Part 17 (2/2)
”Will you lend me that five-pound note?”
Again Emmie hesitated and looked vexed. ”I had laid it all out already in my mind,” she replied. ”It is to give pleasure to so many poor children at Christmas.”
”Christmas! why, you shall have it back long before Christmas,” cried Vibert; and he held out his hand for the note. But Emmie retained it still in her clasp. She was doubtful as to the use which the young prodigal might make of the money, and whether it might not be rather an injury than a kindness to Vibert to replenish his empty purse.
The youth read the doubt on the maiden's expressive face, and it made him indignant and angry.
”Emmie, can you not trust me?” exclaimed Vibert in an irritable tone; and, as no answer immediately came, he pa.s.sionately repeated the question.
”Oh for courage to speak the truth faithfully!” thought Emmie; but the courage came not with the wish. Her lips formed a scarcely articulate ”yes;” and having said ”yes” to her brother's question, she could hardly say ”no” to his demand for a loan.
Vibert rather took than received the bank-note from Emmie; he saw that his sister was reluctant to give it, but he thought that a kiss, and the a.s.surance that she was ”the dearest girl in the world,” had set all right between them.
”Of course the money is as safe with me as if it were in the Bank of England!” cried Vibert; ”you shall have it back in a week;” and nodding good-bye to Emmie, Vibert quitted the drawing-room, and was soon on his way to S----.
Emmie watched from the window the light and graceful form of her brother, as he tramped over the new-fallen snow, leaving brown footprints behind him. The poor girl's eyes were full of tears, and her heart of self-reproach.
”I have been no true friend to my thoughtless young brother,” said Emmie to herself; ”it was mere selfish cowardice which made me yield to his wishes, and put in his hands money of which I fear that he will make no good use.”
The maiden left the window, but not to resume her employment; all her pleasure in it was gone: she had sacrificed her means of doing good to her fear of offending her brother. Emmie knelt down on the hearth-rug and hastily gathered up her sc.r.a.ps of ribbons, chintz, and silk, tossing them back into the basket, as trash to be thrust out of sight, or thrown away as useless. The cares which pressed on Emmie's mind were not now to be banished by thoughts of Christmas amus.e.m.e.nts, and the hope of imparting innocent pleasure to the children of her father's tenants.
On the afternoon of that day, Miss Trevor took possession of that apartment which, by means of thorough repairs, had been prepared for her reception. It was s.p.a.cious enough to receive all the furniture which had been originally placed in the room now occupied by Bruce. Amongst other articles, the tall press of richly-carved oak occupied a conspicuous place; it had been moved with some difficulty from the position which it had held for two centuries, and now added to the stateliness, though not perhaps to the cheerfulness, of Miss Trevor's apartment.
CHAPTER XIX.
THE ECLIPSE.
The demeanour of Mr. Trevor's two sons, when they met at the dinner-table on that evening, was in strong contrast to each other.
Bruce looked grave and stern, and had the appearance of one who is pale and weary from too close attention to study. Vibert, on the contrary, was in the highest spirits.
”Bruce, you look as the moon will look to-night under an eclipse!” cried Vibert; ”you mean to tack to your name M.A. or D.L. or A.S.S., or some other mystical letters of the alphabet, and the shadow of coming distinction is falling on you already!”
”Is this the night of the eclipse?” asked Emmie, interposing, as was her wont, some indifferent remark to prevent any interchange of bitter words between her brothers.
”Yes; had you forgotten it?” said Vibert. ”It is to be an almost total eclipse. We can hardly see it from any window in the house, the place is so smothered with trees; but there is a spot on the lawn from which we can get a very good view.”
”I wish that we had a telescope here,” observed Mr. Trevor.
”That's just what I said to my friend Standish,” cried Vibert; ”for, as you know, I'm desperately eager in pursuit of scientific knowledge.
'I'll lend you mine,' said the colonel; 'it has prodigious magnifying power. It was my travelling companion when I journeyed northward, in a sledge, with only an Eskimo guide, and reached the high lat.i.tude of'--I really don't remember the lat.i.tude that Standish mentioned, but it was something that would make our Arctic explorers stare.”
”Perhaps it was degree one hundred and one,” said Bruce sarcastically.
”I suspect that the colonel's telescope is not with him the only instrument that has high magnifying power.”
”You are always sneering at Standish,” cried Vibert angrily; ”you give him credit for nothing, simply, I believe, because he has chosen me for his friend. But others appreciate him better,” continued the youth, addressing his conversation to Emmie. ”Standish had grand news to-day from Was.h.i.+ngton; he has only been waiting at S---- till he should know how his suit in America has prospered.”
”A law-suit?” inquired Mr. Trevor.
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