"Turn her out, she is crazy! turn her out, I tell you," said Mrs.
Wildair, white with pa.s.sion. "Do you hear me, Wilson? Turn this old wretch out."
The noise had now brought a crowd down into the hall, who stood gazing in mingled curiosity and amus.e.m.e.nt on this scene between the lady and the beggar, as they supposed her to be.
"Turn me out! Let them try it!" exclaimed Miss Jerusha, looking daggers at the startled Wilson.
"Do you hear me, sir? Am I to be obeyed? Turn this woman out," said Mrs.
Wildair, stamping her foot.
"Touch her if you _dare_!" screamed a fierce voice; and Georgia, with blazing eyes and pa.s.sionate face, rushed through the crowd, flashed past Mrs. Wildair, and stood, white, panting, and fierce, like a hunted stag at bay, beside Miss Jerusha. "Lay one finger on her at your peril! How _dare_ you, madam!" she almost screamed, facing round so suddenly on the startled lady that she recoiled. "How dare you order her out--how _dare_ you do it?"
"Really, young lady," said Mrs. Wildair, recovering her calm hauteur, "this is most extraordinary language addressed to me. I was not aware that persons of her condition were ever received in my son"s house."
"Then learn it now," said Georgia, fiercely; "while I am here, this house shall be free to her in spite of you all. Perhaps you are not aware, madam, who she is?"
"Some of _your_ relations, most probably," said Mrs. Wildair, with a withering sneer. "She looks like it."
"Mother! Georgia! What in the name of wonder is all this?" exclaimed a hurried, startled voice; and Richmond Wildair, pale and excited, made his way toward them.
"It means, sir, that I have been grossly insulted by your wife," said Mrs. Wildair, her very lips white with anger; "insulted, too, in the presence of your guests; spoken to as I never was spoken to before in my life."
"Mother, for mercy"s sake, hush!" he said, in a fierce whisper, his face crimson with shame. "And, Georgia, if you _ever_ loved me, retire to your room now, and make no exhibition before these people. Miss Jerusha, persuade her to go before I am eternally disgraced."
"Come, honey, come; I"ll go with you," said Miss Jerusha, tremulously, quite nervous at this unexpected scene.
With heaving bosom and flashing eyes Georgia stood, terrible in her roused wrath, as a priestess of doom. Miss Jerusha put her arm around her and coaxingly drew her along, and pa.s.sed with her into the empty breakfast parlor near. When she was gone, Richmond turned to his guests, who stood gazing at each other in consternation, and forcing a smile, said:
"My friends, you must be surprised at this extraordinary scene, but it will not appear so extraordinary when explained. The singular-looking person who was the cause of all this was a sort of guardian of my wife, and upon her entrance here my mother, deceived by her singular dress, mistook her for a beggar, and ordered her out. An altercation ensued, which my wife overheard, and, indignant at what she supposed a direct intentional insult to her old friend, rushed down, and in the excitement of the moment, thoughtlessly uttered the hasty words you have all overheard. Mother, I beg you will think no more about it; no one will regret them more than Georgia herself when she cools down. And now, there goes the dinner-bell; so, my friends, we will forget this disagreeable little scene, and not let it spoil our appet.i.tes."
With a faint smile he offered his arm to Mrs. Gleason and led the way to the dining-room, saying, as he did so:
"You will oblige me by presiding to-day, mother. Georgia, in her excitement, will not care to return to table, I fancy."
With a stiff bow Mrs. Wildair complied, and Richmond, beckoning to a servant, whispered:
"Go to the parlor and request Mrs. Wildair, with my compliments, to retire to her own room, and say I wish her to remain there for the evening."
"My dear cousin," said a low voice, and the small, sallow hand of Freddy was laid on his arm, "allow me to go. It would mortify our proud Georgia to death to have such a message brought by a servant. Remember, she only spoke hastily, and we _must_ have consideration for her feelings."
"My dear, kind little cousin," said Richmond, with emotion, as he pressed her hand, "she does not deserve this from _you_. But go, lest she should make another scene before the servants."
With her silky smile Freddy glided out and opened the parlor door without ceremony. Sitting on a sofa was Miss Jerusha, while Georgia crouched before her, her face hidden in her lap, her whole att.i.tude so crushed, desolate, and full of anguish, that it is no wonder Miss Jerusha was exclaiming between her sobs:
"There, honey, there! _don"t_ feel it so. I wouldn"t if I was you.
Where"s the good of minding of "em at all? Don"t, honey, don"t! It"s drefful to see you so."
The malicious smile deepened and brightened on Freddy"s evil face at the sight.
Miss Jerusha looked sharply up as she entered, and seeing her triumphant look, her tears seemed turned to sparks of fire.
"Well, what do _you_ want?" she demanded.
Without noticing her by look or word, Freddy went over and laid her hand on Georgia"s shoulder.
"Georgia," she said, authoritatively.
With a bound Georgia leaped to her feet, and with eyes that shone like coals of fire in a face perfectly white, she confronted her mortal enemy.
Freddy, with all her meanness, was no coward, else she would have fled at sight of that fearful look. As it was she recoiled a step, and her smile faded away as she said:
"My cousin sent me here to tell you to go to your room and stay there until he comes."
Slowly and impressively Georgia lifted her head, and keeping her gleaming, burning eyes fixed on the sallow face before her, pointed to the door.
"Go!" she said, in a hollow voice, "Go!"
Freddy started, and her face flushed.
"I have delivered my message, and intend to. If you don"t do as my cousin orders you--take care, that"s all."
"Go!" repeated the hollow tones, that startled her by their very calmness, so unnatural was it.
For the very first time in her life Freddy Richmond was terrified, and Miss Jerusha appalled. Without a word, the former glided past, opened the door, and vanished.
For a moment Georgia stood stock-still, like one turned to stone, and then, throwing up her arms with a great cry, she would have fallen had not Miss Jerusha caught her.
"Oh, my heart! my heart!" she cried, pressing her hands over it as though it were breaking. "Oh, Miss Jerusha, they have killed me!"
"Oh, Georgia!" began Miss Jerusha, but her voice choked, and she stopped.
"Oh, leave me! leave me! dear, best friend that ever was in this world, leave me, and never come to this dreadful house again. Oh, Miss Jerusha, why did you not leave me to die that night long ago!"
Miss Jerusha essayed to speak, but something rose in her throat and stopped her. Nothing broke the silence of the room but her sobs and that pa.s.sionate, despairing voice.
"Go! leave me! I cannot bear you should stay here; and never, never come back again, Miss Jerusha. Oh, me! oh, me! that I were dead!"
There was such painful anguish in her tones that Miss Jerusha could not stay to listen. Throwing her arms around her neck in one pa.s.sionate embrace, she hurried from the house, sobbing hysterically, and startling the servant who opened the door.
Then Georgia reeled rather than walked from the room, up stairs, and into her own bedroom; and there, sinking down on the floor, she lay as still and motionless as if she were indeed dead. For hours she lay thus, as if frozen there, as if she would never rise again--crushed, humbled, degraded to the dust. Sounds of laughter and music came wafted up the stairs; she heard the voice she hated most singing a gay Italian barcarole, and now another voice joins in--_her husband"s_.
Oh, Georgia, your hour of anguish has come, and where is your help now?
Heaven and earth are dark alike; you did not look up when life"s sunshine shone on you, and now, in your utter misery, there is no helper near.
Oh, Georgia, where, in your humiliation, is the pride, the independence that has supported you hitherto? Gone--swept away, like a reed in the blast, and you lie there prostrate on the earth, p.r.o.ne in the dust, a living example of human helplessness, unsupported by divine grace.
Hour after hour pa.s.sed, and still she lay there. The door opened at last, but she did not move. The footsteps she knew so well crossed the threshold, but she was motionless. A voice p.r.o.nounced her name, and a shiver ran through her whole frame, but the collapsed form was still. A hand was laid on her arm, and she was lifted to her feet and borne to a chair, and then she raised her sunken eyes and saw the stern face of her husband bent upon her.