Volume Ii Part 6 (1/2)

”Miss Essie,” said Mr. Linden, walking gravely up to her, ”if there is any person in this room towards whom you entertain and practise malicious, mischievous, and underhand designs, you are hereby sentenced to indicate the person, declare the designs, and to 'shew cause.'”

”Why I never did in my life!” said Miss Essie, with a mixture of surprise and amus.e.m.e.nt in her gracious black eyes.

”The court is obliged to refuse an unsupported negative,” said Mr.

Linden bowing.

”Well,” said Miss Essie, with no diminis.h.i.+ng of the l.u.s.tre of her black orbs,--”I had a design against you, sir!”

”Of what sort?” said Mr. Linden with intense gravity, while everybody else laughed in proportion.

”I had a design to enter your mind by private fraud, and steal away its secrets;--and the reason was, because the door was so terribly strong and had such an uncommon good lock! and I couldn't get in any other way.”

”I hope that is news to the rest of the company,” said Mr. Linden laughing as he bowed his acknowledgments. ”It is none to me! Miss Essie, may your shadow never be less!”--

”Aint you ashamed!” said Miss Essie reproachfully. ”Didn't such a confession deserve better? Who's next, Mr. Harrison?”

Some unimportant names followed, with commonplace forfeits according; then Faith's name came to Mr. Linden. Then was there an opening of eyes and a p.r.i.c.king of ears of all the rest of the company. Only Faith herself sat as still as a mouse, after one little quick glance over to where the person stood in whose hands she was. He stood looking at her,--then walked with great deliberation across the room to her low seat, and taking both her hands lifted her up.

”You need not be frightened,” he said softly, as keeping one hand in his clasp he led her back to where he had been standing; then placed her in a great downy easy chair in that corner of the fireplace, and drew up a footstool for her feet.

”Miss Faith,” he said, ”you are to sit there in absolute silence for the next fifteen minutes. If anybody speaks to you, you are not to answer,--if you are longing to speak yourself you must wait. It is also required that you look at n.o.body, and hear as little as possible.” With which fierce sentence, Mr. Linden took his stand by the chair to see it enforced.

”What a man you are!” said Mrs. Stoutenburgh laughing.

”That's not fair play!” said Mrs. Somers. ”She don't want to sit there--if you think she does, you're mistaken.”

”She should have been more careful then,” said Mr. Linden. ”Dr.

Harrison, you have the floor.”

Dr. Harrison did not appear to think that was much of a possession;--to judge by his face, which cast several very observant glances towards the chair, and by his manner which for a moment was slightly abstracted and dest.i.tute of the spirit of the game. Miss Essie's eyes took the same direction, with a steady gaze which the picture justified. Faith sat where she had been placed, in most absolute obedience to the orders she had received,--except possibly--not probably--the last one. The lids drooped over her eyes, which moved rarely from the floor, and never raised themselves. Her colour had risen indeed to a rich tint, where it stayed; but Mrs. Somers' declaration nevertheless was hardly borne out by a certain little bit-in smile which lurked there too, spite of everything. Otherwise she sat like an impersonation of silence, happily screened, by not looking at anybody, from any annoyance of the eyes that were levelled at her and at the figure that held post by her side.

”Mrs. Stoutenburgh,” said the doctor, ”you have my aunt Ellen.”

Mrs. Stoutenburgh however was lenient in that quarter, and told Mrs.

Somers they would require nothing of her but the three last items of Pattaqua.s.set news--which she, as pastor's wife, was bound to know. And Mrs. Somers was not backward in declaring them; the first being the engagement of two people who hated each other, the second the separation of two people who loved each other; the third, that Mr.

Linden shot himself--to make a sensation.

”Mr. Linden,” said the doctor, ”you come next--and you are mine. What shall I do with you?”

”Why--anything,” said Mr. Linden.

”Well--I am greatly at a loss what you are good for,” said the doctor lightly,--”but on the whole I order you to preach a sermon to the company.”

”Have you any choice as to the text?”

”I am not in the way of those things,” said the doctor laughingly.

”Give us the lesson you think we want most.”

The clear, grave look that met him--Dr. Harrison had seen it before.