"Thou shalt be bless"d as maiden fair was never bless"d before, And the heart of thy belov"d shall be most gentle, kind and pure; But thy red hand shall be lifted at duty"s stern behest, And give to fell destruction the head thou lov"st the best.
"Feel! the air! the air!" she exclaimed, suddenly dropping the child"s hand, and lifting her own toward the sky.
"Yes, I told you it was going to rain, but there will not be much, only a light shower from the cloud just over our heads."
"It is going to weep! Nature mourns for her darling child! Hark! I hear the step of him that cometh! Fly, fair one! fly! Stay not here to listen to the voice of the charmer, charm he never so wisely!" cried the wild creature, as she dashed off toward the forest.
Marian and Edith looked after her, in the utmost compa.s.sion.
"Who is the poor, dear creature, Edith, and what has reduced her to this state?"
"She was an old playmate of my own, Marian. I never mentioned her to you--I never could bear to do so. She was one of the victims of the war.
She was the child of Colonel Fairlie and the bride of Henry Laurie, one of the most accomplished and promising young men in the State. In one night their house was attacked, and f.a.n.n.y saw her father and her husband ma.s.sacred, and her home burned before her face! She--fell into the hands of the soldiers! She went mad from that night!"
"Most horrible!" e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed Marian.
"She was sent to one of the best Northern asylums, and the property she inherited was placed in the hands of a trustee--old Mr. Hughes, who died last week, you know; and now that he is dead and she is out, I don"t know what will be done, I don"t understand it at all."
"Has she no friends, no relatives? She must not be allowed to wander in this way," said the kind girl, with the tears swimming in her eyes.
"I shall always be her friend, Marian. She has no others that I know of now; and no relative, except her young cousin, Thurston Willc.o.xen, who has been abroad at a German University these five years past, and who, in event of f.a.n.n.y"s death, would inherit her property. We must get her here, if possible. I will go in and send Jenny after her. She will probably overtake her in the forest, and may be able to persuade her to come back. At least, I shall tell Jenny to keep her in sight, until she is in some place of safety."
"Do, dear Edith!"
"Are you not coming?" said Edith, as she led her little girl toward the house.
"In one moment, dear; I wish only to bind up this morning-glory, that poor f.a.n.n.y chanced to pull down as she ran through."
Edith disappeared in the cottage.
Marian stood with both her rosy arms raised, in the act of binding up the vine, that with its wealth of splendid azure-hued, vase-shaped flowers, over-canopied her beautiful head like a triumphal arch. She stood there, as I said, like a radiant, blooming G.o.ddess of life and health, summer sunshine and blushing flowers.
The light tramp of horse"s feet fell upon her ear. She looked up, and with surprise lighting her dark-blue eyes, beheld a gentleman mounted on a fine black Arabian courser, that curveted gracefully and capriciously before the cottage gate.
Smilingly the gentleman soothed and subdued the coquettish mood of his willful steed, and then dismounted and bowing with matchless grace and much deference, addressed Marian.
The maiden was thinking that she had never seen a gentleman with a presence and a manner so graceful, courteous and princely in her life.
He was a tall, finely proportioned, handsome man, with a superb head, an aquiline profile, and fair hair and fair complexion. The great charm, however, was in the broad, sunny forehead, in the smile of ineffable sweetness, in the low and singularly mellifluous voice, and the manner, gentle and graceful as any woman"s.
"Pardon me, my name is Willc.o.xen, young lady, and I have the honor of addressing--"
"Miss Mayfield," said Marian.
"Thank you," said the gentleman, with one involuntary gaze of enthusiastic admiration that called all the roses out in full bloom upon the maiden"s cheeks; then governing himself, he bent his eyes to the ground, and said, with great deference: "You will pardon the liberty I have taken in calling here, Miss Mayfield, when I tell you that I am in search of an unhappy young relative, who, I am informed, pa.s.sed here not long since."
"She left us not ten minutes ago, sir, much against our wishes. My sister has just sent a servant to the forest in search of her, to bring her back, if possible. Will you enter, and wait till she returns?"
With a beaming smile and graceful bend, and in the same sweet tones, he thanked her, and declined the invitation. Then he remounted his horse, and bowing deeply, rode off in the direction f.a.n.n.y had taken.
This was certainly a day of arrivals at Old Fields. Usually weeks would pa.s.s without any one pa.s.sing to or from the cottage, except Marian, whose cheerful, kindly, social disposition, was the sole connecting link between the cottage and the neighborhood around it. But this day seemed to be an exception.
While yet the little party lingered at the breakfast-table, Edith looked up, and saw the tall, thin figure of a woman in a nankeen riding-shirt, and a nankeen corded sun-bonnet, in the act of dismounting from her great, raw-boned white horse,
"If there isn"t Miss Nancy Skamp!" exclaimed Edith, in no very hospitable tone--"and I wonder how she can leave the post-office."
"Oh! this is not mail day!" replied Marian, laughing, "notwithstanding which we shall have news enough." And Marian who, for her part, was really glad to see the old lady, arose to meet and welcome her.
Miss Nancy was little changed; the small, tall, thin, narrow-chested, stooping figure--the same long, fair, freckled, sharp set face--the same prim cap, and clean, scant, faded gown, or one of the same sort--made up her personal individuality. Miss Nancy now had charge of the village post-office; and her early and accurate information respecting all neighborhood affairs, was obtained, it was whispered, by an official breach of trust; if so, however, no creature except Miss Nancy, her black boy, and her white cat, knew it. She was a great news carrier, it is true, yet she was not especially addicted to scandal. To her, news was news, whether good or bad, and so she took almost as much pleasure in exciting the wonder of her listeners by recounting the good action or good fortune of her neighbors or the reverse.
And so, after having dropped her riding-skirt, and given that and her bonnet to Marian to carry up-stairs, and seated herself in the chair that Edith offered her at the table, she said, sipping her coffee, and glancing between the white curtains and the green vines of the open window out upon the bay:
"You have the sweetest place, and the finest sea view here, my dear Mrs.
Shields; but that is not what I was a-going to say. I was going to tell you that I hadn"t hearn from you so long, that I thought I must take an early ride this morning, and spend the day with you. And I thought you"d like to hear about your old partner at the dancing-school, young Mr.
Thurston Willc.o.xen, a-coming back--la, yes! to be sure! we had almost all of us forgotten him, leastwise I had. And then, Miss Marian," she said, as our blooming girl returned to her place at the table, "I just thought I would bring over that muslin for the collars and caps you were so good as to say you"d make for me."
"Yes, I am glad you brought them, Miss Nancy," said Marian, in her cheerful tone, as she helped herself to another roll.
"I hope you are not busy now, my dear."
"Oh, I"m always busy, thank Heaven! but that makes no difference, Miss Nancy; I shall find time to do your work this week and next."
"I am sure it is very good of you, Miss Marian, to sew for me for nothing; when--"
"Oh, pray, don"t speak of it, Miss Nancy."
"But indeed, my dear, I must say I never saw anybody like you! If anybody"s too old to sew, and too poor to put it out, it is "Miss Marian" who will do it for kindness; and if anybody is sick, it is "Miss Marian" who is sent for to nurse them; and if any poor negro, or ignorant white person, has friends off at a distance they want to hear from, it is "Miss Marian" who writes all their letters!"
When they arose from breakfast, and the room was tidied up, and Edith, and Marian, and their guest, were seated at their work, with all the cottage windows open to admit the fresh and fragrant air, and the rural landscape on one side, and the sea view on the other, and while little Miriam sat at their feet dressing a nun doll, and old Jenny betook herself to the garden to gather vegetables for the day, Miss Nancy opened her budget, and gave them all the news of the month. But in that which concerned Thurston Willc.o.xen alone was Edith interested, and of him she learned the following facts: Of the five years which Mr.
Willc.o.xen had been absent in the eastern hemisphere, three had been spent at the German University, where he graduated with the highest honors; eighteen months had been pa.s.sed in travel through Europe, Asia, and Africa; and the last year had been spent in the best circles in the city of Paris. He had been back to his native place about three weeks.
Since the death of f.a.n.n.y Laurie"s old guardian, the judge of the Orphans" Court had appointed him sole trustee of her property, and guardian of her person. As soon as he had received this power, he had gone to the asylum, where the poor creature was confined, and hearing her p.r.o.nounced incurable, though harmless, he had set her at liberty, brought her home to his own house, and had hired a skillful, attentive nurse to wait upon her.
"And you never saw such kindness and compa.s.sion, Miss Marian, except in yourself. I do declare to you, that his manner to that poor unfortunate is as delicate and reverential and devoted as if she were the most accomplished and enviable lady in the land, and more so, Miss Marian, more so!"
"I can well believe it! He looks like that!" said the beautiful girl, her face flushing and her eyes filling with generous sympathy. But Marian was rather averse to sentimentality, so dashing the sparkling drops from her blushing cheeks, she looked up and said: "Miss Nancy, we are going to have chickens for dinner. How do you like them cooked? It don"t matter a bit to Edith and me."
"Stewed, then, if you please, Miss Marian! or stop--no--I think baked in a pie!"
CHAPTER VIII
THE FOREST FAIRY.
On the afternoon of the same day spent by Miss Nancy Skamp at Old Field Cottage, the family at Luckenough were a.s.sembled in that broad, central pa.s.sage, their favorite resort in warm weather.
Five years had made very little alteration here, excepting in the case of Jacquelina, who had grown up to be the most enchanting sprite that ever bewitched the hearts, or turned the heads of men. She was pet.i.te, slight, agile, graceful; cl.u.s.tering curls of shining gold encircled a round, white forehead, laughing in light; springs under springs of fun and frolic sparkled up from the bright, blue eyes, whose flashing light flew bird-like everywhere, but rested nowhere. She seemed even less human and irresponsible than when a child--verily a being of the air, a fairy, without human thoughtfulness, or sympathy, or affections! She only seemed so--under all that fay-like levity there was a heart. Poor heart! little food or cultivation had it had in all its life.