Page:New Peterson magazine 1859 Vol. XXXV.pdf/39

 THE

OLD

STONE

MANSION.

sometimes experience, I felt, at that moment, that a third party was listening to this episode. I glanced aside, and sure enough, in a deep arm-chair, half concealed by the lace curtains of the window, there sat a gentleman, who, though apparently absorbed in a book before him, wore such a quiet, significant smile on his face, that I knew he had overheard us. I was annoyed, for I had a suspicion he was silently laughing at the warmth of my retort. Just then he rose from his seat, and his eyes, as he turned away, rested on me for an instant. I felt the blood rush to my brow. He evidently saw my mortification, for he looked immediately toward Georgiane and her admirer; and the latter, now first observing him, turned white as ashes.

Somehow, for the rest of that day, I could not get this stranger out of my mind. I had seen him only for a second; but I knew his every feature, and the air with which he carried himself. A massive head, eagle eyes, a mouth firm as a martyr’s, o lofty manner, a powerful frame: intellect, strength and manliness; these were the qualities he impressed me as possessing beyond any other man I had ever seen.

CHAPTER IV.

That night there was a ‘hop.” Strange to say, for the first time in my life, I was fastidious about my dress. But as I had only a white muslin and blue barege, to choose from, I was not long in coming to a decision. I selected the former. My hair was dressed a la Grecque. Before going downstairs, I went into my cousin’s room, to see if I could assist her. She was in high good-humor, having on a new and beautifully fitting dress; and looked at me in unaffected surprise.

“Why, Maggy,” she cried, “you are really charming. You always dress so old-maidish, that one doesn’t know how pretty you grow. There, child, I declare, I’ve brought quite a color to your cheeks. Isn’t she improved, ma?”

My aunt, stiff in moire antique, was drawing her gloves on her fat, pudgy hands. She glanced at me and replied,

“Your cousin will always be odd, Georgy. See how she has dressed her hair.”

I knew, from the tone, that my aunt was displeased; perhaps thought my coiffure pretentious; and the pleasure of the evening was spoilt.

Nobody spoke to me for a long while. I sat on a chair, in one corner, and watched the matrons gossiping in groups, and their daughters whirling around in the waltz; all seemed enjoying themselves: I only was unhappy. After a while, an elderly, single lady came up, who lived on gossip.

“I don’t see Miss Elliott’s English beau,” she said. “Somebody told me, too, he left this afternoon. Do you know anything about it?”

I had not heard of his departure, and was surprised; for he had expected to remain several weeks longer. But I was so indignant at this impertinent attempt to elicit information regarding Georgiana’s affairs, that I suppressed my curiosity to learn what my companion knew, changed the conversation, and directly after rose and left her.

The atmosphere, in the drawing-room, was se heated, that I passed out into the piazza, which running the whole length of the hotel, was used for a public promenade, especially on evenings It was now almost as crowded as the drawing. room, for a waltz had just been finished, and the dancers were parading, two and two, up and down, gayly chatting and laughing. Having no one to walk with, I stopped at a chair near one of the windows, so that I could look in. I had scarcely taken my seat, when I saw the gentleman, who had overheard our conversation ‘in the morning, cross the room to speak to an acquaintance, who was concealed behind the curtains of the window, outside of which I sat. After mutual expressions of delight and sur- prise, at meeting each other unexpectedly at this place, the latter said,

“There are some pretty girls here, Talbot. Are you dancing?”

“Dancing,” answered my silent critic of the morning, “isn’t much in my line; and besides I know nobody as yet.”

“Precisely my case. I ran down here, for a day or two, merely because it was near. Generally I go to Newport, as you do. But I understand Gov. Bright, Senator Clare, Col. Howard, and others whom we know are here; and they’ll introduce us.”’

“To tell the truth,” replied he, who had been called Talbot, “I don’t see any faces here that interest me, except one.”

“Who is she?”

“Who she is I can’t say. A governess, I believe. But what she is, you can judge for yourself. She is sitting yonder, in that corner. No,” he added, in a still lower tone, as he glanced across the room, “she has disappeared.”

I was within two feet of the speaker, separated from him only by the wall, and heard every word distinctly. My first impulse was to rise. But to have done this would have attracted his attention. I was compelled, therefore, to remain, though my cheeks tingled.