CHAPTER iii
AN ARRIVAL.
As soon as they lost sight of the house, Cecilia expressed her surpriseat the behaviour of the old gentleman who sat in the corner, whosegeneral silence, seclusion from the company, and absence of mind, hadstrongly excited her curiosity.
Mr Harrel could give her very little satisfaction: he told her that hehad twice or thrice met him in public places, where everybody remarkedthe singularity of his manners and appearance, but that he had neverdiscoursed with anyone to whom he seemed known; and that he was as muchsurprised as herself in seeing so strange a character at the house of MrMonckton.
The conversation then turned upon the family they had just quitted, andCecilia warmly declared the good opinion she had of Mr Monckton, theobligations she owed to him for the interest which, from her childhood,he had always taken in her affairs; and her hopes of reaping muchinstruction from the friendship of a man who had so extensive aknowledge of the world.
Mr Harrel professed himself well satisfied that she should have such acounsellor; for though but little acquainted with him, he knew he wasa man of fortune and fashion, and well esteemed in the world. Theymutually compassionated his unhappy situation in domestic life, andCecilia innocently expressed her concern at the dislike Lady Margaretseemed to have taken to her; a dislike which Mr Harrel naturally enoughimputed to her youth and beauty, yet without suspecting any cause morecogent than a general jealousy of attractions of which she had herselfso long outlived the possession.
As their journey drew near to its conclusion, all the uneasy anddisagreeable sensations which in the bosom of Cecilia had accompaniedits commencement, gave way to the expectation of quick approachinghappiness in again meeting her favourite young friend.
Mrs Harrel had in childhood been her playmate, and in youth herschool-fellow; a similarity of disposition with respect to sweetnessof temper, had early rendered them dear to each other, though theresemblance extended no farther, Mrs Harrel having no pretensions to thewit or understanding of her friend; but she was amiable and obliging,and therefore sufficiently deserving affection, though neither blazingwith attractions which laid claim to admiration, nor endowed with thosesuperior qualities which mingle respect in the love they inspire.
From the time of her marriage, which was near three years, she hadentirely quitted Suffolk, and had had no intercourse with Cecilia but byletter. She was now just returned from Violet Bank, the name given byMr Harrel to a villa about twelve miles from London, where with a largeparty of company she had spent the Christmas holidays.
Their meeting was tender and affectionate; the sensibility of Cecilia'sheart flowed from her eyes, and the gladness of Mrs Harrel's dimpled hercheeks.
As soon as their mutual salutations, expressions of kindness, andgeneral inquiries had been made, Mrs Harrel begged to lead her to thedrawing-room, "where," she added, "you will see some of my friends, whoare impatient to be presented to you."
"I could have wished," said Cecilia, "after so long an absence, to havepassed this first evening alone with you."
"They are all people who particularly desired to see you," she answered,"and I had them by way of entertaining you, as I was afraid you would beout of spirits at leaving Bury."
Cecilia, finding the kindness of her intentions, forbore any furtherexpostulation, and quietly followed her to the drawing-room. But as thedoor was opened, she was struck with amazement upon finding that theapartment, which was spacious, lighted with brilliancy, and decoratedwith magnificence, was more than half filled with company, every one ofwhich was dressed with gaiety and profusion.
Cecilia, who from the word friends, expected to have seen a small andprivate party, selected for the purpose of social converse, startedinvoluntarily at the sight before her, and had hardly courage toproceed.
Mrs Harrel, however, took her hand and introduced her to the wholecompany, who were all severally named to her; a ceremonial which thoughnot merely agreeable but even necessary to those who live in thegay world, in order to obviate distressing mistakes, or unfortunateimplications in discourse, would by Cecilia have been willinglydispensed with, since to her their names were as new as their persons,and since knowing nothing of their histories, parties or connections,she could to nothing allude: it therefore served but to heighten hercolour and increase her embarrassment.
A native dignity of mind, however, which had early taught her todistinguish modesty from bashfulness, enabled her in a short time toconquer her surprise, and recover her composure. She entreated MrsHarrel to apologise for her appearance, and being seated between twoyoung ladies, endeavoured to seem reconciled to it herself.
Nor was this very difficult; for while her dress, which she had notchanged since her journey, joined to the novelty of her face, attractedgeneral observation, the report of her fortune, which had preceded herentrance, secured to her general respect. She soon found, too, thata company was not necessarily formidable because full dressed, thatfamiliarity could be united with magnificence, and that though toher, every one seemed attired to walk in a procession, or to grace adrawing-room, no formality was assumed, and no solemnity was affected:every one was without restraint, even rank obtained but littledistinction; ease was the general plan, and entertainment the generalpursuit.
Cecilia, though new to London, which city the ill-health of her unclehad hitherto prevented her seeing, was yet no stranger to company; shehad passed her time in retirement, but not in obscurity, since for someyears past she had presided at the table of the Dean, who was visitedby the first people of the county in which he lived: and notwithstandinghis parties, which were frequent though small, and elegant thoughprivate, had not prepared her for the splendour or the diversity of aLondon assembly, they yet, by initiating her in the practical rulesof good breeding, had taught her to subdue the timid fears of totalinexperience, and to repress the bashful feelings of shamefacedawkwardness; fears and feelings which rather call for compassion thanadmiration, and which, except in extreme youth, serve but to degrade themodesty they indicate.
She regarded, therefore, the two young ladies between whom she wasseated, rather with a wish of addressing, than a shyness of beingattacked by them; but the elder, Miss Larolles, was earnestly engagedin discourse with a gentleman, and the younger, Miss Leeson, totallydiscouraged her, by the invariable silence and gravity with which fromtime to time she met her eyes.
Uninterrupted, therefore, except by occasional speeches from Mr and MrsHarrel, she spent the first part of the evening merely in surveying thecompany.
Nor was the company dilatory in returning her notice, since from thetime of her entrance into the room, she had been the object of generalregard.
The ladies took an exact inventory of her dress, and internally settledhow differently they would have been attired if blessed with equalaffluence.
The men disputed among themselves whether or not she was painted; andone of them asserting boldly that she rouged well, a debate ensued,which ended in a bet, and the decision was mutually agreed to dependupon the colour of her cheeks by the beginning of April, when, ifunfaded by bad hours and continual dissipation, they wore the samebright bloom with which they were now glowing, her champion acknowledgedthat his wager would be lost.
In about half an hour the gentleman with whom Miss Larolles had beentalking, left the room, and then that young lady, turning suddenly toCecilia, exclaimed, "How odd Mr Meadows is! Do you know, he says heshan't be well enough to go to Lady Nyland's assembly! How ridiculous!as if that could hurt him."
Cecilia, surprised at an attack so little ceremonious, lent her a civil,but silent attention.
"You shall be there, shan't you?" she added.
"No, ma'am, I have not the honour of being at all known to herladyship."
"Oh, there's nothing in that," returned she, "for Mrs Harrel canacquaint her you are here, and then, you know, she'll send you a ticket,and then you can go."
"A ticket?" repeated Cecilia, "does Lady Nyland only admit her companywith tickets?"
"Oh, lord!" cried Miss Larolles, laughing immoderately, "don't you knowwhat I mean? Why, a ticket is only a visiting card, with a name upon it;but we all call them tickets now."
Cecilia thanked her for the information, and then Miss Larolles enquiredhow many miles she had travelled since morning?
"Seventy-three," answered Cecilia, "which I hope will plead my apologyfor being so little dressed."
"Oh, you're vastly well," returned the other, "and for my part, I neverthink about dress. But only conceive what happened to me last year!Do you know I came to town the twentieth of March! was not that horridprovoking?"
"Perhaps so," said Cecilia, "but I am sure I cannot tell why."
"Not tell why?" repeated Miss Larolles, "why, don't you know it was thevery night of the grand private masquerade at Lord Darien's? I wouldnot have missed it for the whole universe. I never travelled in such anagony in my life: we did not get to town till monstrous late, and thendo you know I had neither a ticket nor a habit! Only conceive what adistress! well, I sent to every creature I knew for a ticket, butthey all said there was not one to be had; so I was just like a madcreature--but about ten or eleven o'clock, a young lady of my particularacquaintance, by the greatest good luck in the world happened tobe taken suddenly ill; so she sent me her ticket,--was not thatdelightful?"
"For _her_, extremely!" said Cecilia, laughing.
"Well," she continued, "then I was almost out of my wits with joy; and Iwent about, and got one of the sweetest dresses you ever saw. If you'llcall upon me some morning, I'll shew it you."
Cecilia, not prepared for an invitation so abrupt, bowed withoutspeaking, and Miss Larolles, too happy in talking herself to be offendedat the silence of another, continued her narration.
"Well, but now comes the vilest part of the business; do you know, wheneverything else was ready, I could not get my hair-dresser! I sent allover the town,--he was nowhere to be found; I thought I should have diedwith vexation; I assure you I cried so that if I had not gone in a mask,I should have been ashamed to be seen. And so, after all this monstrousfatigue, I was forced to have my hair dressed by my own maid, quite in acommon way; was not it cruelly mortifying?"
"Why yes," answered Cecilia, "I should think it was almost sufficient tomake you regret the illness of the young lady who sent you her ticket."
They were now interrupted by Mrs Harrel, who advanced to them followedby a young man of a serious aspect and modest demeanour, and said, "Iam happy to see you both so well engaged; but my brother has beenreproaching me with presenting everybody to Miss Beverley but himself."
"I cannot hope," said Mr Arnott, "that I have any place in therecollection of Miss Beverley, but long as I have been absent fromSuffolk, and unfortunate as I was in not seeing her during my last visitthere, I am yet sure, even at this distance of time, grown and formed asshe is, I should instantly have known her."
"Amazing!" cried an elderly gentleman, in a tone of irony, who wasstanding near them, "for the face is a very common one!"
"I remember well," said Cecilia, "that when you left Suffolk I thought Ihad lost my best friend."
"Is that possible?" cried Mr Arnott, with a look of much delight.
"Yes, indeed, and not without reason, for in all disputes you weremy advocate; in all plays, my companion; and in all difficulties, myassistant."
"Madam," cried the same gentleman, "if you liked him because he was youradvocate, companion, and assistant, pray like me too, for I am ready tobecome all three at once."
"You are very good," said Cecilia, laughing, "but at present I find nowant of any defender."
"That's pity," he returned, "for Mr Arnott seems to me very willing toact the same parts over again with you."
"But for that purpose he must return to the days of his childhood."
"Ah, would to heaven it were possible!" cried Mr Arnott, "for they werethe happiest of my life."
"After such a confession," said his companion, "surely you will let himattempt to renew them? 'tis but taking a walk backwards; and though itis very early in life for Mr Arnott to sigh for that retrograde motion,which, in the regular course of things, we shall all in our turnsdesire, yet with such a motive as recovering Miss Beverley for aplayfellow, who can wonder that he anticipates in youth the hopelesswishes of age?"
Here Miss Larolles, who was one of that numerous tribe of young ladiesto whom all conversation is irksome in which they are not themselvesengaged, quitted her place, of which Mr Gosport, Cecilia's newacquaintance, immediately took possession.
"Is it utterly impossible," continued this gentleman, "that I shouldassist in procuring Mr Arnott such a renovation? Is there no subalternpart I can perform to facilitate the project? for I will either _hide_or _seek_ with any boy in the parish; and for a _Q in the corner_, thereis none more celebrated."
"I have no doubt, sir," answered Cecilia, "of your accomplishments; andI should be not a little entertained with the surprize of the companyif you could persuade yourself to display them."
"And what," cried he, "could the company do half so well as to risealso, and join in the sport? it would but interrupt some tale ofscandal, or some description of a _toupee_. Active wit, howeverdespicable when compared with intellectual, is yet surely better thanthe insignificant click-clack of modish conversation," casting his eyestowards Miss Larolles, "or even the pensive dullness of affectedsilence," changing their direction towards Miss Leeson.
Cecilia, though surprised at an attack upon the society her friend hadselected, by one who was admitted to make a part of it, felt its justicetoo strongly to be offended at its severity.
"I have often wished," he continued, "that when large parties arecollected, as here, without any possible reason why they might not aswell be separated, something could be proposed in which each personmight innocently take a share: for surely after the first half-hour,they can find little new to observe in the dress of their neighbours,or to display in their own; and with whatever seeming gaiety they maycontrive to fill up the middle and end of the evening, by wire-drawingthe comments afforded by the beginning, they are yet so miserablyfatigued, that if they have not four or five places to run to everynight, they suffer nearly as much from weariness of their friends incompany, as they would do from weariness of themselves in solitude."
Here, by the general breaking up of the party, the conversation wasinterrupted, and Mr Gosport was obliged to make his exit; not much tothe regret of Cecilia, who was impatient to be alone with Mrs Harrel.
The rest of the evening, therefore, was spent much more to hersatisfaction; it was devoted to friendship, to mutual enquiries, to kindcongratulations, and endearing recollections; and though it was latewhen she retired, she retired with reluctance.