Part 16 (2/2)
Boy led me down to the others, but dinner was nearly over before I felt at ease. I'm not used to having at my back a statuesque servant--though this one was not too statuesque to be surprised by my appearance almost out of decorum. And I couldn't help knowing that every one wanted to look at me all the time, which was delicious, but embarra.s.sing. I blushed and gave stupid answers when addressed, and even feared that I might show myself at fault in the etiquette of a city table. It was strange to have forks in so many cases where I've always used spoons. And, though of course I knew what the finger bowls were, I wasn't quite sure how to use them.
No one was more puzzled by my appearance than Uncle Timothy himself. As he looked at me--and this he did through most of the meal--certain long gray hairs in his eyebrows seemed to wave up and down, as I had often noticed with the frightened curiosity of a child, like the questioning antennae of an insect.
”And what is the school work now?” he asked when the dessert came. ”The last time I had the very real pleasure of seeing you, it was--perhaps animalculae?”
”The cell,” I replied, relieved at the introduction of a topic that I could talk about, ”and the cell wall. Protoplasmic movements, you know, and unicellular plants and animals. I'd been making sketches that day of the common amoeba of standing water.”
”I am not familiar with the--ah--with the amoeba; but doubtless its habits are interesting. And when do the school days end? A young lady looks forward with pleasure, I fancy, to release from--”
”Is the amoeba a--some horrid bug, I suppose?” interrupted Aunt Frank; ”and you--er--do things to it in that laboratory? How can you? The very thought of such a place! It makes me s.h.i.+ver!”
”Oh, but you should see it, so clean and bright; the laboratory's simply beautiful!”
”But this is your first winter in the city, and you ought to be enjoying concerts and theatres, meeting people, seeing things.”
”Oh, I only keep such hours as I elect, being a post graduate; and I've been to several theatres,” I said; ”Kitty and I get seats in the top gallery.”
”The--the top gallery?”
”At matinees,” I hastily explained, ”and not--not lately.”
And then I felt more confused than ever, for Mr. Hynes was watching me.
John was looking at me, too, with that great light in his face that had been there ever since my arrival, when he first saw the opal gleaming on my finger; and I--oh, how could I have hinted that I don't dare go where so many people might look at me? But it's the truth. And though the truth may be inconvenient, it's wonderfully sweet!
After dinner we pa.s.sed into the big drawing room behind the hall. Joy did some clumsy little dances in her short white frock--she is really too chubby to caper nimbly--and Ethel and Milly played and sang neither well nor ill.
I think they were more afraid of me than I had been of the servants at dinner. They are not very pretty, with their light, wavy hair and pale flower faces, though I'm afraid I set my standard too high now--now that I know what is possible.
I went to the piano myself afterwards and played. Played! It was terrible!
Never would I have believed that I could make such a mess of it. I didn't sing until they began trying carols. I didn't mean to do so then, but I chimed in before I thought, when they sang:--
He set a star up in the sky Full broad and bright and fair.
”That song was taken from the Ormulum,” said the Judge; ”a poem of the thirteenth century--”
”Nelly! Was that you?” cried Aunt Frank, interrupting.
The music of the new, fresh, vibrant voice had thrilled them all--all except the unconscious Judge--and there they sat, spellbound. But as they shook off the witchery, there was all at once a babble of voices, and before I quite knew what had happened, I was at the piano again, singing ”The King in Thule:”
There was a king in Thule True even to the grave To whom his mistress, dying, A golden goblet gave.
Perhaps it wasn't very appropriate to Christmas, but Cadge had drilled me upon it. In the middle of the first stanza I happened to glance up, and noticed that Mr. Hynes was again looking at me with an absorbed, indrawing gaze, colouring with amazed pleasure. It woke in me a flutter of consternation and delight, for he has the sensitive face of a musician; but my presence of mind was gone, and for one horrible instant I thought I was going to break down, and just sat there, gasping and blus.h.i.+ng. My heart sank and my voice dwindled to a quavering, unfamiliar whisper. I couldn't remember the words; but then I seized hold of my courage and sang and sang and sang, better than I had ever done before.
I didn't look up again until I had finished; then somehow I got away from the piano, and shyly slipped into a chair near Miss Baker. Of course there was a clamour that I should sing again, but I couldn't. The flaming of my cheeks made me ashamed.
Perhaps some time I shall learn the city way of not seeming to care very much about anything.
Aunt must have had it at her tongue's end all the evening to invite me to come to her; and when she was bidding me good-night she could wait no longer.
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