"Just the same! ? he has not altered a jot," she said to herself as he came forward to Mrs. Evelyn; ? "it is himself! ?
his very self ? he doesn"t look a day older ? I"m very glad! ?
(Yes, Ma"am, it"s extremely tiresome ?). How exactly as when he left me in Paris, ? and how much pleasanter than anybody else! ? more pleasant than ever, it seems, to me, but that is because I have not seen him in so long; he only wanted one thing. That same grave eye ? but quieter, isn"t it than it used to be? ? I think so ? (It"s the best store in town, I think, Mrs. Thorn, by far ? yes, Ma"am ?). Those eyes are certainly the finest I ever saw. How I have seen him stand and look just so when he was talking to his workmen ? without that air of consciousness that all these people have, comparatively ? what a difference! (I know very little about it, Ma"am; ? I am not learned in laces ? I never bought any ?). I wish he would look this way ? I wonder if Mrs. Evelyn does not mean to bring him to see me ? she must remember; ? now there is that curious old smile and looking down! how much better I know what it means than Mrs. Evelyn does! ? (Yes, Ma"am, I understand ? I mean! ? it is very convenient ? I never go anywhere else to get anything ? at least, I should not if I lived here ?). She does not know whom she is talking to. She is going to walk him off into the other room! How very much more gracefully he does everything than anybody else ? it comes from that entire high-mindedness and frankness, I think ? not altogether, a fine person must aid the effect, and that complete independence of other people ? I wonder if Mrs.
Evelyn has forgotten my existence? ? he has not, I am sure ? I think she is a little odd ? (Yes, Ma"am, my face is flushed ?
the room is very warm ?.)"
"But the fire has gone down ? it will be cooler now," said Mrs. Thorn.
Which were the first words that fairly entered Fleda"s understanding. She was glad to use the screen to hide her face now, not the fire.
Apparently the gentleman and lady found nothing to detain them in the other room, for, after sauntering off to it, they sauntered back again, and placed themselves to talk just opposite her. Fleda had an additional screen now in the person of Miss Tomlinson, who had sought her corner, and was earnest talking across her to Mrs. Thorn, so that she was sure, even if Mr. Carleton"s eyes should chance to wander that way, they would see nothing but the unremarkable skirt of her green silk dress, most unlikely to detain them.
The trade in nothings going on over the said green silk was very brisk indeed; but, disregarding the buzz of tongues near at hand, Fleda"s quick ears were able to free the barrier, and catch every one of the quiet tones beyond.
"And you leave us the day after to-morrow?" said Mrs. Evelyn.
"No, Mrs. Evelyn, I shall wait another steamer."
The lady"s brow instantly revealed to Fleda a trap setting beneath to catch his reason.
"I"m very glad!" exclaimed little Edith, who, in defiance of conventionalities and proprieties, made good her claim to be in the drawing-room on all occasions ? "then you will take me another ride, wont you, Mr. Carleton?"
"You do not flatter us with a very long stay," pursued Mrs.
Evelyn.
"Quite as long as I expected ? longer than I meant it to be,"
he answered, rather thoughtfully.
"Mr. Carleton," said Constance, sidling up in front of him. "I have been in distress to ask you a question, and I am afraid ?
"Of what are you afraid, Miss Constance?"
"That you would reward me with one of your severe looks, which would petrify me; and then, I am afraid I should feel uncomfortable" ?
"I hope he will!" said Mrs. Evelyn, settling herself back in the corner of the sofa, and with a look at her daughter which was complacency itself ? "I hope Mr. Carleton will, if you are guilty of any impertinence."
"What is the question, Miss Constance?"
"I want to know what brought you out here?"
"Fie, Constance," said her mother. "I am ashamed of you. Do not answer her, Mr. Carleton."
"Mr. Carleton will answer me, Mamma ? he looks benevolently upon my faults, which are entirely those of education. What was it, Mr. Carleton?"
"I suppose," said he, smiling, "it might be traced more or less remotely to the restlessness incident to human nature."
"But you are not restless, Mr. Carleton," said Florence, with a glance which might be taken as complimentary.
"And knowing that I am," said Constance, in comic impatience, "you are maliciously prolonging my agonies. It is not what I expected of you, Mr. Carleton."
"My dear," said her father, "Mr. Carleton, I am sure, will fulfil all reasonable expectations. What is the matter?"
"I asked him where a certain tribe of Indians was to be found, Papa, and he told me they were supposed originally to have come across Behring"s Strait, one cold winter."
Mr. Evelyn looked a little doubtfully, and Constance with so unhesitating gravity, that the gravity of n.o.body else was worth talking about.
"But it is so uncommon," said Mrs. Evelyn, when they had done laughing, "to see an Englishman of your cla.s.s here at all, that when he comes a second time we may be forgiven for wondering what has procured us such an honour."
"Women may always be forgiven for wondering, my dear," said Mr. Evelyn, "or the rest of mankind must live at odds with them."
"Your princ.i.p.al object was to visit our western prairies, wasn"t it, Mr. Carleton?" said Florence.
"No," he replied, quietly, "I cannot say that. I should choose to give a less romantic explanation of my movements. From, some knowledge growing out of my former visit to this country, I thought there were certain negotiations I might enter into here with advantage; and it was for the purpose of attending to these, Miss Constance, that I came."
"And have you succeeded?" said Mrs. Evelyn, with an expression of benevolent interest.
"No, Ma"am ? my information had not been sufficient."
"Very likely," said Mr. Evelyn. "There isn"t one man in a hundred whose representations on such a matter are to be trusted at a distance."
"On such a matter," repeated his wife, funnily; "you don"t know what the matter was, Mr. Evelyn ? you don"t know what you are talking about."
"Business, my dear ? business ? I take only what Mr. Carleton said; it doesn"t signify a straw what business. A man must always see with his own eyes."
Whether Mr. Carleton had seen or had not seen, or whether even he had his faculty of hearing in present exercise, a glance at his face was incompetent to discover.
"I never should have imagined," said Constance, eyeing him keenly, "that Mr. Carleton"s errand to this country was one of business, and not of romance. I believe it"s a humbug!"
For an instant this was answered by one of those looks of absolute composure, in every muscle and feature, which put an effectual bar to all further attempts from without, or revelations from within ? a look Fleda remembered well, and felt even in her corner. But it presently relaxed, and he said with his usual manner,
"You cannot understand, then, Miss Constance, that there should be any romance about business?"
"I cannot understand," said Mrs. Evelyn, "why romance should not come after business. Mr. Carleton, Sir, you have seen American scenery this summer; isn"t American beauty worth staying a little while longer for?"
"My dear," said Mr. Evelyn, "Mr. Carleton is too much of a philosopher to care about beauty ? every man of sense is."
"I am sure he is not," said Mrs. Evelyn, smoothly. "Mr.
Carleton, you are an admirer of beauty, are you not, Sir ?"
"I hope so, Mrs. Evelyn," he said smiling; "but perhaps, I shall shock you by adding ? not of beauties."
"That sounds very odd," said Florence.
"But let us understand," said Mrs. Evelyn, with the air of a person solving a problem; "I suppose we are to infer that your taste in beauty is of a peculiar kind?"
"That may be a fair inference," he said.
"What is it, then?" said Constance, eagerly.