Part 13 (1/2)

”Poor man; he doesn't look very nice, certainly; but if that's all I'll get you out of the sc.r.a.pe without running away.” Then Mr. Griggs came up, and, with a very low bow, struck out the point of his elbow towards Rachel, expecting her immediately to put her hand within it.

”I'm afraid, sir, you must excuse Miss Ray just at present. She's too tired to dance immediately.”

Mr. Griggs looked at his card, then looked at Rachel, then looked at Mrs. Cornbury, and stood twiddling the bunch of little gilt playthings that hung from his chain. ”That is too hard,” said he; ”deuced hard.”

”I'm very sorry,” said Rachel.

”So shall I be,--uncommon. Really, Mrs. Cornbury, I think a turn or two would do her good. Don't you?”

”I can't say I do. She says she would rather not, and of course you won't press her.”

”I don't see it in that light,--I really don't. A gentleman has his rights you know, Mrs. Cornbury. Miss Ray won't deny--”

”Miss Ray will deny that she intends to stand up for this dance. And one of the rights of a gentleman is to take a lady at her word.”

”Really, Mrs. Cornbury, you are down upon one so hard.”

”Rachel,” said she, ”would you mind coming across the room with me?

There are seats on the sofa on the other side.” Then Mrs. Cornbury sailed across the floor, and Rachel crept after her more dismayed than ever. Mr. Griggs the while stood transfixed to his place, stroking his mustaches with his hand, and showing plainly by his countenance that he didn't know what he ought to do next. ”Well, that's cool,” said he; ”confounded cool!”

”Anything wrong, Griggs, my boy?” said a bank clerk, slapping him on the back.

”I call it very wrong; very wrong, indeed,” said Griggs; ”but people do give themselves such airs! Miss Cherry, may I have the honour of waltzing with you?”

”Certainly not,” said Cherry, who was pa.s.sing by. Then Mr. Griggs made his way back to the door.

Rachel felt that things were going wrong with her. It had so happened that she had parted on bad terms with three gentlemen. She had offended Mr. Cornbury and Mr. Griggs, and had done her best to make Mr. Rowan understand that he had offended her! She conceived that all the room would know of it, and that Mrs. Cornbury would become ashamed of her. That Mrs. Tappitt was already very angry with her she was quite sure. She wished she had not come to the ball, and began to think that perhaps her sister might be right. It almost seemed to herself that she had not known how to behave herself. For a short time she had been happy,--very happy; but she feared that she had in some way committed herself during the moments of her happiness.

”I hope you are not angry with me,” she said, ”about Mr. Griggs?”

appealing to her friend in a plaintive voice.

”Angry!--oh dear, no. Why should I be angry with you? I should be angry with that man, only I'm a person that never gets angry with anybody. You were quite right not to dance with him. Never be made to dance with any man you don't like; and remember that a young lady should always have her own way in a ball-room. She doesn't get much of it anywhere else; does she, my dear? And now I'll go whenever you like it, but I'm not the least in a hurry. You're the young lady, and you're to have your own way. If you're quite in earnest, I'll get some one to order the carriage.”--Rachel said that she was quite in earnest, and then Walter was called. ”So you're going, are you?”

said he. ”Miss Ray has ill-treated me so dreadfully that I can't express my regret.” ”Ill-treated you, too, has she? Upon my word, my dear, you've shown yourself quite great upon the occasion. When I was a girl, there was nothing I liked so much as offending all my partners.” But Rachel was red with dismay, and wretched that such an accusation should be made against her. ”Oh, Mrs. Cornbury, I didn't mean to offend him! I'll explain it all in the carriage. What will you think of me?” ”Think, my dear?--why, I shall think that you are going to turn all the young men's heads in Baslehurst. But I shall hear all about it from Walter to-morrow. He tells me of all his loves and all his disappointments.”

While the carriage was being brought round, Rachel kept close to her chaperon; but every now and again her eyes, in spite of herself, would wander away to Mr. Rowan. Was he in any way affected by her leaving him, or was it all a joke to him? He was dancing now with Cherry Tappitt, and Rachel was sure that all of it was a joke.

But it was a cruel joke,--cruel because it exposed her to so much ill-natured remark. With him she would quarrel,--quarrel really.

She would let him know that he should not call her by her Christian name just when it suited him to do so, and then take himself off to play with others in the same way. She would tell Cherry, and make Cherry understand that all walks and visiting and friendly intercommunications must be abandoned because this young man would take advantage of her position to annoy her! He should be made to understand that she was not in his power! Then, as she thought of this, she caught his eye as he made a sudden stop in the dance close to her, and all her hard thoughts died away. Ah, dear, what was it that she wanted of him?

At that moment they got up to go away. Such a person as Mrs. Butler Cornbury could not, of course, escape without a parade of adieux. Mr.

Tappitt was searched up from the little room in which the card-party held their meeting in order that he might hand the guest that had honoured him down to her carriage; and Mrs. Tappitt fluttered about, profuse in her acknowledgments for the favour done to them. ”And we do so hope Mr. Cornbury will be successful,” she said, as she bade her last farewell. This was spoken close to Mr. Tappitt's ear; and Mrs. Cornbury flattered herself that after that Mr. Tappitt's vote would be secure. Mr. Tappitt said nothing about his vote, but handed the lady down stairs in solemn silence.

The Tappitt girls came and cl.u.s.tered about Rachel as she was going.

”I can't conceive why you are off so early,” said Martha. ”No, indeed,” said Mrs. Tappitt; ”only of course it would be very wrong to keep Mrs. Cornbury waiting when she has been so excessively kind to you.” ”The naughty girl! It isn't that at all,” said Cherry. ”It's she that is hurrying Mrs. Cornbury away.” ”Good night,” said Augusta very coldly. ”And Rachel,” said Cherry, ”mind you come up to-morrow and talk it all over; we shall have so much to say.” Then Rachel turned to go, and found Luke Rowan at her elbow waiting to take her down. She had no alternative;--she must take his arm; and thus they walked down stairs into the hall together.

”You'll come up here to-morrow,” said he.

”No, no; tell Cherry that I shall not come.”

”Then I shall go to Bragg's End. Will your mother let me call?”