Page:Peterson Magazine 1869B.pdf/183

132 AT THE FALLS. dark moods, her very soul seemed going down, down, under the rush of green waters, over; which the setting sun cast rainbows, vivid and quick as lightning.

“What are you thinking of, Cora?” May asked, suddenly.

“Nothing, I believe,” her cousin answered.

“I wonder why people always say that when asked such a question suddenly,” quoth May, sententiously.

“Probably because the thoughts have been so vague that the question put them to fight, and makes it impossible to answer otherwise.”

Bless me! how wise that sounds. I wish I had a pencil and note-book to write it down.”

You are a saucy little puss!” Cora said, smiling.

“Of course I am. Oh! I'm not in awe of you for all your princess graces! Cora, I don’t believe you're happy a bit, for all you are petted and spoiled like a queen,”

“I'm tired of being spoiled!” exclaimed Cora, impatiently, I'm not a baby, or a wax-doll.”

“I'll be both to get all the spoiling I want, Why, it’s the nicest thing in the world.”

“I am sure you have enough of “it.”

“But you are so unapproachable, people have to worship you at a distance

“The farther off the better.”

“Oh! you venomous panther!" cried May, and laughed, highly delighted at the delicious confusion of epithets.

She stopped laughing suddenly, for Cora, who had chanced to be looking down the path, laid a hand upon her arm and whispered,

“Here’s somebody coming—how tiresome!”

“Somebody must mean a man, of course," said May; “let me look at him and see what he's like.”

She looked and uttered a little exclamation, but sat still and held Cora's hand fast.

The gentleman had been quite near before they saw him. Now he came up, and lifting his hat, said, in a voice so exquisitely modulated that it was a passport to a favorable opinion of itself.

“How do you do, Miss Crofton?

“Why, Mr, Wellesley!” exclaimed May, “where did you come from? You appear like an evil spirit!”

“I do come from wandering up and down the earth,” he replied; “but just now from the Cataract House, Your mamma said I would find you here, and glad to see me.”

“My mamma is too much given to opinions,” cried May; “but I believe she was right for once,” and she held out her hand with her charming frankness. Only don’t be too much elated—I haven't had a man to tease for a week."

“It is really wonderful you are alive,” he said, with perfect gravity.

“I see with grief that your travels have not improved you in the least,” returned May. “But let me present you to my cousin, Miss Lasley; Cora, Mr. Wellesley—a man capable of doing the coolest and most outrageous things of all his atrocious sex.”

The pair, thus absurdly introduced, bowed, and Cora looked indifferent, and Mr. Wellesley looked quiet, and not in the least overcome, Then Cora let May rattle on in her crazy way, and had to remark what a charming voice and smile Mr. Wellesley possessed; and that he said his pretty nonsense so brilliantly that it was evident he could talk sense if the opportunity offered.

Finally, May began to drag her into the conversation, and Mr. Wellesley did not seem at all abashed by the honor; so Cora concluded that it was time to go back, aad was unusually stately all the way to the hotel.

She saw that both May and her mother treated him like a familiar acquaintance; and she remembered now to have heard them chanting his praises when she returned from her last trip to Europe, a few months back, along with the Otways.

Mr. Wellesley promised to be a very pleasant addition to the little circle of those whom Mrs. Crofton admitted into her private parlor; but Cora was not in a mood to be pleased, and rather snubbed people generally, and, perhaps, would have snubbed Mr. Wellesley, only he was too much occupied with the other young ladies to give her an opportunity.

When her cousin came into her room to say good-night, she did not talk as much about him as Cora had feared she would; so she concluded that the wild, little kitten was more interested in him than she cared to have seen; and Cora was rather sorry, for she thought he seemed too cold and self-centered to be the sort of man to make her petted little cousin happy.

Two or three days passed, and Cora and Mr. Wellesley made very slight progress toward acquaintance. The gentleman seemed to desire it little more than she did, though she had to admit to herself that his manner toward her was perfect, and it was so different from that of other men that she could not help thinking about him.

Their first real conversation was one evening out by the rocks, where they had met on his

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