"Bear up, brave heart! we will be calm and strong;Sure, we can master eyes, or cheek, or tongue,Nor let the smallest tell-tale sign appearShe ever was, and is, and will be dear."
RHYMING PLAY.
It was a hot summer"s evening. Edith came into Margaret"s bedroom, thefirst time in her habit, the second ready dressed for dinner. No one wasthere at first; the next time Edith found Dixon laying out Margaret"sdress on the bed; but no Margaret. Edith remained to fidget about.
"Oh, Dixon! not those horrid blue flowers to that dead gold-colouredgown. What taste! Wait a minute, and I will bring you somepomegranate blossoms."
"It"s not a dead gold-colour, ma"am. It"s a straw-colour. And blue alwaysgoes with straw-colour." But Edith had brought the brilliant scarletflowers before Dixon had got half through her remonstrance.
"Where is Miss Hale?" asked Edith, as soon as she had tried the effect ofthe garniture. "I can"t think," she went on, pettishly, "how my auntallowed her to get into such rambling habits in Milton! I"m sure I"malways expecting to hear of her having met with something horribleamong all those wretched places she pokes herself into. I should neverdare to go down some of those streets without a servant. They"re not fitfor ladies."
Dixon was still huffed about her despised taste; so she replied, rathershortly:
"It"s no wonder to my mind, when I hear ladies talk such a deal aboutbeing ladies--and when they"re such fearful, delicate, dainty ladies too-Isay it"s no wonder to me that there are no longer any saints on earth---"
"Oh, Margaret! here you are! I have been so wanting you. But how yourcheeks are flushed with the heat, poor child! But only think what thattiresome Henry has done; really, he exceeds brother-in-law"s limits. Justwhen my party was made up so beautifully--fitted in so precisely forMr. Colthurst--there has Henry come, with an apology it is true, andmaking use of your name for an excuse, and asked me if he may bringthat Mr. Thornton of Milton--your tenant, you know--who is in Londonabout some law business. It will spoil my number, quite."
"I don"t mind dinner. I don"t want any," said Margaret, in a low voice.
"Dixon can get me a cup of tea here, and I will be in the drawing-roomby the time you come up. I shall really be glad to lie down."
"No, no! that will never do. You do look wretchedly white, to be sure;but that is just the heat, and we can"t do without you possibly. (Thoseflowers a little lower, Dixon. They look glorious flames, Margaret, inyour black hair.) You know we planned you to talk about Milton to Mr.
Colthurst. Oh! to be sure! and this man comes from Milton. I believe itwill be capital, after all. Mr. Colthurst can pump him well on all thesubjects in which he is interested, and it will be great fun to trace outyour experiences, and this Mr. Thornton"s wisdom, in Mr. Colthurst"snext speech in the House. Really, I think it is a happy hit of Henry"s. Iasked him if he was a man one would be ashamed of; and he replied,"Not if you"ve any sense in you, my little sister." So I suppose he Is ableto sound his h"s, which is not a common Darkshire accomplishment--eh,Margaret?"
"Mr. Lennox did not say why Mr. Thornton was come up to town? Wasit law business connected with the property?" asked Margaret, in aconstrained voice.
"Oh! he"s failed, or something of the kind, that Henry told you of thatday you had such a headache,--what was it? (There, that"s capital,Dixon. Miss Hale does us credit, does she not?) I wish I was as tall as aqueen, and as brown as a gipsy, Margaret."
"But about Mr. Thornton?"
"Oh I really have such a terrible head for law business. Henry will likenothing better than to tell you all about it. I know the impression hemade upon me was, that Mr. Thornton is very badly off, and a veryrespectable man, and that I"m to be very civil to him; and as I did notknow how, I came to you to ask you to help me. And now come downwith me, and rest on the sofa for a quarter of an hour."
The privileged brother-in-law came early and Margaret reddening asshe spoke, began to ask him the questions she wanted to hear answeredabout Mr. Thornton.
"He came up about this sub-letting the property--Marlborough Mills,and the house and premises adjoining, I mean. He is unable to keep iton; and there are deeds and leases to be looked over, and agreements tobe drawn up. I hope Edith will receive him properly; but she was ratherput out, as I could see, by the liberty I had taken in begging for aninvitation for him. But I thought you would like to have some attentionshown him: and one would be particularly scrupulous in paying everyrespect to a man who is going down in the world." He had dropped hisvoice to speak to Margaret, by whom he was sitting; but as he ended hesprang up, and introduced Mr. Thornton, who had that moment entered,to Edith and Captain Lennox.
Margaret looked with an anxious eye at Mr. Thornton while he was thusoccupied. It was considerably more than a year since she had seen him;and events had occurred to change him much in that time. His finefigure yet bore him above the common height of men; and gave him adistinguished appearance, from the ease of motion which arose out of it,and was natural to him; but his face looked older and care-worn; yet anoble composure sate upon it, which impressed those who had just beenhearing of his changed position, with a sense of inherent dignity andmanly strength. He was aware, from the first glance he had given roundthe room, that Margaret was there; he had seen her intent look ofoccupation as she listened to Mr. Henry Lennox; and he came up to herwith the perfectly regulated manner of an old friend. With his first calmwords a vivid colour flashed into her cheeks, which never left themagain during the evening. She did not seem to have much to say to him.
She disappointed him by the quiet way in which she asked what seemedto him to be the merely necessary questions respecting her oldacquaintances, in Milton; but others came in--more intimate in thehouse than he--and he fell into the background, where he and Mr.
Lennox talked together from time to time.
