Uncle Thomas sighed as before, and then became lost in a sad reverie. He had been to Havana with both of his sisters. The warm South had been of use to them. It prolonged, but did not save their lives.
And so the months pa.s.sed on--the seasons came and went--but health, alas! returned not to the veins of the lovely girl.
It was an autumn day, nearly two years after that fatal cold, taken in consequence of wearing thin shoes, that Mr. Walton received a letter sealed with a black seal.
"As I feared," he murmured, in a low, sad voice, gazing half-abstractedly upon the missive. He knew too well its contents. "Dear child! I saw this from the beginning."
And the old man"s eyes became dim with moisture.
He had not erred in his conjecture. Lizzy Walton was dead.
THE UNRULY MEMBER.
"In trouble again, I find! Ah, Flora! That restless little tongue of yours is a sad transgressor. Why will you not learn to be more careful?
Why do you not place a guard upon your lips, as well as upon your actions?"
"So I do, aunt, when I think myself in the company of tattlers and mischief-makers."
"I do not think Mary Lee either a tattler or a mischief-maker," replied the aunt gravely.
"Then why did she run off to Ellen Gray, and tell her what I had said?"
"She might have done so from far different motives than those you are inclined to attribute to her," said Mrs. Marion, the aunt of Flora Mere.
"And from my knowledge of her character, I feel very sure that her conduct in this has been governed by a strict regard to right principles."
"But what possible end could she have had in view in repeating to Ellen my thoughtlessly spoken words? It could do her no good."
"There she is at the door now," Mrs. Marion replied, glancing out of the window. "We will ask the question direct, as soon as Betty has admitted her."
The blood mounted to Flora"s cheeks as her aunt said this, and her own eyes caught a glimpse of the young lady whose conduct she had been so strongly condemning. The aunt and her niece sat silent until Mary Lee entered.
Here we will take the opportunity to mention the cause of the unpleasant state of affairs between Flora and her young friend. On the day before, while in company with Mary Lee, and one or two other of her acquaintances, she very thoughtlessly and not exactly in the right spirit, repeated some remarks she had heard about Ellen Gray that reflected upon her rather unfavourably. Mary Lee at once attempted to vindicate her friend, but Flora maintained that the allegations were certainly true, for she had them from an undoubted source. Mary asked that source, but she declined mentioning it, on the ground that she did not wish to violate the confidence reposed in her by the individual who related the facts she had repeated.
"It would, perhaps, be better not to mention any thing of this kind,"
said Mary Lee, "unless the author be given, and full liberty, at the same time, to make the most free inquiries as to the truth of what is alleged."
"And get up to your ears in hot water," returned Flora, tossing her head.
"Even that would be better than to let any one suffer from an untrue statement."
"Ah! But suppose it should be true?"
"Let the guilt rest upon the right head--where it ought to rest. But save the innocent from unjust allegations. That is my doctrine."
"A very good doctrine, no doubt," Flora returned; "if you can act it out."
Here the subject was dropped. On the next morning, Mary Lee called in to see her young friend Ellen Gray. After conversing for a short time she said--
"I heard, yesterday, Ellen, that at Mrs. Harvey"s party, you acted towards Mr. Evelyn with much discourtesy of manner, besides actually telling an untruth."
"I am unconscious of having done either the one or the other of these,"
Ellen replied, in a quiet tone.
"I believed you innocent," said Mary, with a brightening countenance.
"But what ground is there for the idle, ill-natured gossip that has got on the wind?"
"Not much, if any. I declined dancing with Evelyn, as I had a perfect right to do."
"Did you tell him you were engaged for the next cotillion?"
"No, certainly not, for I had no engagement then."
"It is said that when he asked you to dance, you excused yourself on the plea that you were already engaged."
"Who says this?"
"Flora Mere."
"How does she know?"
"That I cannot tell. She declined giving her authority."
"Then, of course, I must believe her the author of the fabrication."
"No--that does not certainly follow. I do not believe Flora would be guilty of such a thing. But, like too many, she is ready to believe another capable of doing almost any thing that may happen to be alleged.
And like the same cla.s.s of persons, too ready to repeat what she has heard, no matter how injuriously it may affect the subject of the allegation--while a false principle of honour prevents the open declaration of the source from which the information has been derived."
"Be that as it may, I shall see Flora Mere at once, and ask her for the authority upon which the statement rests."
"It was to give you an opportunity of doing this, that I have come and freely told what I heard."
"Thank you, Mary. I wish all the world were as frank and as conscientious as you are. I shall, of course, mention from whom I derived my information."
"You are at perfect liberty to do so. I try never to say or do any thing that requires concealment."
It was, perhaps, an hour afterward, that Flora Mere was surprised by a visit from Ellen Gray. She had an instinctive consciousness of the cause of this visit, which made the blood mount to her face, as she took the hand of her friend. She was not long in doubt.
"Flora," said Ellen, a few minutes after she had entered. "Mary Lee came in to see me this morning, and mentioned that you had made statements about me which are not true--as that I refused to dance with Mr. Evelyn under the plea of a prior engagement, when, in fact, no such engagement existed."
"I think Mary Lee had very little to do!" Flora returned petulantly, the colour deepening on her face and brow, "to tattle about what she hears in company."
"But reflect," said Ellen, mildly, "that the charge against me was one of falsehood--no light charge--and that Mary had every reason to believe me incapable of uttering what was not true. And further, remember, that you declined giving your informant, so as to place it in her power to ascertain upon what basis the statement rested. Reverse the case.
Suppose I had heard that you had done some wrong act; and, instead of carefully satisfying myself whether it were really so or not, were to begin circulating the story wherever I went. Would you not deem her a true friend, who, instead of joining in the general condemnation, were to come to you and put into your power to vindicate your character?
Certainly you would. Just in the relation which that true friend would, under the imagined circ.u.mstances, stand to you, now stands Mary Lee to me. She has put into my power to arrest a report which I find is circulating to my injury. It is true that I declined dancing with Mr.
Evelyn. But it is not true that I stated to him that I was engaged. I was not engaged, and to have said that I was, would have been to have told a deliberate falsehood. May I, then, ask you from what source you derived your information?"