Roland Cashel Volume Ii Part 30

"You hear that, Lady Janet?" said Linton, roguishly. "Sir Andrew intends to live forever."

"So that I don't, sir, I can't complain," said she, with a tartness quite electric.

"I incline to leave the choice of each free," said Miss Kennyf.e.c.k, as she tossed over the drawings. "When you select a story, there are always a certain number of characters n.o.body likes to take."

"I'll be Henri Quatre," said an infantry captain. "I wish you 'd be Gabrielle, Miss Kennyf.e.c.k?"

"Thanks; but I 've a fancy for that Cephalonian costume."

"Egad! you can always pick up a 'Greek' or two, here, to keep you company," said a hussar; but no one joined his laugh.

"I'll be Don Belianis!" said a tall, melancholy subaltern.

"What were you at Bellingden's last year, Fillymore?"

"I went as 'Chiffney;' but they turned me out. The whole was mediaeval, and they said I was all wrong."

"Try that turban, my dear Miss Kennyf.e.c.k," said Mrs. White, who, suspecting the young lady wore false ringlets, made a vigorous effort to expose the cheat.

"By Jove! how becoming!" exclaimed Jennings. "Now, put on the mantle,--not over the right shoulder, but so,--crossed a little."

"You ought to have this scarf round your neck," said another; "blue and gold have such an excellent effect."

"I vote for your wearing that," said the hussar, quite smitten with her beauty. "What do they call the dress?"

"Costume of Leopoldine of Eschingen, who defended the 'Irongate' against the Turks, in 1662."

"Where was that?" asked one.

"In somebody's avenue, I suppose," lisped out the tall sub.

"No, no; it 's on some river or other. There's a cataract they call the Irongate,--I forget where."

"The Lethe, perhaps," said Miss Kennyf.e.c.k, slyly.

"Is not that a pace! by Jove! Cashel 's in a hurry. This way," said Jennings; and they all rushed to the window in time to see Roland flit past at a full gallop.

Miss Kennyf.e.c.k did not wait for more; but, throwing off the turban and mantle, hastened out to catch her father, who, at the same instant, was issuing from the library..

"Now, pa," said she, slipping her arm within his, "how is it to be?

Pray, now, don't affect the mysterious, but say at once,--has he proposed?"

"Who? has who proposed?"

"Mr. Cashel, of course. How could I mean any other?"

"For you, my dear?" said he, for once venturing upon a bit of raillery.

"Pshaw, pa; for Olivia!"

"Nothing of the kind, my dear. Such a subject has never been alluded to between us."

"Poor thing! she has been badly treated, then, that's all! It would, however, have saved us all a world of misconception if you had only said so at first; you must own that."

"But you forget, Miss Kennyf.e.c.k, that I never supposed you entertained this impression. Mr. Cashel's conversation with me related exclusively to the affairs of his property."

"Poor Livy!" said Miss Kennyf.e.c.k, letting go his arm and ascending the stairs. As Miss Kennyf.e.c.k drew near the door of the drawing room, she began to sing sufficiently loud to be heard by those within, and thus, judiciously heralding her approach, she opened the door and entered.

Sir Harvey had been standing beside the chimney-piece with Olivia, but turned hastily round, his countenance exhibiting that state of mingled doubt, fear, and satisfaction, which vouched for the cleverness of the young lady's tactics. Nothing, in truth, could have been more adroit than her management; performing a feat which among naval men is known as "backing and filling," she succeeded in manoeuvring for nigh an hour, without ever advancing or retiring. We should be unwilling to deny our reader the value of a lesson, did we not feel how the fairer portion of our audience would weary over a recital, in every detail of which they could instruct our ignorance.

The late Lord Londonderry was famed for being able to occupy "the house" for any given time without ever communicating a fact, raising a question, solving a difficulty, or, what is harder than all, committing _himself_. But how humbly does this dexterity appear beside the young-lady-like tact that, opposed by all the importunity of a lover, can play the game in such wise that after fifty-odd minutes the "pieces"

should stand upon the board precisely as they did at the beginning!

"How do you do, Sir Harvey? Why are you not on that committee of costume in the little drawing-room where the great question at issue is between the time of the crusades and the swell mob?"

"I have been far more agreeably occupied, in a manner that my feelings"--here Olivia looked disappointed,--"my heart, I mean," said he--and the young lady looked dignified--"my feelings and my heart, too," resumed be, horribly puzzled which tack to sail upon, "a.s.sure me must nearly concern my future happiness."

"How pleasant!" said Cary, laughingly, as if she accepted the speech as some high-flown compliment; "you are so fortunate to know what to do on a dreary wet day like this."

Olivia, whose eyes were bent upon her sister, changed color more than once. "The signal was flying," "Stop firing," just at the moment when the enemy had all but "struck;" in less figurative phrase, Miss Kennyf.e.c.k's throat was encircled by the scarf which she had forgotten to lay aside on leaving the drawing-room.

The object was too remarkable to escape notice, and Olivia's face grew scarlet as she thought of her triumph.

Miss Kennyf.e.c.k saw this, but attributed the agitation to anything but its true cause.

"I 'm in search of mamma," said she, and with a very peculiar glance at Olivia, left the room.

Sir Harvey's visit lasted full twenty minutes longer; and although no record has been preserved of what pa.s.sed on the occasion, they who met him descending the stairs all agreed in describing his appearance as most gloomy and despondent. As for Olivia, she saw the door close after him with a something very like sorrow. There was no love in the case, nor anything within a day's journey of it; but he was good-looking, fashionable, well-mannered, and mustachioed. She would have been "my lady," too; and though this is but a "brevet n.o.bility" after all, it has all "the sound of the true metal." She thought over all these things; and she thought, besides, how very sad he looked when she said "No;"

and, how much sadder, when asked the usual question about "time, and proved devotion, and all that sort of thing," she said "No," again; and how, saddest of all, when she made the stereotyped little speech about "sisterly affection, and seeing him happy with another!" Oh dear! oh dear! is it not very wearisome and depressing to think that chess can have some hundred thousand combinations, and love-making but its two or three "gambits,"--the "fool's-mate" the chief of them? We have said she was sorry for what had occurred; but she consoled herself by remembering it was not her fault that Sir Harvey was not as rich as Cashel, and nephew to a live uncle!

As Sir Harvey's "lady"--Heaven forgive me, I had almost written "wife"--she would have been the envy of a very large circle of her Dublin acquaintance; and then she knew that these dragoon people have a way of making their money go so much further than civilians; and in all that regards horses, equipage, and outward show, the smartest "mufti"

is a seedy affair beside the frogs of the new regulation pelisse! She actually began to feel misgivings about her choice. A high drag at the Howth races, a crowd of whiskered fellows of "ours," and the band of the regiment in Merrion Square, came home to her "dear Dublin" imagination with irresistible fascination. In her mind's eye, she had already cut the "bar," and been coldly distant with the infantry. It was a little revery of small triumphs, but the sum of them mounted up to something considerable.

"Is he gone, Livy?" said Cary, as, entering noiselessly, she stole behind her sister's chair.

"Yes, dear, he is gone!" said she, sighing slightly.

"My poor forlorn damsel, don't take his absence so much to heart! You 're certain to see him at dinner!"

"He said he'd leave this afternoon," said she, gravely; "that he could n't bear to meet me after what had pa.s.sed."

"And what has pa.s.sed, child?"

"You know, of course, Cary; I refused him!"

"Refused him!--refused him!--what possessed you to do so?"

"This!" said Olivia, gasping with terror at the unknown danger; and she caught hold of the fringe of her sister's scarf. Miss Kennyf.e.c.k started, and put her hand to her neck, and, suddenly letting it fall again, she leaned against the wall for support.