Volume I Part 7 (1/2)
L. E. L.
Mrs. de Burgh's expedition the preceding day did not prove without its fruits. For the next few days, several idle young men of the neighbourhood, who had nothing better to do, came dropping in to dine or stay a night or so at Silverton.
Mr. de Burgh received these guests with much courtesy and kindness; though apparently regarding them as the visitors of his wife, he left them almost entirely to her entertainment, and went about his private occupation as usual with a scientific friend of his own, who arrived at this time.
As for Mary, although obliged, considering that this gathering had been formed chiefly on her account, to show her sense of the attention by making herself as agreeable as possible, yet before long she began to feel her exertions in that respect a weariness, rather than a pleasurable excitement; and that her powers were not equal when placed in compet.i.tion with the light and careless spirits around her. Indeed, so gladly would she hail the intervals which set her at liberty, to read, or think, or dream, free from such demands, that she began to suspect very soon that her thirstings after society would easily be satisfied, and that Mr. Temple need not have been alarmed lest she should be too much ensnared by its fascinations; in short, that she was not so sociably inclined in a general way to the degree for which she had given herself credit.
One morning, Mary made her escape about an hour before luncheon from the gay party by whom, since breakfast, she had been surrounded; and seated herself, with a new book of poetry, at the open window of a room leading into a little garden, the luscious perfume of whose flowers were wafted sweetly upon her senses; shaded by the light drapery of the muslin curtains, the sound of laughing, talking, billiard-b.a.l.l.s falling at an undisturbing distance from her ear--
”Oh, close your eyes and strive to see The studious maid with book on knee!”
Mary had not long luxuriated in this enjoyment, when a footstep sounded on the gra.s.s without, and a dark shadow obscured the bright light upon her page. Lifting up her eyes, she saw Eugene Trevor standing before her.
He smiled at her start of surprise, and apologised for the abrupt intrusion. He had expected, he stated, to have found her and his cousin Olivia in this, Mrs. de Burgh's usual morning-room; and then Mary--the bright glow with which, although not naturally nervous, this sudden apparition had coloured her cheek, fading gradually away--told him how Mrs. de Burgh was engaged in the adjoining room.
”And you have deserted her?” he said, taking up the book she had laid down and examining its contents with the greatest apparent interest, though he only smiled when she asked him if he were fond of poetry, smiled--and answered, looking into her face, ”Some kind,” and replaced the volume; then resting against the window-sill, they conversed on other subjects, and were still thus engaged when luncheon was announced.
Eugene Trevor stayed at Silverton that day and part of the next: when all the rest of the party took their departure, with the exception of Mr. de Burgh's own particular friend.
But, somehow or other, Mary had by this time begun to change her mind, and to think--that after all she might be rather fond of society.
One circ.u.mstance a little surprised and puzzled her, before she had been very long at Silverton.
One day, when speaking of Wales, she carelessly mentioned Mr. Temple's name, and alluded to the college acquaintance that gentleman had professed to have once subsisted between himself and Mr. de Burgh. But Mr. de Burgh remembered no person of that name, answering to the slight description she attempted to give--could not the least recall him to his recollection, and as Mrs. de Burgh and Eugene Trevor, who happened to be present, did not seem able to a.s.sist his memory in that respect--though Mary also remembered Mr. Temple to have claimed acquaintance with Mrs.
de Burgh's family, she did not press the point; a certain conscious embarra.s.sment a.s.sociated with the object of discussion preventing her from entering into further particulars, though she thought the circ.u.mstance rather strange and unaccountable.
Her aunt and uncle mentioned in their first letter that Mr. Temple had called to see them, and had seemed much interested to hear of her safe arrival at Silverton; but those relatives did not remain in Wales more than a week or two after her own departure, therefore with them, intelligence regarding that most remarkable--and to her, now peculiarly interesting--person must cease, at least for the time being, she having no other correspondents at present in the neighbourhood.
Beyond such occasional gatherings as the one just described, there was very little of what could be strictly called company, during the ensuing month--July--at Silverton; and Mary sometimes smiled to think of the exaggerated idea Mr. Temple seemed to have formed, concerning the dangers to which she might be exposed in the evil world she was about to encounter. Yet how did Mary know whether the weapon of danger he most deprecated on her account, might not even then be hanging singly over her head, rendered only still more perilous by the absence of other exciting and diverting circ.u.mstances.
We said there was not much actual company at Silverton; but besides an intimate friend or two of Mr. de Burgh's, Eugene Trevor often made his appearance to luncheon, or to dine and spend a night, so that it became at last quite a habit of Mrs. de Burgh's to say in the morning, if they had lost sight of him for many days together:
”I wonder if Eugene Trevor will turn up to-day!”
And often did Mary find herself seated near her chamber window, her eye directed with feelings very far removed from those uneasy thoughts, which had arisen in her mind the first evening she had there taken up her position--her eyes directed across the park, along which perchance the sound of carriage wheels, having previously reached her ears, she might soon behold Eugene Trevor's well-appointed turn-out, with the fine blood horse, urged by its impatient master, advancing at a flying pace towards the house; and then with what ingenuous pleasure would Mary hasten to make her prettiest toilette, now that there was one who, she could not but flatter herself, would be far from indifferent to its effect. Mr. de Burgh, though there might have appeared to be no particular cordiality existing between him and his wife's cousin, never by word or manner testified any distaste to the frequency of these visits, indeed seemed to concern himself very little on the subject.
At length, however, he did say one day, on Mrs. de Burgh remarking Eugene's absence to have been a somewhat longer one than usual: ”Well!
what of that? It would really seem as if it was impossible to exist a day without Eugene Trevor. Are _you_ so very fond of this wonderful Eugene, Mary?”
Poor Mary! this direct question took her quite by surprise, and she was unable immediately to reply.
Mrs. de Burgh came to her rescue. ”Oh, never mind him, Mary,” she said; ”he only abuses Eugene Trevor because he is my relation, and objects to his coming here because he knows he is the only person I care for at all, excepting you Mary, who has entered the house this summer, whilst these tiresome scientific friends of his infest the place continually.”
”Well, at any rate I am very glad,” Mary was able now to say with a quiet smile, mingled perhaps with a little inward _pique_ towards her cousin, ”that you do not turn the tables upon Louis by objecting to _his_ relations.”
”Ah, Mary!” said Mr. de Burgh with his most amiable smile, ”are you too taking up the cudgels against me? but I was not aware that I did abuse or object to any one.”