The day, however, was not forgotten as a day of festivity. Sir Charles himself, by his vivacity and openness of countenance, made every one joyful: and, except that now and then a sigh, which could not be checked, stole from some of us, to think that he would so soon be in another country, (far distant from the friends he now made happy,) and engaged in difficulties; perhaps in dangers; every heart was present to the occasion of the day.
O, Charlotte! Dear Lady G----! Hitherto, it is in your power, to make every future day, worthy of this!--"Have your mother, your n.o.ble mother, in your memory, my dear:" and give credit to the approbation of such a brother.
I should have told you, that my cousins Reeves came about two, and were received with the utmost politeness by every body.
Sir Charles was called out just before dinner; and returned introducing a young gentleman, dressed as if for the day--This is an earlier favour, than I had hoped for, said Sir Charles; and leading him to Lady G----.
This, sir, is the queen of the day. My dear Lady G----, welcome (the house is yours--welcome) the man I love: welcome my Beauchamp.
Every one, except Emily and me, crowded about Mr. Beauchamp, as Sir Charles"s avowedly beloved friend, and bid him cordially welcome: Sir Charles presenting him to each by name.
Then leading him to me--I am half ashamed, Lucy, to repeat--But take it as he spoke it--Revere, said he, my dear friend, that excellent young lady: but let not your admiration stop at her face and person: she has a mind as exalted, my Beauchamp, as your own: Miss Byron, in honour to my sister, and of us all, has gilded this day by her presence.
Mr. Beauchamp approached me with polite respect. The lady whom Sir Charles Grandison admires, as he does you, must be the first of women.
I might have said, that he, who was so eminently distinguished as the friend of Sir Charles Grandison, must be a most valuable man: but my spirits were not high. I courtesied to his compliment; and was silent.
Sir Charles presented Emily to him.--My Emily, Beauchamp. I hope to live to see her happily married. The man whose heart is but half so worthy as hers, must be an excellent man.
Modesty might look up, and be sensible to compliments from the lips of such a man. Emily looked at me with pleasure, as if she had said, Do you hear, madam, what a fine thing my guardian has said of me?
Sir Charles asked Mr. Beauchamp, how he stood with my Lady Beauchamp?
Very well, answered he. After such an introduction as you had given me to her, I must have been to blame, had I not. She is my father"s wife: I must respect her, were she ever so unkind to me: she is not without good qualities. Were every family so happy as to have Sir Charles Grandison for a mediator when misunderstandings happened, there would be very few lasting differences among relations. My father and mother tell me, that they never sit down to table together, but they bless you: and to me they have talked of n.o.body else: but Lady Beauchamp depends upon your promise of making her acquainted with the ladies of your family.
My sisters, and their lords, will do honour to my promise in my absence.
Lady L----, Lady G----, let me recommend to you Lady Beauchamp as more than a common visiting acquaintance. Do you, sir, to Mr. Beauchamp, see it cultivated.
Mr. Beauchamp is an agreeable, and, when Sir Charles Grandison is not in company, a handsome and genteel man. I think, my dear, that I do but the same justice that every body would do, in this exception. He is cheerful, lively, yet modest, and not too full of words. One sees both love and respect in every look he casts upon his friend; and that he is delighted when he hears him speak, be the subject what it will.
He once said to Lord W----, who praised his nephew to him, as he does to everybody near him; The universal voice, my lord, is in his favour wherever he goes. Every one joins almost in the same words, in different countries, allowing for the different languages, that for sweetness of manners, and manly dignity, he hardly ever had his equal.
Sir Charles was then engaged in talk with his Emily; she before him; he standing in an easy genteel att.i.tude, leaning against the wainscot, listening, smiling, to her prattle, with looks of indulgent love, as a father might do to a child he was fond of; while she looked back every now and then towards me, so proud, poor dear! of being singled out by her guardian.
She tript to me afterwards, and, leaning over my shoulder, as I sat, whispered--I have been begging of my guardian to use his interest with you, madam, to take me down with you to Northamptonshire.
And what is the result?
She paused.
Has he denied your request?
No, madam.
Has he allowed you to go, my dear, if I comply, turning half round to her with pleasure.
She paused, and seemed at a loss. I repeated my question.
Why, no, he has not consented neither--But he said such charming things, so obliging, so kind, both of you, and of me, that I forgot my question, though it was so near my heart: but I will ask him again.
And thus, Lucy, can he decline complying, and yet send away a requester so much delighted with him, as to forget what her request was.
Miss Grandison--Lady G----, I would say--singled me out soon after--This Beauchamp is really a very pretty fellow, Harriet.
He is an agreeable man, answered I.
So I think. She said no more of him at that time.
Between dinner and tea, at Lady L----"s motion, they made me play on the harpsichord; and after one lesson, they besought Sir Charles to sing to my playing. He would not, he said, deny any request that was made him on that day.
He sung. He has a mellow manly voice, and great command of it.
This introduced a little concert. Mr. Beauchamp took the violin; Lord L---- the ba.s.s-viol; Lord G---- the German flute; and most of the company joined in the chorus. The song was from "Alexander"s Feast:" the words;
Happy, happy, happy pair!
None but the good deserves the fair:
Sir Charles, though himself equally brave and good, preferring the latter word to the former.
Lady L---- had always insisted upon dancing at her sister"s wedding. We were not company enough for country dances: but music having been ordered, and the performers come, it was insisted upon that we should have a dance, though we were engaged in a conversation that I thought infinitely more agreeable.
Lord G---- began by dancing a minuet with his bride: she danced charmingly: but on my telling her so afterwards, she whispered me, that she should have performed better, had she danced with her brother. Lord G---- danced extremely well.
Lord L---- and Lady Gertrude, Mr. Beauchamp and Mrs. Reeves, Mr. Reeves and Lady L---- danced all of them very agreeably.
The earl took me out: but we had hardly done, when, asking pardon for disgracing me, as he too modestly expressed himself; he, and all but my cousins and Emily, called out for Sir Charles to dance with me.
I was abashed at the general voice calling upon us both: but it was obeyed.
He deserved all the praises that Miss Gran--Lady G----, I would say, gave him in her letter to me.
Lord bless me, my dear, this man is every thing! But his conversation has ever been among the politest people of different nations.
Lord W---- wished himself able, from his gout, to take out Miss Jervois.
The bridegroom was called upon by Sir Charles: and he took out the good girl, who danced very prettily. I fancied, that he chose to call out Lord G---- rather than Mr. Beauchamp. He is the most delicate and considerate of men.
Sir Charles was afterwards called upon by the bride herself: and she danced then with a grace indeed! I was pleased that she could perform so well at her own wedding.
Supper was not ready till twelve. Mr. Reeves"s coach came about that hour; but we got not away till two.
Perhaps the company would not have broke up so soon, had not the bride been perverse, and refused to retire.
Was she not at home? she asked Lady L----, who was put upon urging her: and should she leave her company?
She would make me retire with her. She took a very affectionate leave of me.
Marriage, Lucy, is an awful rite. It is supposed to be a joyful solemnity: but, on the woman"s side, it can be only so when she is given to the man she loves above all the men in the world; and, even to her, the anniversary day, when doubt is turned into certainty, must be much happier than the day itself.