Part 31 (2/2)
”Gertrude coaxed him to stop over and settle something about selling Loringwood. She's just grieving over the wreck and ruin there, and Mr.
Loring never will be able to manage it again. They've been offered a lot of money for it by some Orleans people, and Gertrude wants it settled. Aunt Sajane is going to stay until they all come to the Pines.”
”If Judge Clarkson should be going to Savannah you could send your maid in his charge, since she is determined to leave us,” suggested Mrs. McVeigh.
”She would, no doubt, be delighted to go under such escort,” said Judithe, ”but her arrangements are made to start early in the morning; it is not likely your friend would be leaving so soon. Then, mademoiselle has said she is not sure but that it is to some other place he goes.”
”Columbia?--yes; and more than likely it _is_ Columbia,” a.s.sented Mrs.
McVeigh. ”He is there a great deal during these troublous times.”
A slight sigh accompanied the words, and Judithe noticed, as she had done often before, the lack of complaint or bewailings of the disasters so appalling to the South, for even the victories were so dearly bought. There was an intense eagerness for news from the front, and when it was read, the tears were silent ones. The women smiled bravely and were sure of victory in the end. Their faith in their men was adorable.
Evilena undertook to show the Marquise around the Terrace, eagerly anxious to become better acquainted with the stranger whose beauty had won her quite as quickly as it had won her brother. Looking at her, and listening to the soft tones with the delicious accent of France, she wondered if Ken had ever really dared to fall in love with this star from a foreign sky, or if Dr. Delaven had only been teasing her.
Of course one could not help the loving; but brave as she believed Ken to be, she wondered if he had ever dared even whisper of it to Judithe, Marquise de Caron; for she refused to think of her as simply Madame Caron even though she did have to say it. The courtesy shown to her own democratic country by the disclaiming of t.i.tles was altogether thrown away on Evilena, and she comforted herself by whispering softly the given name _Zhu-dette--Zhudette_, delighted to find that the French could make of the stately name a musical one as well.
Raquel came breathlessly to them on the lawn with the information that ”Mistress McVeigh ast them to please come in de house right off case that maid lady, Miss Weesa, she done slip on stairs an' hurt her foot powerful.”
”Thanks, yes; I will come at once,” said Miss Weesa's mistress in so clear and even a tone that Evilena, who was startled at the news, was oppressed by a sudden fear that all the warmth in the nature of her fascinating Marquise was centered in the luminous golden brown eyes.
As Judithe followed the servant into the house there came a swift remembrance of those lamentable presentiments. Was there, after all, something in the blood akin to the prescience through which birds and wild things scent the coming storms?--some atavism outgrown by the people of intellectual advancement, but yet a power to the children of the near sun?
Miss Louisa's foot certainly was hurt; it had been twisted by a fall on the stairs, and the ankle refused to bear the weight; the attempt to step on it caused her such agony that she had called for help, and the entire household had responded.
It was Pluto who reached her first, lifting her in his arms and carrying her to a bed. She had almost fainted from pain or fright, and when she opened her eyes again it was to meet those of her mistress in one wild appeal. Pluto had not moved after placing her on the bed, though the other darkies had retired into the hall, and Judithe's first impression of the scene was the huge black eyes fairly devouring the girl's face with his curious gaze. He stepped back as Mrs. McVeigh entered with camphor and bandages, but he saw that pleading, frightened glance.
”Never mind, Louise, it will all be well,” said her mistress, soothingly; ”this has happened before,” she added, turning to Mrs.
McVeigh. ”It needs stout bandages and perfect rest; in a week it will be forgotten.”
”A week!”--moaned the girl with pale lips, ”but tomorrow--I _must_ go tomorrow!”
”Patience, patience! You shall so soon as you are able, Louise, and the less you fret the sooner that may be.”
Judithe herself knelt by the bed and removed tenderly the coquettish shoe of soft kid, and, to the horror of the a.s.sembled maids at the door, deliberately cut off the silk stocking, over which their wonder had been aroused when the short skirts of Louise had made visible those superfine articles. The pieces of stocking, needless to say, were captured as souvenirs and for many a day shown to the scoffers of neighboring plantations, who doubted the wild tales of luxury ascribed to the foreign magnate whose servants were even dressed like sure enough ladies.
”We must bandage it to keep down the swelling,” said Judithe, working deftly as she spoke; ”it happened once in New Orleans--this, and though painful, is not really serious, but she is so eager to commence the refurnis.h.i.+ng of the yacht that she laments even a day's delay.”
Louise did not speak again--only showed by a look her comprehension of the statement, and bore patiently the binding of the ankle.
It was three days before she could move about the room with help of a cane, and during those days of feverish anxiety her mistress had an opportunity to observe the very pointed and musical interest Pluto showed in the invalid whose language he could not speak. He was seldom out of hearing or her call and was plainly disturbed when word came from Loringwood that the folks would all be over in a few days.
He even ventured to ask Evilena if Mr. Loring's eyesight hadn't failed some since his long sickness, and was well satisfied, apparently, by an affirmative reply. He even went so far as to give Louise a slight warning, which she repeated to her mistress one day after the Judge and Delaven had called, and Louise had promptly gone to bed and to sleep, professing herself too well now for a doctor's attention.
”Pluto is either trying to lay a trap for me to see if I do know English, or else he is better informed than we guess--which it is, I cannot say, Marquise,” she confided, nervously. ”When he heard his mistress say I was to start Thursday, he watched his chance and whispered: 'Go Wednesday--don't wait till visitors come, go Wednesday.'”
”Visitors?--then he means the Lorings, they are to be here Thursday,”
and Judithe closed the book she had been reading, and looked thoughtfully out of the window. Louise was moving about the room with the aid of a cane, glancing at her mistress now and then and waiting to hear her opinion.
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