"Who is your friend, Mrs. Stoutenburgh?"
"Hush, child!" she answered--"_your_ friend, if you like it better."
And she added softly but seriously, "Don"t vex him,--he doesn"t deserve it."
Faith"s lip was that touchingly sorrowful child"s lip for an instant.
She was beyond speaking. Then came up help, in the shape of Miss Essie; with questions about the forfeits and about Mr. Linden. All Mrs.
Stoutenburgh"s kindness made itself into a screen for Faith, on the instant,--neither eyes nor tongues were allowed to come near her.
"Mr. Linden!" said Miss Essie as he just then came up, "will you help us give out forfeits? Who do you think is best to do it?"
"Mr. Linden," said Mrs. Somers, "we are all very anxious to know whether all the reports about you are true."
Mr. Linden bowed to the anxiety, but gave it no further heed.
"Are they?" she repeated.
"Do all the reports agree, Mrs. Somers?"
"I must confess they are at swords" points."
"Then they cannot all be true,--let them fight it out."
"But suppose some of the fighting should come upon you?"
"That is a supposition I have just refused to take up," said Mr.
Linden, stepping towards the table and bringing a bunch of grapes to Faith"s plate.
"Yes, but everybody hasn"t the patience of Job," said Mrs. Somers.
"Julius, for instance."
"He has at least his own ways of obtaining information," said Mr.
Linden, and Faith felt the slight change of voice. "Miss Essie, what will you have?"
"Has the doctor any forfeits to pay?" was the somewhat irrelevant answer. "I should so like to see you two set against each other! Dr.
Harrison!--have you any forfeits?"
"No," said the doctor;--"but as severe service to perform as if I had.
Linden, we shall want your help--it"s too much for one man."
Faith edged away behind this growing knot of talkers, and presently was deeply engaged in conversation with Miss Cecilia Deacon, at a table in the corner, and alternating her attention between grapes and words.
Then Squire Stoutenburgh walked softly up and stood behind Faith"s chair.
"My dear, will you have anything more?"
"No, sir, thank you."
"Then I am going to carry you off!" said the Squire,--"if I wait a quarter of a second more I shall lose my chance. Come!"
Faith was very willing to come, indeed; and they went back to the drawing-room, all the company pouring after them; and Faith feeling as if she had got under a kind of lee sh.o.r.e, on Mr. Stoutenburgh"s arm. It could not shelter her long, for the forfeits began.
The doctor and Mr. Linden, with Miss Essie and Mrs. Stoutenburgh for coadjutors, were const.i.tuted the awarding committee; and the forfeits were distributed to them indifferently. There were many to be redeemed; and at first there was a crowd of inferior interest, Messrs. Spider and Wasp, Mesdemoiselles White Lily and Cl.u.s.ter rose; who were easily disposed of and gallantly dismissed. But there were others behind. One of Faith"s forfeits came up; it was held by Dr. Harrison.
"Please to stand forth, Miss Derrick, and hear your sentence," said the doctor, leading her to a central position in the floor; which Faith took quietly, but with what inward rebellion one or two people could somewhat guess.
"Have the goodness to state to the company what you consider to be the most admirable and praiseworthy of all the characters of flowers within your knowledge; and to describe the same, that we may judge of the justness of your opinion."
"Describe the character?" said Faith in a low voice.
"Yes. If you please."
She stood silent a moment, with downcast eyes, and did not raise them when she spoke. Her colour was hardly heightened, and though her voice rose little above its former pitch, its sweet accents were perfectly audible everywhere. The picture would have been enough for her forfeit.
"The prettiest character of a flower that I know, is that of a little species of Rhododendron. It is one of the least handsome, to look at, of all its family; its beauty is in its living. It grows on the high places of high mountains, where frost and barrenness give it no help nor chance; but there, where no other flower ever blossoms, it opens its flowers patiently and perseveringly; and its flowers are very sweet. Nothing checks it nor discourages it. As soon as the great cold lets it come, it comes; and as long as the least mildness lets it stay, it stays. Amidst snow and tempest and desolation it opens its blossoms and spreads its sweetness, with n.o.body to see it nor to praise it; where from the nature of the place it lives in, its work is all alone.
For no other flower will bear what it bears.--Will that do?" said Faith, looking up gravely at her questioner.
Very gently, very reverently even, he took her hand, put it upon his arm and led her to a seat, speaking as he went low words of gratified pardon asking. "You must forgive me!" he said. "Forfeits must be forfeits, you know. I couldn"t resist the temptation."
"Now wasn"t that pretty?" whispered Miss Essie in the mean time in Mr.
Linden"s ear.
He had listened, leaning against the mantelpiece, and with shaded eyes looking down; and now to Miss Essie"s question returned only a grave bend of the head.
"If you have been looking at the floor all this while, you have lost something," said the lady. "Do you know your turn comes next? Mr.
Linden--ladies and gentlemen!--is condemned to tell us what he holds the most precious thing in this world; and to justify himself in his opinion by an argument, a quotation, and an ill.u.s.tration!"--
"Now will he find means to evade his sentence!" said Mrs. Stoutenburgh laughing.
"He has confessed himself addicted to witchcraft in my hearing," said the doctor, who had remained standing by Faith"s chair.
"The most precious thing in the world," said Mr. Linden, in a tone as carelessly graceful as his att.i.tude, "is that which cannot be bought,--for if money could buy it, then were money equally valuable.
Take for ill.u.s.tration, the perfection of a friend."
"_I_ don"t understand,"--said Miss Essie; "but perhaps I shall when I hear the rest."
He smiled a little and gave the quotation on that point in his own clear and perfect manner.
""A sweet, attractive kind of grace; A full a.s.surance given by looks; Continual comfort in a face; The lineaments of gospel books,-- I trow that countenance cannot lye Whose thoughts are legible in the eye.""
The quotation was received variously, but in general with vast admiration. Miss Essie turned to Mrs. Stoutenburgh and remarked, half loud,
"_That"s_ easy to understand. I was dull."
"What do you think of it?" said the doctor softly, stooping towards Faith. But if she heard she did not answer him. She sat with downcast eyes that did not move. She had been wondering whether that was a description of "Pet,"--or of somebody else.
"Faith," whispered Mrs. Stoutenburgh"s kind mischievous voice in her ear,--"in whose face do you suppose he finds "continual comfort"?" But she was sorry the next instant, for the pained, startled look which flashed up at her. Sorry and yet amused--the soft little kiss on Faith"s cheek was smiling although apologetic.
"Mr. Linden," said the doctor, who held the bag of forfeits,--"it is your duty to punish Miss Essie with some infliction, such as you can devise."