"Curing him?"
Verty nodded.
"You know that was what I wanted. I cured him, and then let him go, and followed him, and found you."
Verty, in an absent way, took Miss Redbud"s hand, and was guilty of the bad taste of squeezing it.
The reply and the action seemed to recall Redbud to herself; and she suddenly drew back with a blush.
Verty looked astounded. In the midst of his confusion a martial "hem!" was heard, and Mr. Jinks, who had been carefully adjusting his toilette, drew near the lovers.
"Hem!" said Mr. Jinks, "a very fine day, Miss Redbud. Loveliest of your s.e.x and delight of the world, have I the pleasure of seeing you in that high state of happiness and health which of right should belong to you?"
With this Mr. Jinks bowed and gesticulated, and spread out his arms like a graceful giraffe, and dispensed on every side the most engaging grimaces.
Redbud bowed, with an amused look in her little blushing face; and just as she had got through with this ceremony, another personage was added to the company.
This was an elderly lady of severe aspect, who, clad in black, and with an awfully high cap, which cast a shadow as it came, appeared at the door of the house, and descended like a hawk upon the group.
"Well, Miss Summers!" she said, in a crooked and shrill voice, "talking to gentlemen, I see! Mr. Jinks, against rules, sir--come, Miss, you know my wishes on this subject."
As she spoke, her eyes fell upon the turkey hanging from Cloud"s saddle-bow.
"Young man," she said to Verty, "what"s the price of that turkey?"
Verty was looking at Redbud, and only knew that the awful Mrs. Scowley had addressed him, from Redbud"s whispering to him.
"_Anan_?" he said.
"I say, what"s the price of that turkey?" continued the old lady; "if you are moderate, I"ll buy it. Don"t think, though, that I am going to give you a high price. You mountain people," she added, looking at Verty"s wild costume, "can get along with very little money. Come, how much?"
Verty on that occasion did the only artful thing which he ever accomplished--but what will not a lover do?
He went to Cloud, took the fine gobbler from the saddle, and bringing it to Mrs. Scowley, laid it at the feet of that awful matron with a smile.
"You may have him," said Verty, "I don"t want him."
"Don"t want him!"
"No, ma"am--I just shot him so--on my way to my writing."
"Your writing, sir?" said Mrs. Scowley, gazing at Verty with some astonishment--"what writing?"
"I"m in Mr. Rushton"s office, and I write," Verty replied, "but I don"t like it much."
Mrs. Scowley for a moment endeavored to look Verty out of countenance, but finding that the young man seemed to have no consciousness of the fact, and that he returned her gaze with friendly interest, the ogress uttered a sound between a snort and a cough, and said:--
"Then you did"nt come to sell the turkey?"
"No, indeed, ma"am."
"For what, then?"
"I came to see Redbud," replied Verty; "you know, ma"am, that we know each other very well; I thought I"d come." And Verty smiled.
Mrs. Scowley was completely puzzled--she had never before seen a gentleman of Verty"s candor, and could find no words to reply. She thought of saying to our friend that visiting a young lady at school was highly criminal and reprehensible, but a glance at the fat turkey lying on the gra.s.s at her feet, caused her to suppress this speech.
As she gazed, her feeling relented more and more--Verty grew still more amiable in her eyes--the turkey evidently weighed more than twenty pounds.
"I"m much obliged to you, young man," she said, "and I"ll take the turkey from you as a friend. Come in and have some apples--there"s a bell-mouth tree."
"Oh yes!" said Verty, "I"m very fond of apples--but Redbud may have some, too?" he added, smiling innocently.
"Hum!" said the ogress.
"Just a few, you know, ma"am," said Verty, with his bright smile. "I know from the way she looks that she wants some. Don"t you, Redbud?"
Poor Redbud"s resolutions all melted--Verty"s voice did it all--she blushed and nodded, and said yes, she should like very much to have some apples.
"Then you may go," said the ogress, somewhat mollified, "but don"t touch the small trees--I"m keeping them."
"Not for worlds!" said Verty.
"No, ma"am," said Redbud.
And they crossed the lawn, and opening the gate of the s.p.a.cious and well-kept garden, pa.s.sed in under the apple boughs. As for Mr. Jinks, he accompanied Mrs. Scowley to the house, bowing, grimacing, ambling, and making himself generally agreeable. True, he resembled a gra.s.shopper, standing erect, and going through the steps of a minuet; but there was much elegance in Mr. Jinks" evolutions, and unbounded elasticity of limb. He entered with Mrs. Scowley; and there, for the present, we shall leave him.
CHAPTER XII.
HOW STREPHON TALKED WITH CHLOE IN AN ARBOR.
It was a beautiful garden which Verty and Redbud entered, hand in hand;--one of those old pleasure-grounds which, with their gra.s.s and flowers, and long-armed trees, laden with fruit or blossoms, afford such a grateful retreat to the weary or the sorrowful. The breath of the world comes not into such places--all its jar and tumult and turmoil, faint, die and disappear upon the flower-enameled threshold; and the cool breath of the bright heavens fans no longer wrinkled foreheads and compressed lips. All care pa.s.ses from us in these fairy-land retreats; and if we can be happy any where, it is there.
We said that Verty and Redbud entered, hand in hand, and this may serve to show that the young pupil of Miss Lavinia had not profited much by the lessons of her mentor.
In truth, Redbud began to return to her childhood, which she had promised herself to forget; and, as a result of this change of feeling, she became again the friend and playfellow of her childhood"s friend, and lost sight, completely, of the "young lady" theory. True, she did not run on, as the phrase is, with Verty, as in the old days--her manner had far more softness in it--she was more quiet and reserved; but still, those constrained, restless looks were gone, and when Verty laughed, the winning smile came to the little face; and the small hand which he had taken was suffered to rest quietly in his own.
They strolled under the trees, and Verty picked up some of the long yellow-rinded apples, which, lay upon the ground under the trees, and offered them to Redbud.
"I didn"t want the apples," he said, smiling, "I wanted to see you, Redbud, for I"ve not felt right since you went away. Oh, it"s been so long--so long!"
"Only a few days," said Redbud, returning the smile.
"But you know a few days is a very long time, when you want to see anybody very much."