The old woman, herself most unchanged, did not know the young lady, but well remembered the little girl whom Fleda brought to her mind. And then she was overjoyed to see her, and asked a mult.i.tude of questions, and told a long story of her having met Mr. Rossitur in the street the other day, "in the last place where she"d have looked to see him;" and how old he had grown, and how surprised she had been to see the gray hairs in his head. Fleda at last gave her to understand that she expected him to meet her there, and would like to see him alone; and the good woman immediately took her work into another apartment, made up the fire, and set up the chairs, and leaving her, a.s.sured Fleda she would lock up the doors, "and not let no one come through."
It was sundown, and later, Fleda thought, and she felt as if every pulse was doing double duty. No matter, if she were shattered and the work done. But what work! Oh, the needlessness, the cruelty, the folly of it! And how much of the ill consequences she might be unable, after all, to ward off. She took off her hat, to relieve a nervous smothered feeling; and walked, and sat down; and then sat still, from trembling inability to do anything else. Dinah"s poor little room, clean though it was, looked to her the most dismal place in the world, from its a.s.sociation with her errand; she hid her face on her knees, that she might have no disagreeableness to contend with, but that which could not be shut out.
It had lain there some time, till a sudden feeling of terror at the growing lateness made her raise it to look at the window. Mr. Rossitur was standings still before her ? he must have come in very softly ? and looking ? oh, Fleda had not imagined him looking so changed. All was forgotten ? the wrong, and the needlessness, and the indignation with which she had sometimes thought of it; Fleda remembered nothing but love and pity, and threw herself upon his neck with such tears of tenderness and sympathy, such kisses of forgiveness and comfort-speaking, as might have broken a stouter heart than Mr. Rossitur"s. He held her in his arms for a few minutes, pa.s.sively suffering her caresses, and then gently unloosing her hold, placed her on a seat, sat down a little way off, covered his face and groaned aloud.
Fleda could not recover herself at once. Then shaking off her agitation, she came and knelt down by his side, and putting one arm over his shoulders, laid her cheek against his forehead. Words were beyond reach, but his forehead was wet with her tears; and kisses, of soft entreaty, of winning a.s.surance, said all she could say.
"What did you come here for, Fleda?" said Mr. Rossitur, at length, without changing his position.
"To bring you home, uncle Rolf."
"Home!" said he, with an accent between bitterness and despair.
"Yes, for it"s all over, it"s all forgotten ? there is no more to be said about it at all," said Fleda, getting her words out she didn"t know how.
What is forgotten?" said he, harshly.
"All that you would wish, Sir," replied Fleda, softly and gently; "there is no more to be done about it; and I came to tell you, if possible, before it was too late. Oh, I"m so glad!" and her arms and her cheek pressed closer, as fresh tears stopped her voice.
"How do you know, Fleda?" said Mr. Rossitur, raising his head, and bringing hers to his shoulder, while his arms in turn enclosed her.
Fleda whispered, "He told me so himself."
"Who?"
"Mr. Thorn."
The words were but just spoken above her breath. Mr. Rossitur was silent for some time.
"Are you sure you understood him?"
"Yes, Sir; it could not have been spoken plainer."
"Are you quite sure he meant what he said, Fleda?"
"Perfectly sure, uncle Rolf! I know he did."
"What stipulation did he make beforehand?"
"He did it without any stipulation, Sir."
"What was his inducement, then? If I know him, he is not a man to act without any."
Fleda"s cheek was dyed, but except that, she gave no other answer.
"Why has it been left so long?" said her uncle, presently.
"I don"t know, Sir ? he said nothing about that. He promised that neither we nor the world should hear anything more of it."
"The world!" said Mr. Rossitur.
"No, Sir; he said that only one or two persons had any notion of it, and that their secrecy he had the means of securing."
"Did he tell you anything more?"
"Only that he had the matter entirely under his control, and that never a whisper of it should be heard again. No promise could be given more fully and absolutely."
Mr. Rossitur drew a long breath, speaking to Fleda"s ear very great relief, and was silent.
"And what reward is he to have for this, Fleda?" he said, after some musing.
"All that my hearty thanks and grat.i.tude can give, as far as I am concerned, Sir."
"Is that what he expects, Fleda?"
"I cannot help what he expects," said Fleda, in some distress.
"What have you engaged yourself to, my child?"
"Nothing in the world, uncle Rolf!" said Fleda, earnestly ?
"nothing in the world. I haven"t engaged myself to anything.
The promise was made freely, without any sort of stipulation."
Mr. Rossitur looked thoughtful and disquieted. Fleda"s tears were pouring again.
"I will not trust him," he said; "I will not stay in the country!"
"But you will come home, uncle?" said Fleda, terrified.
"Yes, my dear child ? yes, my dear child!" he said, tenderly, putting his arms round Fleda again, and kissing, with an earnestness of acknowledgment that went to her heart, her lips and brow; "you shall do what you will with me; and when I go, we will all go together."
From Queechy? from America? But she had no time for that thought now.
"You said, "for Hugh"s sake," " Mr. Rossitur observed, after a pause, and with some apparent difficulty; "what of him?"
"He is not well, uncle Rolf," said Fleda; "and I think the best medicine will be the sight of you again."
Mr. Rossitur looked pale, and was silent a moment.
"And my wife?" he said.
His face, and the thought of those faces at home, were too much for Fleda; she could not help it. "Oh, uncle Rolf," she said, hiding her face, "they only want to see you again now!"
Mr. Rossitur leaned his head in his hands and groaned; and Fleda could but cry; she felt there was nothing to say.
"It was for Marion," he said at length; "it was when I was hard pressed, and I was fearful if it were known that it might ruin her prospects. I wanted that miserable sum ? only four thousand dollars ? that fellow Schwiden asked to borrow it of me for a few days, and to refuse would have been to confess all. I dared not try my credit, and I just madly took that step that proved irretrievable. I counted at the moment upon funds that were coming to me only the next week ? sure, I thought, as possible ? but the man cheated me, and our embarra.s.sments thickened from that time; that thing has been a weight ? oh, a weight of deadening power! ? round my neck ever since. I have died a living death these six years!"
"I know it, dear uncle ? I know it all!" said Fleda, bringing the sympathizing touch of her cheek to his again. "The good that it did has been unspeakably overbalanced by the evil.