Now Miss Freddy, who was a most prudent young lady, for sundry good reasons of her own, would have preferred at first _not_ bearding the lioness in her den, but after an instant"s thought, the desire of exulting over her proved too strong for her fears, and she rose with alacrity from her seat, and with her unvarying smile on her face, pa.s.sed from the room, and up stairs.
Upon reaching Georgia"s door she halted, and discreetly peeped through the keyhole. Nothing was to be seen, however, and the silence of the grave reigned within. She softly turned the handle of the door, but it was locked, and after hesitating a moment, she rapped. Her summons was at first unanswered, and was repeated loudly three or four times before the door swung back, and Georgia, pale and haggard, with disordered hair and garments, stood before her. So changed was she that Freddy started back, and then, recovering herself, she drew a step nearer, folded her arms, and looked up in her face with a steady, insolent smile. But that smile seemed to have no effect upon Georgia, who, white, cold, and statue-like, stood looking down upon her from the depths of her great black eyes.
"Good-morning, my dear Georgia," she said, smiling. "_Captain Arlingford_ sends his compliments, and begs to know how you are."
There was no reply to this insulting speech. The black eyes never moved in their steady gaze.
"What shall I tell the handsome captain, Georgia?" continued the little fiend. "He was inquiring most anxiously for you this morning. Shall I say you will relieve that anxiety by gracing our dinner table? Allow me to insinuate, in case you do, that it would be advisable to use a little rouge, or they will think a corpse has risen from the church-yard to take the head of Richmond Wildair"s table. And, worse than all, the flame with which your red cheeks inspired the gallant captain will go out like a candle under an extinguisher at sight of that whitey-brown complexion. Say, Georgia, tell me in confidence how did you get up that high color? As you and I are such near friends you might let me know, that I may improve my own sallow countenance likewise."
No reply--the tail form was rigid--the white face cold and set--the black eyes fixed--the pale lips mute.
"Mrs. Wildair and Mrs. Colonel Gleason used to insist it was liquid rouge, but Captain Arlingford and I knew better, and told them all country girls had great flaming red cheeks just like that. We were right, were we not, Georgia?"
Still dumb. Her silence was beginning to startle even Freddy"s admirable equanimity.
"And now, my dear Georgia, I must really tear myself away from you. When shall I say we are to be honored by your charming presence again?"
The white lips parted, one hand was slightly raised.
"Are you done?" she said, in a voice so husky that it was almost inaudible.
"Ye--yes," said Freddy, startled in spite of herself. "I only await your answer, my dear."
For all answer, Georgia stepped back, closed the door in the very face of the insolent girl, and locked it.
For one moment Freddy stood transfixed, while her sallow face grew sallower, and her thin lips fairly trembled with impotent rage. Turning a look of concentrated spite and hatred toward the door, she descended the stairs.
"Well, Freddy," said Mrs. Wildair, when she re-entered the parlor, "how is Georgia?"
"Not very well, I should say, by her looks--how she felt, she did not condescend to tell me," unable for once to suppress the bitterness she felt.
Richmond, who was chatting with Miss Reid and Miss Harper, started, and a faint tinge of color shone on his cheek.
"When is she coming down?" asked Mrs. Wildair.
"My dear aunt, Mrs. Georgia, for some reason of her own, saw fit to answer none of my questions. She closed the door in my face by way of reply."
Richmond began talking rapidly, and with so much _empress.e.m.e.nt_, to his two companions that languid Miss Reid lifted her large sleepy-looking eyes in faint wonder, and a malicious smile curled the lips of Miss Harper.
A sleighing party was to be the order of the day, and, after breakfast, the ladies hurried to their rooms to don their furs and cloaks; and Richmond, seizing the first opportunity, hurried to Georgia"s room and knocked loudly and authoritatively at the door.
It did not open; all was silent within.
"Georgia, open the door, I command you!" he said, in a voice of suppressed pa.s.sion. "Open the door this instant; I insist."
It opened slowly, and he saw the collapsed and haggard face of his wife, but he was too deeply angry to heed or care for her looks at that moment. Entering the room, he closed the door, and with a light in his eyes and a look in his face that, with all his anger, he had never worn hitherto, he confronted her.
"Madam, what did you mean by your conduct to my cousin this morning?" he said, in a tone that he had never used to her before.
A spasm shot across her face, and she reeled as if she had received a blow.
"Oh, Richmond! oh, my husband! do not say that _you_ knew of her coming this morning!" she cried in tones of such anguish as he had never heard before.
"I did know it, madam! And when she was generous and forgiving enough to forget your insolent treatment, and come to ask how you were, she should have been treated otherwise than having the door slammed in her face,"
he said in a voice quivering with pa.s.sion.
She did not speak--she could not. Dizzily she sat down with her hands over her heart, always her habit when the pain there was most acute.
_He_ knew, then, of this last deadly insult--_he_ sanctioned it--he encouraged it. His cousin was all the world to him--_she_ was nothing.
It only needed this to fill the cup of her degradation to the brim. Her hands tightened involuntarily over her heart, she could not help it; she felt as though it were breaking.
"And now, madam, since you _will_ persist in your insolent course, listen to _me_. You shall _not_ any longer slight the guests, who do you too much honor--yes, madam, I repeat it, who do you too much honor, by residing under the same roof with you. Since my requests are unheeded, listen to my commands! We are all now going out to drive; in four hours we will return, and see that you are dressed and in the drawing-room ready to receive us when we come. I do not ask you to do this. I _command_ you, and you refuse at your peril! Leave off this ghastly look, and all the rest of your tantrums, my lady, and try to act the courteous hostess for once. Remember, now, and try to recall your broken vow of wifely obedience for the first time; for, as sure as Heaven hears me, if you dare disobey you shall repent it! I did not wish to speak thus, but you have compelled me, and now that I have been aroused you shall learn what it is to brave me with impunity. Madam, look up; have you heard me?"
She lifted her eyes, so full, in their dark depths of utter woe, of undying despair.
"_Yes._"
"And you will obey?"
"Yes."
"See that you do! And remember, no more scenes of vulgar violence. Chain your unbridled pa.s.sions, and behave as one in your sane mind for once.
You shall have to take care what you are at for the future, mistress!"
And with this last menace, he departed to join his guests in their excursion.
For upward of three hours after he left her, she lay as she had lain all that livelong night, prostrate, rigid, and motionless. Others in her situation might have shed tears, but Georgia had none to shed; her eyes were dry and burning, her lips parched; natures like hers do not weep, in their deadliest straits the heart sheds tears of blood.
She arose at last, and giddily crossed the room, and rang the bell. Her maid answered the summons.
"Susan," she said, lifting her heavy eyes, "make haste and dress me. I am going down to the drawing-room."
"What will you please to wear, madam?" said Susan, looking at her in wonder.
"Anything, anything, it does not matter, only make haste," she said, slowly.
Susan, thus left to herself, arrayed her mistress in a rich crimson satin, with heavy frills of lace, bound her shining black hair around her head in elaborate plaits and braids, fastened her ruby earrings in her small ears, clasped a bracelet set with the same fiery jewels on her beautiful rounded arm, and then, finally, seeing even the crimson satin did not lend a glow to the deadly pale face, she applied rouge to the cheeks and lips, until Georgia was apparently as blooming as ever before her. And all this time she had sat like a statue, like a milliner"s lay figure, to be dressed, unheeding, unnoticing it all, until Susan had finished.
"Will you please to see if you will do, ma"am," said Susan, respectfully.
Georgia lifted her languid eyes to the beautiful face and form in its dark, rich beauty and fiery costume, and said faintly:
"Yes; you have done very well. You can go now."
The girl departed, and Georgia sat with her arms dropped listlessly by her side, her heavy lashes sweeping her cheek unconscious of the flight of time. Suddenly the merry jingle of many sleigh-bells dashing up the avenue, mingled with silvery peals of laughter, broke upon her ear, and she started to her feet, pressed her hand to her forehead, as if to still the pulse so loudly beating there, and then walked from the room, and descended the stairs.
As she reached the hall, the whole party laughing and talking, with flushed cheeks, and sparkling eyes, flashed in, and the next instant, like one in a dream, she felt herself surrounded, listening to them all talking at once, without comprehending a word.