"This world is all a fleeting show, For man"s illusion given; The smiles of joy, the tears of woe Deceitful shine, deceitful flow, There"s nothing true but Heaven."
There was an unusual shadow on little Emily Murray"s face too, that day, as she went home. She was thinking of Georgia. The eyes of affection are not easily blinded, and she saw that under all her proud, reserved exterior, her friend was unhappy.
"I know she dreads the coming of all those people from the city, Uncle Edward," she said that evening to Father Murray, as she sat busily sewing at the table.
"Poor child!" said the kind old clergyman. "I feared from the first this marriage would not contribute much to her happiness. Not that it is Mr.
Wildair"s fault; he means well, and really does all for the best; but your friend, Emily, is peculiar. She is morbidly proud and intensely sensitive, and has a dread amounting to horror of being ridiculed.
People of her nature are rarely, if ever, perfectly happy in this world; they are self-torturers, and their happiness comes in flashes, to be succeeded by deeper gloom than before. Georgia always was in extremes; she was either wildly, madly, unreasonably joyful, or else wrapped in a dark, sullen gloom that nothing could alleviate."
The next three days Emily was not up at the Hall, but on the fourth afternoon she started to see Georgia. The train from the city had just reached Burnfield station, and two large sleighs, filled with ladies and gentlemen, were dashing up amid the jingling of bells and peals of silvery laughter toward Richmond House.
Emily paused and watched them until they disappeared up the avenue, and then, as she was about to turn away, she saw Mrs. Hamm, cloaked and hooded, advance toward her.
"Good-afternoon, Miss Murray," said the stately little dame, in a tone of lofty courtesy that would have become a d.u.c.h.ess.
"Good-afternoon, Mrs. Hamm," said Emily, pleasantly; "I see you have visitors up at the house."
"Yes, friends of Mr. Wildair"s, from New York--his mother, and cousins, and others--quite a large party. Excuse me, this is my way. Good-day, Miss Emily."
What inward feeling was it that made Emily turn and send such a look of pity up at the window of Georgia"s room?
"Poor Georgia!" she said, as she turned away, feeling, she hardly knew why, a most uncomfortable sinking of her heart at the thought of her sensitive young friend amid all those unsympathizing strangers. "Poor Georgia! Poor Georgia!"
CHAPTER XIV.
A DREAM COMING TRUE.
"I had a dream which was not _all_ a dream."
BYRON.
"And we saw Medea burning At her pa.s.sion-planted stake."
BROWNING.
Richmond House at last was full of guests; every room was filled; peals of laughter, and silvery voices of ladies, and the deeper tones of gentlemen, made music through the long silent house, and scared the swallows from their homes in the eaves. The idle servants had enough to do now, and were tearing distractedly up stairs and down stairs, and here, and there, and everywhere with a terrible noise and clatter, and all was gay bustle and lively animation.
Georgia, superb as a young empress, in purple satin, with a brilliant flush on her cheek, and a streaming light in her eyes, had never looked so handsome as that day when she received and welcomed her husband"s guests. And when this ceremony was over, they were shown to their rooms to dress for dinner, and Richmond, with a gratified smile, congratulated her on the elegant manner in which she had performed her part. Georgia listened, and her cheek flushed deeper, and her eye grew brighter as she replied to his smile with one that made her face fairly radiant, and inwardly resolved that to merit his approbation, she _would_ try to dissimulate, and try to be amiable and courteous to all, even to the detestable Miss Richmond.
The great dining-room of Richmond House was all ablaze that evening, and the long table fairly glittered and flashed with its wealth of ma.s.sive silver and cut-gla.s.s; and around it gathered all the gay guests from the city, and not a lady among them all was half so handsome or brilliant as the dark, bright girl, in her rich sheeny dress, who sat at the head of the table and did the honors.
A very select party they were whom Richmond Wildair had invited. There was Colonel Gleason, a tall, pompous-looking gentleman; and Mrs.
Gleason, a stiff, frigid lady, not unlike Mrs. Hamm; then there was a Mrs. Harper, a buxom, jolly-looking matron; and her two daughters, dashing, stylish-looking girls, who had never been guilty of a blush in their lives. There, too, was Miss Reid, a silent, languid, delicate-looking young lady, reminding one of a fragile wax j.a.ponica; and a Mr. Lester, one of those irresistible bipeds known as "Broadway swells," who never p.r.o.nounced the letter R. and had the nicest little bits of feet and hands in the world. There was Lieutenant Gleason, the Colonel"s eldest son, remarkable for nothing but a ferocious mustache and a pair of long and slender legs; and there was Mr. Henry Gleason, a youth of eighteen, who stared at the company generally through an eye-gla.s.s, and gave it as his opinion that there never was such a rum old house, or such a jolly stupid old place as Burnfield in the world before. There was Miss Arlingford, a pale, dark-eyed, pleasant-looking girl, and her brother, Captain Arlingford, a handsome, dashing young sailor--frank, off-hand, and brave, as all sailors are. And last, but by no means least, there was Mr. d.i.c.k Curtis, who on a certain interesting occasion had "stood up" with Richmond, and now, resplendent in a white vest and excruciating neck-tie, was making most anxious inquiries about our friend Emily Murray, about whom he said his private opinion, publicly expressed, was, that she was a "real nice girl--a regular stunner, sir, and no mistake!"
"Aw--should like to see her--weally," lisped Mr. Lester; "this heaw Burnfield seems so good at that sort of thing, you know--waising handsome gals, eh?" And the exquisite glanced with what he fancied to be an unmistakable look at his hostess, whose haughty lip, in spite of every effort, curled while meeting Captain Arlingford"s laughing eye; she had to smile, too.
"I say, Lester," called Mr. Henry Gleason from across the table, "that must have been the little beauty we saw standing in the road as we drove up. By Jove! she was a _screamer_, a regular out-and-outer, a tip-top, slap-up girl," said the youth, enthusiastically.
"Henry, my dear," said his mother, looking shocked, "how _can_ you use such dreadful language? "Slap-up!" I"m really astonished at you!"
"Well, so she _was_ slap-up!" reiterated Master Henry, determinedly, "nothing shorter. Ask our Tom, or Lester, or any of the fellows, if you don"t believe me."
"A true bill, Harry," replied his brother Tom, the hero of the ferocious moustache. "I say, Wildair, you"ll have to present us."
"Couldn"t, my dear fellow," said Mr. Wildair, laughing; "little Emily would fly in terror at sight of your gold lace and sword-knot. No chance of getting up a flirtation with _her_."
"Aw--couldn"t expect anything bettah from a wustic; they ah not wuth the time spent in flirting, you know," drawled Mr. Lester, sipping his wine.
Georgia gave a sudden start, and, had looks the power to kill, poor obtuse Mr. Lester would never have murdered the king"s English again.
Glances were exchanged, and one or two malicious smiles curled sundry female lips. The gentleman looked down at their plates, and Richmond"s mouth grew stern. Not one present but felt the words, save the noodle who had spoken, and that fast youth, Master Henry Gleason.
"Curtis is a goner, anyhow," said Master Henry, breaking the awkward silence; "he turned as red as a boiled lobster the moment he clapped his eyes on her. Eh, Curtis, you"re a gone case, ain"t you?"
"It"s no use though, my dear fellow," said Richmond, recovering his bland look; "my little friend, Emily, wouldn"t have you if you were President of the United States. Isn"t that so, Georgia?" he said, gayly, appealing to his wife, who was conversing with Miss Arlingford and her brother, the only two whom she did not positively dislike.
"I really do not know," she said, gravely, for she did not exactly relish this free use of Emily"s name.
"And why, Wildair?" said Curtis, so earnestly that all laughed.
"Simply, my dear fellow, because you and she have antagonistic views on many subjects."
A change of theme was soon after effected by the ladies rising and seeking the drawing-room. There they dispersed themselves in various directions. The eldest Miss Harper sat down at the piano, in the hope of attracting the attention of Miss Arlingford, whom she professed a strong attachment for, on the principle of "let me kiss her for her brother,"
to change the song a little. But Miss Arlingford, who had taken a deep interest in the proud young lady of the house, sat down beside her and began to converse. The rest gathered in groups to chat or listen to the music, or turn over prints, until the entrance of the gentlemen--for which they had not to wait long, as that fast young scion of the house of Gleason had moved a speedy adjournment to the drawing-room, p.r.o.nouncing the talk over the "walnuts and the wine" awfully slow without the girls. And immediately upon their entrance Master Henry crossed over to where Georgia and Miss Arlingford sat, and drawing up an ottoman, deposited himself at their feet, and began opening a conversation with his young hostess, whom, he had informed Captain Arlingford, he considered the greatest "stunner" he had ever seen in his life, and that, in spite of all people said about it, his opinion was that Rich Wildair had showed his good taste and good sense by marrying her.
"Where"s the other Mrs. Wildair--the dowager d.u.c.h.ess, you know?" he said, by way of commencing.
"In her room," replied Georgia, with a smile. "She was rather fatigued after her journey, and would not come down to dinner. She will grace the drawing-room by her presence by and by."
"Horridly easily fatigued she must be," said Henry, who was one of those favored individuals who can say and do anything they like without giving offense. "Freddy Richmond"s with her, I suppose?"
"Yes; she would not leave her aunt. Both will be here very shortly,"
replied Georgia.
Even as she spoke the drawing-room door opened, and a tall, hard-featured, haughty-looking, elderly lady entered, leaning on the arm of a small, wiry girl with little keen gray eyes, and hair which her friends _called_ auburn, but which _was_ red, and very white teeth, displayed by a constant, unvarying smile. A smiling face ought to be a pleasant one, but this freckled one was not. There was a cringing, fawning, servility about her which made most people, except those fond of flattery and adulation, distrust her, and which fairly _sickened_ Georgia.
"Speak of the--," began Henry, sinking his voice _pianissimo_, and concluding the sentence to himself.
Georgia arose, and almost timidly approached them, and inquired of the elder lady if she felt better. Mrs. Wildair opened her eyes and favored her with a stare that was downright insolent; and then, before her slow reply was formed, Miss Freddy Richmond took it upon herself to answer, with a fawning smile:
"Thank you, yes--quite recovered. A night"s rest will perfectly restore her."
Georgia turned her flashing eyes down on the smiling owner of the ferret optics and red hair, and a hot "I did not address myself to you--speak when you are spoken to," leaped to her tongue; but Georgia was learning to restrain herself since her marriage, and so she only bit her lip till the blood started, at the open slight.
"Can we not get on, Fredrica?" said Mrs. Wildair, impatiently.