The Bondwoman Part 34

"Ah--Mrs. McVeigh, I'm not hurt at all, but if she had murthered me entirely your smile would give me new life again; it's a guardian angel you are to me."

"You do need a.s.sistance," she replied, endeavoring to untwine the vines twisted about his shoulders, "now turn around."

He did, spinning in top fashion, with extended arms, while Evilena smiled at the Judge from the window. His answering smile grew somewhat constrained as his hostess deliberately put her pretty arm half way around the young man's shoulder in her efforts to untangle him.

"I say, Judge, isn't it in fine luck I am?--the undoing of Delaven!"

But the Judge did not respond. He grew a trifle more ceremonious as he turned from the window.

"Mistress McVeigh, I shall step out on the lawn to meet my sister and Miss Loring, and when you have concluded your present task, would you permit me to see the autumn roses you were cultivating? As a lover of flowers I certainly have an interest in their progress."

"Autumn roses--humph!" and Loring smiled in a grim way only discernible to Delaven, who had grown so accustomed to his sardonic comments on things in general that they no longer caused surprise.

"Of course, Judge; I'll show them to you myself," and Mrs. McVeigh let fall the last of the vines and joined him at the window--"so charming of you to remember them at all."

"Don't you want to go along and study the progress of autumn roses?"

asked Evilena, peering around the window at Delaven, who laughed at the pretended demureness and timidity with which she invested the question.

"Not at this moment, my lady. Autumn roses, indeed!--while there's a wild flower in sight--not for the O'Delavens!"

And the O'Delaven's bright Irish eyes had so quizzical a smile in them the girl blushed and was covered with confusion as with a mantle, and gathering the blossoms in her arms seated herself ostentatiously close to Mr. Loring's chair while she arranged them, and Delaven might content himself with a view of one pink ear and a delicious dimple in one cheek, which he contemplated from the lounging chair back of her, and added to his occupation by humming, very softly, a bit of the old song:

"Ten years have gone by and I have not a dollar; Evilena still lives in that green gra.s.sy hollow; And though I am fated to marry her never, I'm sure that I'll love her for ever and ever!"

"For ever and ever! I say, Miss Evilena, how do you suppose the fellow in the song could be so dead sure of himself, for ever and ever?"

"Probably he wasn't an Irishman," suggested the girl, bending lower over the blossoms that he might not see her smiling.

"Arrah, now, I had conjured up a finer reason than that entirely; it had something to do with the charms of your namesake, but I'll not be telling you of it while you carry a nettle on your tongue to sting poor harmless wanderers with."

His pondrous sigh was broken in on by her laughter, and the beat of hoofs on the drive. While they looked at each other questioningly the voice of Judithe was heard speaking to Pluto, and then humming the refrain of Evilena's favorite, "Bonnie Blue Flag," she ran up to the veranda where Mrs. McVeigh met her.

"Oh, what a glorious gallop I had. Good morning, Judge Clarkson. How glad I am that you came right over soon as you got home. You are to us a recruit from the world whom we depend on to tell us all about doings there, and it is so good of you."

"It argues no virtue in a man, Madame, that he comes where beauty greets him," and the Judge's bow was a compliment in itself.

"Charming--is it not, Madame McVeigh? Truly your Southern men are the most delightful in the world."

"Ah, Madame," and Delaven arose from his chair with a lugubrious countenance, "for how am I to forgive you for adopting the fancy that Ireland is out of the world entirely?"

Judithe laughed frankly and put out her hand; she was exceedingly gay and gracious that morning; there was a delightful exhilaration in her manner, and it was contagious. Matthew Loring half turned in his chair and peered out at the speaker as she turned to Delaven.

"Not out of the world of our hearts, Dr. Delaven, and for yourself, you really should not have been born up where the snow falls. You really belong to the South--we need you here."

"Faith, it was only a little encouragement I was needing, Marquise.

I'll ask the Judge to prepare my naturalization papers in the morning."

"Other friends have arrived during your ride, Judithe," and her hostess led her into the sitting room. "Allow me to present our neighbor, Mr. Loring, of the Loringwood you admired so greatly."

"And with such good reason," said Judithe, with gracious bend of her head, and a charming smile. "I have looked forward to meeting you for some time, Mr. Loring, and your estate really appealed to me--it is magnificent. After riding past it I was conscious of coveting my neighbor's goods."

"It is our loss, Madame, that you did ride past," and Loring really made an effort to be cordial and succeeded better than might have been expected. He was peering at her from under the heavy brows very intently, but she was outlined against the flood of light from the window, and it blurred his vision, leaving distinct only the graceful, erect form in its dark riding habit. "Had you entered the gates my niece would have been delighted to entertain you."

"What a generous return for my envy," exclaimed Judithe. "The spirit of hospitality seems ever abroad in your land, Mr. Loring."

He smiled, well pleased, for his pride in his own country, his own state, was very decided. He lifted the forgotten rose from the arm of his chair.

"I will have to depend on our friend, the Judge, to present you fine phrases in return for that pretty speech, Madame; I can only offer a subst.i.tute," and to Evilena's wide-eyed astonishment he actually presented the rose to the Marquise.

"She simply has bewitched him," protested the girl to Delaven, later.

"I never knew him to do so gallant a thing before. I could not have been more surprised if he had proposed marriage to her before us all."

Delaven confessed he, too, was unprepared for so much amiability, but then he admitted he had known men to do more astonishing things than that, on short notice, for a smile from Madame Judithe.

She accepted the rose with a slight exclamation of pleasure.

"You good people will smother me with sweets and perfumes," she protested, touching her cheek with the beautiful flower; then, as she was about to smell it, they were astonished to see it flung from her with a faint cry, followed by a little laugh at the consternation of the party.

"How unpardonable that I discover a worm at the heart of your first friendly offering to me, Mr. Loring;" and her tones were almost caressing as she smiled at him; "the poor, pretty blossom, so lovely, and so helpless in the grasp of its enemy, the worm."

Pluto had entered with a pitcher of water which he placed on the stand. He had witnessed the episode of the rose, and picked it up from where it had been tossed.

"Margeret told me to see if you wanted anything, Mr. Loring," he said, gently, and Mr. Loring's answer was decided, brusque and natural.

"Yes, I do; I want to go to my room; get my stick. Mistress McVeigh, if you have no objection to me breaking up your party, I would like to have Judge Clarkson go along; we must settle these business matters while I am able."

"At your service, sir, with your permission, Madame," and the Judge glanced at Mrs. McVeigh, who telegraphed a most willing consent as she pa.s.sed out on the veranda after Evilena and Delaven. Judithe stood by the little side table, slowly pulling off her gauntlets, when she was aware that the colored man Pluto was regarding her curiously, and she perceived the reason. He had looked into the heart of the rose, and on the floor where it had fallen, and had found no living thing to cause her dread of the blossom.

He dropped his eyes when she looked at him, and just then a bit of conversation came to him as the Judge offered his arm to Loring and a.s.sisted him to rise.

"I certainly am pleased that you feel like looking into the business matters," Clarkson was saying, "and the Rhoda Larue settlement cannot be postponed any longer; Colonel McVeigh may be back any time now, and we must be ready to settle with him."

Loring made some grumbling remark in which "five thousand dollars" was the only distinguishable thing, and then they pa.s.sed out, and Pluto followed, leaving the Marquise alone, staring out of the window with a curious smile; she drew a deep breath of relief as the door closed.

CHAPTER XX.

Mrs. McVeigh entered the sitting room some time after and was astonished to find her still there and alone.

"Why, Judithe, I fancied you had gone to change your habit ages ago, and here you are, plunged in a brown study."

"No--a blue and green one," was the smiling response. "Have you ever observed what a paintable view there is from this point? It would be a gem on canvas; oh, for the talent of our Dumaresque!"

"Your Dumaresque," corrected Mrs. McVeigh. "I never can forgive you, quite, for sending him away; oh, Helene wrote me all about it--and he _was_ such a fine fellow."