Part 34 (1/2)
”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 fas.h.i.+on, 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.”