sertion on his part."
Margaret looked up and laughed at this remark. She had a charming child-like laugh.
"Perhaps;" said she, after a short pause, "perhaps, in time, he will leave off teazing me."
"Never!" returned Mr. Haveloc, "never while he has breath."
"Then it can"t be helped," said Margaret, with a sigh. "But there is one comfort, my dear uncle always takes my part."
"Who would not?" muttered Mr. Haveloc.
Margaret did not laugh at this remark. She blushed instead, and busied herself very earnestly with the beads on her silk.
"You are about something very pretty!" said Mr. Haveloc, bending over her work.
"It is a great deal of trouble," said Margaret, "but it will look very well when it is done. It is a purse with beads."
"I am afraid I shall not see it finished," said Mr. Haveloc. "It will be done, and sent off long before I come back."
"It takes me--oh, let me see!--about a week," said Margaret.