"What a queer-looking man," exclaimed Mrs. Jeremy, when he had pa.s.sed out.
"An elegant-looking man, isn"t he?" said Gertrude.
"Elegant?" rejoined Mrs. Jeremy. "What! with that grey head?"
"I think it"s beautiful," said Gertrude; "but I wish he didn"t look so melancholy; it makes me quite sad to see him."
"How old should you think he was?" asked Dr. Jeremy.
"About fifty," said Mrs. Jeremy.
"About thirty," said Gertrude.
"A wide difference," remarked Emily. "Doctor, you must decide the point."
"Impossible! I wouldn"t venture to tell that man"s age within ten years, at least. Wife has got him old enough, certainly; perhaps I might see him as low as Gertrude"s mark. Age never turned _his_ hair grey!--that is certain."
CHAPTER x.x.xIV.
A NEW ACQUAINTANCE.
To travellers in the United States, a trip from Boston into New York state is an everyday affair, scarce worth calling a journey; but to Dr.
Jeremy it was a momentous event, calling the good physician out of a routine of daily professional visits, which, for twenty years, had not been interrupted by a week"s absence from home, and plunging him at once into that whirl of hurry, tumult, and excitement, which exists on all our great routes, especially in the summer season.
The doctor was by nature and habit a social being; never shrinking from intercourse with his fellow-men, but seeking and enjoying their companionship. He knew how to adapt himself to the taste of young and old, rich and poor, and was well acquainted with city life in all its forms. In the art of travelling, however, he was totally unversed.
Thankful were the party when they were safe on the steamboat; and were congratulating themselves and each other, when the doctor called from the other end of the saloon--"Come, come, wife--Gertrude, Emily! what are you staying down in this confined place for? you"ll lose the best view;" and, coming toward them, he took Gertrude"s arm, and would have hurried her away, leaving Mrs. Jeremy and Emily to follow; but Gertrude would not trust Emily to ascend the cabin-stairs under any guardianship but her own, and Mrs. Jeremy immediately engaged the doctor in an animated discussion as to the advisability of his adopting a straw hat, which the thoughtful wife had brought from home. By the time the question was settled, and Emily, at Gertrude"s persuasion, had been induced to change her thin mantilla for a light travelling-cloak, the boat had proceeded some distance, and when our party gained the head of the stairs, and looked about them for seats on deck, not a single vacant bench was to be seen. There was a large number of pa.s.sengers, nearly all of whom were collected at the stern of the boat. Dr. Jeremy went in search of chairs.
"Don"t let us stay here," whispered Mrs. Jeremy to Gertrude and Emily.
"Let"s go right back before the doctor comes! There are beautiful great rocking-chairs down in the cabin, without a soul to sit in them, and I"m sure we ain"t wanted here to make up a company. I hate to stand with all these people staring at us, and crowing to think they"ve got such nice places; don"t you, Emily?" Mrs. Jeremy just then forgot that Emily could not see. But Gertrude never forgot it; and, as she stood with her arm lightly pressed around her friend"s waist, to prevent the motion of the boat from throwing her off her balance, they attracted attention; the one so bright, erect, and strong with youth and health, that she seemed a fit protector for the other, who, in her sweet and gentle helplessness, leaned upon her so trustingly.
Here Mrs. Jeremy was interrupted by the salutation of Dr. Gryseworth, who insisted upon giving up his seat to Mrs. Jeremy; and another gentleman, till now unnoticed by our party, rose, and bowing politely, placed his own chair for Emily, and walked quickly away. It was the stranger whom they had seen at breakfast. Gertrude recognised his keen, dark eye, and his singular hair; and, as she thanked him, and placed Emily in the seat, she coloured under his earnest glance. But Dr.
Gryseworth soon claimed her attention for the introduction to his daughters, and all thoughts of the retreating stranger were banished for the present.
The Misses Gryseworth were intelligent-looking girls; the eldest, lately returned from Europe, where she had been travelling with her father, was considered a very elegant and superior person, and Gertrude was charmed with the lady-like cordiality with which they both made her acquaintance, and still more with the sympathising attentions which they paid to Emily. By the time that Dr. Jeremy returned with a chair he found Gertrude and Dr. Gryseworth comfortably accommodated, and was thus enabled to sink at once into his seat, and into that state of easy unconcern which became his pleasant, genial temperament.
Long before the boat reached West Point, where the Jeremys were to land, an excellent understanding subsisted between Gertrude and the Misses Gryseworth. They had been about an hour in each other"s society, when Netta Gryseworth, glancing towards another part of the boat, said in an undertone, "Ellen, do invite Mr. Phillips to come back and be introduced to Miss Flint!--see how lonesome the poor man looks."
Gertrude followed the direction of Netta"s eye, and saw the stranger of the morning at some distance, slowly pacing up and down, with a serious and distracted air.
"He has not been near us for an hour," said Netta.
"I hope we have not frightened your friend away," said Gertrude.
"Oh, no, indeed!" replied Ellen. "Although Mr. Phillips is but a recent acquaintance, we have found him so independent, and sometimes so whimsical, that I am never astonished at being suddenly forsaken by him.
There are some people, you know, for whom it is always sufficient excuse to say, _It is their way_. I wish he would condescend to join us again, however; I should like to introduce him to you, Miss Flint."
"You wouldn"t like him," said Netta.
"Now, that is not fair, Netta!" said her sister, "to prejudice Miss Flint against my friend. You mustn"t let her influence you," said she to Gertrude. "She hasn"t known him half as long as I have; and I do not dislike him. My straightforward sister never likes odd people, and I must confess that Mr. Phillips is eccentric; but he interests me all the more on that account, and I am sure he and you would have many ideas and sentiments in common."
"How can you say so, Ellen?" said Netta. "I think they are totally different."
"You must consider Netta"s remark complimentary, Miss Flint," said Ellen; "it would not be quite so much so if it had come from me."
"But you wished me to become acquainted with your oddity," said Gertrude. "I suspect you act on the principle that one"s misfortunes should be shared by one"s friends."
Netta laughed. "Not exactly," said she; "it was compa.s.sion _for him_ that moved me. I can"t help pitying him when he looks so home-sick, and I thought your society would brighten him up and do him good."
"Ah, Netta!" said her sister, "he has excited your sympathy, I see. A few days more, and I shouldn"t be surprised if you went beyond me in your admiration of him. If so, take care, you transparent creature, not to betray your inconsistency." Then she said to Gertrude, "Netta met Mr.
Phillips only yesterday and has not seemed very favourably impressed.
Father and I were pa.s.sengers in the same steamer in which he came from Liverpool a few weeks ago. He had an ill turn in the early part of the voyage, and it was in a professional way that father first made his acquaintance. I was surprised at seeing him on board to-day, for he mentioned no such intention yesterday."
Gertrude suspected that the young lady might herself be the cause of his journey; but she did not say so, and the conversation taking another turn, Mr. Phillips was not again adverted to, though Gertrude observed, just before the boat stopped at West Point, that Dr. Jeremy and Dr.
Gryseworth had joined him, and that the trio were engaged in a colloquy which seemed to interest them all. At West Point, Gertrude parted from her new friends, who expressed a wish to meet in Saratoga.
Our travellers pa.s.sed one night only at West Point. The weather continued hot, and Dr. Jeremy, perceiving that Emily drooped under the oppressive atmosphere, was desirous to reach the summit of Catskill Mountain before the coming Sabbath.
One solitary moonlight evening sufficed to give Gertrude some idea of the beauties of the place. She could not observe it in detail, only as a whole; but, thus presented in all the dreamy loveliness of a summer"s night, it left on her mind a vague sentiment of wonder and delight at the surpa.s.sing sweetness of what seemed rather a glimpse of Paradise than an actual show of earth, so harmonious was the scene, so still, so peaceful. "Emily, darling," said she, as they stood together in a rustic arbour, commanding the most striking prospect both of the river and the sh.o.r.e, "it looks like you; you ought to live here and be the priestess of such a temple;" and, locking her hand in that of Emily, she poured into her ear the holy and elevated sentiments to which the time and the place gave birth.
At an early hour in the morning they steamed up the river. But West Point was hardly pa.s.sed before Gertrude"s watchful eye detected in Emily"s countenance signs of weariness and debility. Sacrificing, without hesitation, the pleasure she was herself deriving from beautiful scenes through which the boat was pa.s.sing, she proposed that they should seek the cabin, where Miss Graham might rest in greater stillness. But Emily would not listen to the proposal; would not think of depriving Gertrude of the pleasure she knew she must be experiencing.
"The prospect is all lost upon me now, Emily," said Gertrude. "I see only your tired face. Do go and lie down, if it be only to please me; you hardly slept at all last night."
"Are you talking of going below?" exclaimed Mrs. Jeremy. "I, for one, shall be thankful, too; it"s as comfortable again, and we can see all we want to from the cabin windows; can"t we, Emily?"
"Should you really prefer it?" inquired Emily.
"Indeed, I should!" said Mrs. Jeremy, with such emphasis that her sincerity could not be doubted.
"Then, if you will promise to stay here, Gertrude," said Emily, "I will go with Mrs. Jeremy."
Gertrude a.s.sented to the plan; but insisted upon first accompanying them, to find a vacant berth for Emily, and see her under circ.u.mstances which would promise repose. Emily was too weak to endure the noise on deck, and after she had laid down in the quiet saloon, Gertrude stood smoothing back her hair, and watching her pale countenance, until she was accused of violating the agreement, and was at last sent off by the good-natured doctor"s lady, who declared herself perfectly well able to take care of Emily.
"You"d better make haste back," she said, "before you lose your seat; and, Gerty, don"t let the doctor come near us; he"ll be teasing us to go back again, and we shall not." Mrs. Jeremy untied her bonnet-strings, put her feet up in the opposite chair, clapped her hands at Gertrude, and bade her begone.
Gertrude ran off laughing, and a smile was on her face when she reached the staircase. As she came up with her quick and light step, a tall figure moved aside to let her pa.s.s. It was Mr. Phillips. He bowed, and Gertrude, returning the salutation, pa.s.sed on to the place she had left, wondering how he came to be again their travelling companion. He could not have been on board previously to her going below with Emily.
Gertrude had sat about five minutes, when a shadow pa.s.sed before her, and looking up, she betrayed a little confusion at again encountering a pair of eyes, whose magnetic gaze bewildered her. She was turning away, when the stranger spoke. "Good morning, young lady! our paths still lie in the same direction, I see. Will you honour me by making use of my guide-book?"
As he spoke he offered her a little book containing a map of the river, and the sh.o.r.es on either side. Gertrude took it, and thanked him. As she unfolded the map he stationed himself a few steps distant, and leaned over the railing, in an apparently absent state of mind; nor did he speak to her again for some minutes. Then, suddenly turning towards her, he said, "You like this very much?"
"Very much," said Gertrude.