Part 5 (2/2)
Then I knew that she had heard of the broken engagement. The sense of the village gossip, the idea of being talked over at the sewing-circle, came to me so vividly and so dreadfully that for a moment I could hardly get my breath. Then I remembered the sweetness of Miss Charlotte's act, and I went to her and kissed her. The poor old dear had tears in her eyes, but she said nothing. She understood, I am sure, that I could not talk, but that I had seen what she meant me to see, her sympathy and her love. We sat down before the fire in the gathering dusk, and talked of indifferent things. She praised Peter's beauty, although the ungrateful Peter refused to stay in her lap, and would not be gracious under her caresses. She did not remain long, and she was gay after her fas.h.i.+on.
Miss Charlotte is apt to cover real feeling with a decent veil of facetiousness.
”Now I must go home and get my party ready,” she said, rising with characteristic suddenness.
”Are you going to have a party?” I asked in some surprise.
”I have one every night, my dear,” she returned, with her explosive laugh. ”All the Kendall ghosts come. It isn't very gay, but it's very select.”
She hurried away, and left me more touched than I should have wished her to see.
February 2. It was well for me that Miss Charlotte's visit prepared me last night, for to-day Kathie broke in upon me with the most childish frankness.
”Miss Ruth,” she burst out, ”ain't you going to marry George Weston?”
”No, my dear,” I answered; ”but you mustn't say 'ain't.'”
”'Aren't,' then. But I thought you promised years and years ago.”
”Kathie, dear,” said I, ”this isn't a thing that you may talk about. You are too young to understand, and it is vulgar to talk to people about their private affairs unless they begin.”
”But it's no wronger than”--
”There's no such word as 'wronger,' Kathie.”
”No worse than to break one's word, is it?”
”When two persons make an agreement they have a right to unmake it if they change their minds; and that is not breaking their word. How do the skates work?”
”All right,” Kathie answered; ”but father said that you and George Weston”--
”Kathie,” I said as firmly as I could, ”I have told you before that you must not repeat what your father says.”
”It isn't wrong,” she returned rather defiantly.
I was surprised at her manner, but I suppose that she is always fighting with her conscience about right and wrong, so the mere idea makes her aggressive.
”I am not so sure,” I told her, trying to turn the whole matter off with a laugh. ”I don't think it's very moral to be ill bred. Do you?”
”Why, Father says manners don't matter if the heart is right.”
”This is only another way of saying that if the heart is right the manners will be right. If you in your heart consider whether your father would wish you to tell me what he did not say for my ears, you will not be likely to say it.”
<script>