"But," said I, fixing my eyes upon her face, where the flickering firelight made the shadows play, "the stranger has not been able to retain the peaceable possession of his purchase!"
"What--what mean you, Agnes!" exclaimed Mathilde, in alarm.
"I mean that the late proud lady of Wolfbrake still carries the keys, and unlocks doors at will!"
"Heavens! do you know that?"
"Ay! I know much more than that. I know the portrait that performed the humiliating office of firescreen in the next room is the likeness of the haughty Madeleine Van Der Vaughan! I know, beside----"
"What more do you know?"
"That our travelers have arrived!" I said, as the sound of footsteps and voices at the hall door fell upon my ear.
It was true. We were interrupted.
As if "borne on the wings of love," the slow old stage-coach was so much earlier that evening that our friends arrived an hour earlier than we had expected them, while Mrs. Legare was still superintending the arrangement of her supper-table, and Mr. Legare was grating nutmeg over his huge bowl of eggnog, so there was no one to welcome the visitors except Mathilde and myself.
As they entered the parlor we arose and advanced to meet them.
"Mathilde! Miss Legare! Can it be possible! This is, indeed, indeed, a joyous surprise," exclaimed Frank Howard, as he recognized his ladylove, and with an eager smile extended his hand; while my brother, without ceremony, embraced me cordially.
"I thought you knew to whom you were coming," said Mathilde, with simple candor.
"No! I scarcely dared to hope for such happiness!"
"Hey-day! Hal-loe!--do you know anybody here, Frank?" exclaimed my wild and thoughtless brother.
But before Mr. Howard had time to answer, I pinched Jack"s arm, turned him around, and presented him to Miss Legare.
The refined and elegant presence of Mathilde immediately brought my rude cadet to order, and he gracefully expressed the pleasure and honor he felt in being permitted to make her acquaintance.
Miss Legare welcomed my brother with more cordiality than she had bestowed upon her lover.
And I turned to receive Frank Howard"s offered hand, and responded to his expressions of satisfaction at the present opportunity of renewing our acquaintance.
When these rather commonplace ceremonies were over Miss Legare invited her guests to be seated, and we resumed our chairs. A deep blush settled upon the beautiful face of Mathilde.
But, whatever might have been the emotions of Mr. Howard, he suppressed them through that regnant self-control that ever distinguished his manners. And he was the first to perceive the entrance of Mr. and Mrs.
Legare, and to arise and advance to receive them.
My brother presented Mr. Howard to Mr. Legare, who received him with cordial politeness, and in his turn introduced him to Mrs. Legare, who smilingly welcomed him to Virginia.
Certainly Howard had nothing to complain of in his reception. There was not the slightest lack of respect and kindness, and not the least over-doing of ceremony, which would have been still more offensive. All was natural and genial, as if there had not once existed a strong hostility to Frank Howard, the machinist. I was charmed at the manner with which my dear host and hostess completely overcame their prejudices, or at least suppressed them, and treated Mr. Howard in all respects as an honored and welcome guest, and did this a.s.suredly not in the spirit of hypocrisy, but of hospitality, as they understood its requirements.
Soon Rachel Noales and the other young persons of the Christmas party came in, were introduced, seated, and conversation became general and free. This afforded me the coveted opportunity of having a moment"s talk aside with my brother.
"Johnny! tell me now, and tell me quickly, and truly--was there any design on you or your friend"s part to get him invited here?"
"Design! bless you, no!" replied my brother, opening wide his great gray eyes.
"I thought not; for, if the truth must be told, honest Johnny was anything but a diplomat."
"Well, there was no conscious manoeuvring on your part, but was there not on his?"
"Why, bless you, no! Why should there have been?" ""Why should there have been?" Oh, Johnny! Johnny! where are your perceptive faculties?
You will never be wideawake enough for a soldier!"
"I don"t know what you would be at."
"I suppose not. But did you observe nothing interesting in the meeting between Mr. Howard and Miss Legare?"
"Oh, oh, oh, oh! Whew ew-ew-ew! Is that it?"
"Yes."
"That"s what you meant when you pinched my arm black and blue?"
"Yes."
"A sorry dog. He never hinted one word about this to me."
"He had no right to do so, nor must you speak of it."
"Eh! why?"
"Because--but I had better tell you all about it. They met about three years ago for the first time. It was at Saratoga, where he was making quite a figure. The acquaintance had ripened to friendship, and something more when "papa" bethought himself to inquire who this very distinguished-looking gentleman might be at home among his own people, and was informed that he was--a machinist by trade! Recall to mind the pa.s.sion of Desdemonia"s proud patrician "pa" on discovering that he had a black-a-moor for a son-in-law, and you may be able remotely to conceive the consternation of Mr. Legare. He hurried his family away from Saratoga, and forbid the name of Howard to be mentioned in his presence. The lovers never corresponded, and never met until this evening! You may judge how much cause for speculation there is in this meeting."
"Yes--but within these three years great changes have taken place. Mr.
Howard is a distinguished man--a man of fortune, and of acknowledged talent--one of the lawgivers of the nation. And Mr. Legare and his family are reduced from wealth to a moderate competency."
"Yes, I know; but that does not change the old aristocrat"s manner of regarding the affair. He contends that a gentleman born is always a gentleman, and a peasant always a peasant, notwithstanding the vicissitudes of fortune, that may enrich the one and impoverish the other."
"Or rather, he contended so--it belongs to the past tense. Look at him now--see what deference he pays to Mr. Howard"s opinions."
"The mere politeness of the host. Take nothing for granted from that."
"Nay, but Frank Howard is a gentleman of whom any father might be proud as a son-in-law."
"Very likely. But Mr. Legare is not "any" father. However, what I wish to know is, whether Frank Howard did not use you to procure the "bid"
that brought him hither?"
"No, indeed!"
"How came it, then, you artful boy, that you took just the course, and the only course, by which you could procure him an invitation?"
"I don"t understand you."
"You innocent! How came it, then, that you wrote to Mr. Legare, you would be very happy to obey his summons, and spend the holidays at Wolfbrake, but that you had a friend with you whom you could not leave, and whom you took care not to mention by name?"