Part 24 (1/2)
”I can't help it, my dear; because you and I were foolish is no reason we should let her be,” replied her mother. ”I have no objections to her going to the little 'Germans' given by girls of her age; but regular b.a.l.l.s and parties I can't allow.”
But Marion was not at all disturbed about the party question; she was enjoying her vacation to the utmost. At first she missed Florence very much. She had been out to see her once or twice. The first time she saw her alone for a few moments, and thanked her warmly for her photograph, receiving Florence's thanks in return for her present of a lovely locket, and promising to have her own picture taken to put in it.
”Marion,” said Mrs. Berkley one day, ”don't you intend to invite Florence and Miss Drayton in here to spend the night?”
”I don't think Rachel would come, if I asked her, mamma. You know we are pretty gay now that Mr. Thornton is here.”
”But you need not ask any one else, and I don't believe she would mind him;--he seems like one of the family.”
”I don't think she would come, mamma.”
”Very well, my dear, you know best;” and Mrs. Berkley did not again refer to the subject. She felt instinctively that Marion did not entertain the same friends.h.i.+p for Rachel that Florence did; but she said nothing about it, never wis.h.i.+ng to force herself into her daughter's confidence, knowing well enough that, if she waited, that confidence would come of its own accord.
Everything must come to an end at last, and so did those Christmas holidays, and Marion went back to school, and Fred and Mr. Thornton to college; the latter young gentleman, if we might judge from a little sc.r.a.p of conversation he had with his chum on his return, not quite heart-whole.
”You see, Sam, I went home with Berkley more to please him than myself.
To be sure I knew I should have a stupid time loafing round here, and I had no idea of going home; for the house is all shut up while the old gentleman and mother are in Europe. So I thought, as Berk really seemed to want me, I'd go, and I tell you I never had a jollier time in my life;” and Arthur Thornton watched the wreaths of smoke as they curled about his head, quite lost in recollections of the past two weeks.
”What did you do?” asked his companion, knocking the ashes out of his pipe.
”Oh! went to the theatre, museum, concerts,--everything! Stayed at home once or twice, and had a 'candy-sc.r.a.pe.' It's the best place in the world to visit, and the most delightful family.”
”All of whom unite, I suppose, in wors.h.i.+pping Master Freddy.”
”Not by a long shot!” replied Arthur Thornton, energetically; ”_he_ unites with the rest of the family in wors.h.i.+pping at quite another shrine.”
”And that is--”
”His sister Marion; the most perfectly bewitching girl I ever saw in my life!”
”Arty, my boy, has it come to that?” solemnly asked his companion, as he removed his pipe from his mouth, and looked at his friend with a face expressive of the deepest dejection; ”do you mean to say that you've surrendered, and gone over to the enemy?”
”I haven't gone over at all; but she certainly is the best specimen of a girl I ever saw! None of your sentimental, simpering kind! I just wish you'd seen her when I tried to make a pretty speech to her; didn't she toss her head up, and flash those eyes at me? By Jove! I never felt so small in my life!”
”If she has the power of producing that effect upon you, she must be something fearful,” replied his friend, coolly surveying the six feet of human frame which lay stretched on the sofa before him. ”She flashes her eyes, does she?”
”Doesn't she? and such eyes!--great, dark-brown eyes with long black lashes; and such hair!--golden hair! Do you hear? golden hair and dark eyes, and--”
”My dear fellow,” replied Sam, languidly waving his hand before him, ”forbear! I entreat you to forbear; half of that description is enough to do away with the quieting influences of this pipe; if you should continue, I don't know what would become of me, to say nothing of yourself. I see that you are lost to me forever. Farewell, my once loved, never-to-be-forgotten friend; I see that you are--in for it.”
”Don't be a fool, Sam, and just wait till you've seen her yourself.”
”Until that blissful time arrives,” replied his friend, rising to leave the room, ”I will occupy all my spare hours in hunting up an armor that will be proof against the 'flashes' of those eyes.”
”You're an old idiot!” shouted Arthur; but Sam had dodged back, and slammed the door, just in time to escape being hit by a boot-jack, which his friend threw at him.
To tell the truth, Mr. Thornton was just the least bit in the world touched. Marion had done her best to entertain her brother's friend, and indeed that was not a very severe task, when the individual in question was a handsome young fellow, intelligent and agreeable, and not possessing quite the usual amount of conceit that young men of his age are troubled with. In fact, she succeeded so well in making herself agreeable to him, that Fred told his mother in confidence, that ”it was easy enough to see Thornton was dead smashed with Mab, and 'twouldn't be a bad thing for her if she should fancy him, for he was a 'regular brick,' and hadn't he got the rocks!”