第40章

NOTWITHSTANDING the earnest injunction that Maria had given to Mr. Delafield to continue where she left him, until her return, she expressed no surprise at not finding him in the room. The countenance of this young lady exhibited a droll mixture of playful mirth and sadness; she glanced her eyes once around the apartment, and perceiving it was occupied only by her friend, she said, laughing--"Well, Charlotte, when is it to be? I think I retired in very good season.""Perhaps you did, Maria," returned the other, without raising her face from the reflecting attitude in which she stood--"I believe it is all very well.""Well! you little philosopher--I should think it was excellent--that--that is--if I were in your place. Isuspected this from the moment you met."

"What have you suspected, Maria?--what is it you imagine has occurred?""What! why Seymour Delafield has been stammering--then he looked doleful--then he sighed--then he hemmed--then he said you were an angel--nay, you need not look prudish, and affect to deny it; he got as far as that before I left the room--then he turned to see if I were not coming back again to surprise him--then he fell on his knees--then he stretched out his handsome hand--it is too handsome for a man's hand!--and said take it, take me, take my name, and take my three hundred thousand dollars!--Now don't deny a syllable of it till I tell your answer."Charlotte smiled, and taking her work, quietly seated herself at her table before she replied--"You go through Cupid's exercise so dexterously, Maria, one is led to suspect you have seen some service.""Not under such an officer, girl! Ah! Colonel Delafield, or General--no, Field Marshal Delafield, is an officer that might teach"--as Miss Osgood spoke with short interruptions between her epithets, as if in search of proper terms, she dwelt a moment on the last word in such a manner as to give it a particular emphasis--Charlotte started, more perhaps from the manner than the expression, and turning her glowing face towards her friend, she cried involuntarily--"Is it possible that you could have overheard--""What?"

"Nothing--what nonsense!"

"Let me tell you, Miss Prude, it is in such nonsense, however, that the happiness or misery of us poor sports of fortune, called women, in a great measure blooms or fades--now that I call poetical!--but for your answer: first you said--indeed, Mr. Delafield, this is SO unexpected---though you knew well enough what was coming--then you blushed as you did a little while ago, and said I am so young--I--am but poor seventeen--then he swore you were seventy--no, no,--but he said you are old enough to be his ruling star--his destiny--his idol--his object of WORSHIP--ha! I do hit the right epithet now and then. Well--then you said you had parents, as if the poor man did not know that already, and that they must be consulted; and he desired you to ask the whole city--he defied them all to say aught against him--he was regular at church--subscribed to the widow's society, and the assembly; and in short, was called a 'good' young man, even in Wall-street."

"All this is very amusing, Maria--but--"

"It is all very true. Then he was pressing, and you were coy, until finally he extorted your definitive answer, which was--" Maria paused, and seemed to be intensely studying the looks of the other--Miss Henley smiled as she turned her placid, ingenuous features to her gaze, and continued the conversation by repeating, "Which was?""NO; irretrievable--unanswerable--unalterable NO.""I have not authorized you to suspect any part of this rhapsody to be true--I have not said you were right in a single particular.""Excuse me, Miss Henley, you have said all, and Seymour Delafield told me the same as we passed each other at the street door.""Is it possible!"

"It could not be otherwise. His mouth was shut, it is true, and his tongue might have been in his pocket, for any thing I know: but his eyes and his head, his walk, and even his nose were downcast, and spoke mortification. On the other hand, your little body looks an inch higher, your eyes look resolute, as much as to say, 'Avaunt, false one!

your whole appearance is that of determined denial, mingled--""Mingled with what, trifler?"

"Mingled with a little secret, woman's pride, that you have had an opportunity of showing your absolute character.""You know these feelings from experience, do you?""No child, my very nature is charity; if the request had been made to me, I should have sent the desponding youth to my father, and if he refused, to my mother--""And if she refused?"

"Why then I should have said, two negatives make an affirmative."Charlotte laughed, and in this manner the serious explanation which, between friends so intimate might have been expected, was avoided. Maria, at the same time, that she fell and manifested a deep interest in the TETE-A-TETE that she had promoted, always avoided any thing like a grave explanation, and we have failed in giving the desired view of the character of Miss Henley, if our readers deem it probable that she would ever touch on the subject voluntarily.

The winter passed by in the ordinary manner in which other winters pass in this climate, being a mixture of mild, delightful days, clear sky, and invigorating sun, and of intense, cold, raw winds, and snow storms. The two latter seemed to try the constitution of poor George Morton to the utmost.