"Wardenscourt is not far off, fortunately," said George.
Harriet looked up, still smiling.
"No," she said. "I hope Lord Raymond will come over one morning to tell me about the pointers his keeper is training for Uncle Singleton. Take care that you remind him, Lucy."
Lucy laughed and coloured. Margaret felt very much inclined to laugh too.
"It will be worth while for him to come over," said George, "if he occupies you as profitably as he did this morning."
"How was that, Mr. Gage?" asked Lady Conway.
"The fact is this, mamma," said Harriet hastily, "Mr. Gage having forgotten my out of door propensities, was astonished to see me standing on the lawn for a few minutes without my bonnet."
"Oh! pray be careful while we are away, my dear," said Lady Conway. "You must not take cold."
They were rising. Mr. Gage drew back Harriet"s chair; and she, in pa.s.sing out, fixed her splendid eyes upon him, and muttered in a distinct manner, "Tu me lo pagherai."
He bowed as if to say, he was willing to make payment at any time.
The ladies remained loitering among the beautiful plants in the hall, and Elizabeth coming up to Margaret, urged her, in a low voice, to stay with her as long as Harriet remained at Chirke Weston.
"It will be more cheerful for both of you, and though I do not propose her as a model for your imitation; you are safe with her, she always speaks the truth. And your uncle can better spare you now Mr. Haveloc is with him."
Margaret accepted with much pleasure, and the visitors having now all dropped off, she began really to enjoy herself. They walked out, accompanied by George and Hubert over a beautiful country.
Hubert divided his attentions very much between Margaret and the Skye terrier.
Harriet took her own course, swinging in her hand a little riding-whip which had a whistle at the end of it, with which she was used to summon her dog.
George walked with Elizabeth, being out of humour, and thinking very properly that his sister was created for the especial purpose of cheering him under the influence of that complaint.
She succeeded in doing so, for her evenness of temper was remarkable.
She agreed that it was a miserable day--that the wind was keen--that it was very likely to rain--that the ball had been a dull one, and that the post came in at Chirke Weston at an inconvenient time--and then, (for it does not answer to agree too much with people,) she qualified his censures of Lord Raymond, defended her father"s black cravats, maintained there would be a great many people at the flower-show, and said she had not at all pitied him for being obliged to dance with Lady Farquhar, though she was fat, and five and forty.
George being a little restored by this time, began to grow confidential.
He told Elizabeth that he was very thankful that things had turned out as they did between Harriet and him. That he was convinced she had no heart. That she was very well suited to Lord Raymond, and he had no doubt but that they would be extremely happy!
He said this in rather an angry tone, and did not look as if he at all wished that their married life should prove an Elysium; so Elizabeth changed the subject.
"What do you think of my little friend?" she asked. "You must admire Margaret."
"Yes," he said. "She is a lovely little creature, but such a mere child, and so shy; and it is too much to expect that one can take the trouble to draw a woman out. I should not be surprised if she was to grow a little taller, which would be an advantage. She dresses well, and her hand and arm is really a model. I was struck with it immediately. And I am glad to perceive," he said, directing his glance to Margaret, as she walked on in front with Hubert and Harriet against a pretty strong breeze. "I am glad to see that her foot and ancle is equally perfect."
"Well," said Elizabeth smiling. "On the whole, your decision seems to be favourable."
"Yes, decidedly," said Mr. Gage quite seriously. "I am very well pleased; for I have not been used to be ashamed of my sister, and I should care to be ashamed of my sister-in-law; for that I suppose will be the end of it, Bessy?"
"I shall be very glad if it is so," replied Elizabeth.
"He might do worse," said Mr. Gage. "Sailors are so _inconsequent_. They often marry the most extraordinary persons--people that one never has heard of. Miss Capel, however, seems highly respectable. But," he added in a low tone, "to put that little doll in compet.i.tion with such a woman as Harriet! Hubert need not fear me for a rival."
"Very fortunately," said Elizabeth smiling, "it would be dreadful if we were to have the Theban brothers over again."
"They fought for a crown, not a woman," said Mr. Gage, "being wise men."
"Is Mr. Gage very amusing to you, Bessy?" said Harriet, looking back, "that you don"t come to join our party?"
Elizabeth good-naturedly quickened her steps, and Harriet said aloud to Margaret, "It is a charity to break in upon their tete-a-tete, for Mr.
Gage has grown so dull, I think he must have caught cold on the race ground."
Margaret looked frightened, and Mr. Gage pretended not to hear Harriet"s speech.
Margaret was very happy during her stay at Chirke Weston. Hubert Gage was always paying her compliments which she laughed at, and contriving all sorts of schemes for her amus.e.m.e.nt, for which she was much obliged.
She became every day more attached to Elizabeth; she admired her character, and loved her sweetness; and it was delightful to see the terms upon which she lived with her father and brothers.
George Gage paid Margaret the most devoted attentions whenever he wished to pique Harriet, and at other times consigned her to the care of Hubert, as if he had too much delicacy to interfere with his brother"s pretensions. Fortunately, she found amus.e.m.e.nt in the society of both brothers, without allowing their courtesies to penetrate her heart.
CHAPTER XIII.
And she will die ere she make her love known; and she will die if he woo her, rather than she will "bate one breath of her accustomed coyness.
MUCH ADO ABOUT NOTHING.
It was the last day of Margaret"s stay. Harriet was also to leave Chirke Weston the next morning. She was standing with Margaret in one of the drawing-room windows after breakfast, making her promise over and over again that she would come and see her at her uncle Singleton"s, when Lord Raymond drove up to the house in his dog-cart. He produced out of this vehicle the two pointers which Harriet had been anxious to see; and, on a signal from her hand, he brought them up to the window where she was standing.
As soon as she had done admiring and commenting upon these pointers, Lord Raymond delivered them to his groom to pack up in their box again, and joined Harriet in the drawing-room. Elizabeth looked up from her carpet-work, and received Lord Raymond with her usual graceful calmness; and George Gage who was writing at the other end of the room, rising from his letters, took a chair by the side of that distinguished n.o.bleman, and engaged him in conversation; and as he did this with an air of extreme politeness, Margaret did not guess that his sole motive was to expose his rival"s deficiency in that useful art.
But Lord Raymond never actually conversed, he only answered questions.
So, when he had told Mr. Gage that John Baldwin was a connexion of his, but that it was Ferdinand Baldwin who married Miss Th.o.r.esby; that he believed her fortune had been greatly overrated; that Ferdinand was a first cousin of John"s;--that certainly Miss Th.o.r.esby had been engaged to a Colonel Carpenter, who had thought himself very much ill-used when she broke off the engagement; that Henry Baldwin was a Roman Catholic, and that there were a great many of that name in Staffordshire, he had nothing more to say for himself; and rising to depart, he asked Harriet whether she had any message to send to her sister at Wardenscourt.
"Tell Lucy," said Harriet looking archly at Lord Raymond, "that I should be disposed to envy her if I were any where but at Chirke Weston."
As soon as Lord Raymond was gone, Mr. Gage stalked back to his writing, and Harriet, calling Margaret to her side, began a panegyric on his Lordship; vaunting his good principles, his kindness of heart, and above all his even temper.
As all these qualities may exist under a very ordinary exterior, Margaret had nothing to do but to acquiesce; but when Harriet went on to say that she thought him unquestionably the most aristocratic man that she had ever seen, Margaret opened her eyes with a gesture of astonishment; and Mr. Gage, throwing down his pen, in something like a pa.s.sion, said that Miss Conway was known to be original in her opinions; but that certainly, he imagined, she would find herself perfectly unique in this idea. That most people would find it difficult to credit from his appearance that Lord Raymond was a gentleman--and that, except the late Earl of D----, the peerage had seldom been disfigured by such a specimen of humanity.
"Did I say he was handsome, Squire Sullen?" retorted Harriet. "I merely gave my opinion of his deportment, which I consider quite fascinating."
"Unquestionably," Mr. Gage said, resuming his pen with great dignity.
"Miss Conway"s opinion of Lord Raymond was of more consequence than any other person"s. He merely regretted that he could not in this instance agree with it."
Harriet merely replied by one of her most scornful looks. Mr. Gage took up the newspaper, and Hubert, coming in at the moment, persuaded Elizabeth and Margaret to go with him to one of the hot-houses to see some beautiful American plants.