Chapter Twenty-sixth.
"Sweet beauty sleeps upon thy brow, And floats before my eyes; As meek and pure as doves art thou, Or beings of the skies." --Robert Morris.
"Do you like it, aunt?" asked Mildred, approaching Mrs. Dinsmore, asshe was in the act of clasping the bracelet on her arm.
"Yes, it's very handsome; but I think there might as well have been apair of them."
"Ah!" returned Mildred with a smile, directed toward Mr. Dinsmore;"little Elsie would have been glad to make it so, but uncle held thepurse-strings, and was inexorably determined that it should be but one."
"Just like him!" said the wife, snappishly.
"My dear, I felt extremely mean in allowing so much as I did to bespent upon my family," he said, with a gravity that was almost stern.
"I don't see why you need," she replied, with irritation, "sacrificingthe comfort of your family, as you are, by taking her in."
"I must confess," he returned, "that I see no sacrifice about it. Thechild will not be the slightest expense to us. But rather the reverse;nor will her presence in the house add in the very least to your cares."
"The children seem well pleased with their gifts," Mildred remarked,giving him a cheery smile, as she moved away toward them, gathered ina little throng about Elsie, amusing themselves by making her talk;asking her questions, and bidding her pronounce their names in turn,with the prefix of aunt or uncle.
"You're the darlingest little thing that ever was!" Adelaide exclaimed,catching her in her arms, and kissing her again and again.
"She's too pretty; nobody will ever look at us when she's by. I heardmamma say so," muttered Louise, discontentedly.
"Pooh! what's the use of talking in that way!" said Lora. "We can hideher up-stairs when we want to be looked at."
"Of course," said Mildred, laughing; "and being such a mere baby, Idon't think you need fear that she will prove a serious rival."
"I'm her uncle," remarked Arthur drawing himself up, with dignity;"say Uncle Arthur again, baby girl."
"I isn't a baby," she said, smiling up into his face. "Elsie's a biggirl now; Enna's de baby. Pretty baby! Elsie loves you!" she added,lovingly stroking Enna's hair.
"It's high time those children were in bed," said Mrs. Dinsmore, fromthe other side of the room. "Aunt Maria, take Enna and the boys to thenursery."
Aunt Chloe, not slow to take a hint, picked up her nursling andfollowed the other woman, Elsie looking back, and kissing her hand toher grandfather, with a pleasant "Good-night, grandpa; good-night,Enna's mamma, and all de folks."
Mildred went with them to enjoy a little talk and play with the child,as had been her custom at Viamede, but did not venture to stay long,lest Mrs. Dinsmore should be displeased at her absenting herself fromthe drawing-room on this first evening after her return.
On going down again, she found Mr. Landreth there. He spent theevening, and made himself very agreeable. Mildred was quite full ofViamede, and its little heiress, and he seemed much interested in allshe had to say about them.
Mr. Landreth was a favorite with Mrs. Dinsmore; she considered him anexcellent match in point of wealth and family, possessed also of theadded recommendations of good education, polished address and genialdisposition.
He had been a frequent visitor to Roselands in the past months, and shehad spared no pains to show off to him the attractions of her nieces,and throw him as much as possible into their society; at the same timeadroitly keeping Mildred in the background.
But the young man was sufficiently keen-sighted to see through herschemes, and while seemingly falling in with them, in reality reservedall his admiration for Mildred; who on her part was taken up with otherinterests, and thought of him only as a pleasant acquaintance, whosevisits to the house meant nothing to her.
Mrs. Dinsmore had been disappointed by her failure to secure him forone or the other of her nieces; but they were now engaged, and havingcome to have as warm a liking for our heroine as it was in her selfishnature to entertain for any one not connected with herself by ties ofblood, she desired, as the next best thing, to bring about a matchbetween her and Mr. Landreth.
But Mildred did not second her efforts, showing no particularpreference for Mr. Landreth's society above that of any one of the halfdozen or more other unmarried gentlemen who frequented the house.
She treated them all courteously, but gave encouragement to none,seeming far more interested in little Elsie, and in the studies almostdiscontinued during her stay at Viamede, but taken up again withrenewed zeal directly on her return to Roselands.
But Mr. Landreth was not to be discouraged; he paid court to Elsie,learning soon to love the little creature for her own sweet sake, andmanaged after a time to associate himself with several of Mildred'spursuits.
The time had now arrived when, according to the original plan, Mildredwas to return home, and those who loved her there were looking forwardwith eager impatience for her coming.
But Mr. Dinsmore wrote to her parents, entreating that he might beallowed to keep her some months longer, and bringing forward severalcogent reasons why his request should be granted; Mildred was improvingin health, making the best use of opportunities to perfect herself inaccomplishments, etc.; was a most pleasant companion to himself andwife, ought not to be permitted to undertake the long journey alone;and at present no suitable escort could be found.
The parents carefully weighed his arguments, and for their child's sakefinally gave consent, albeit somewhat reluctantly.
Mildred was both glad and sorry, having a yearning desire for home andits dear occupants, but at the same time feeling that the parting fromwee Elsie would be very sad; so tender was the attachment that hadsprung up between herself and the motherless babe.
Pity was a large element in Mildred's love for the child, and thatincreased as the weeks and months rolled on; for both the grandfatherand the young uncles and aunts, yielding gradually to Mrs. Dinsmore'sbaleful influence, treated her with less kindness and consideration;while Mrs. Dinsmore's tyranny was such that not unfrequently Mildredcould scarce refrain from expressing violent indignation.
The child was not subjected to blows, but angry looks and harsh wordsand tones, that to her sensitive spirit were worse than blows wouldhave been to a more obtuse nature, were plentifully dealt out to her;also ridicule, sneers and snubs.
And there was no respect shown to her rights of property; the otherchildren might rob her of her toys, books and pictures, with entireimpunity, if she ventured to carry them outside her own room; Mrs.Dinsmore averring that if she showed them, and so excited a desire forthem in the breasts of her children, she deserved to lose them.
"She is quite able to afford to present them with anything they want,"she would add, "and I am not going to have them tormented with thesight of pretty things that are to be refused them."
Elsie was so unselfish and generous that, as a usual thing, she couldbe easily induced to give even what she highly valued; but to have herpossessions laid violent hands upon and forced from her outraged hersense of justice, and though she seldom offered much resistance, itoften cost her many bitter tears.
She was a careful little body, who never destroyed anything, andher loving nature made her cling even to material things, in someinstances, which she had owned and amused herself with for years;an old dollie, that she had loved and nursed from what was to hertime immemorial, was so dear and precious, that no new one, howeverbeautiful and fine, could possibly replace it. And a living pet tooksuch a place in her heart from the first--a tame squirrel that she hadbrought with her, and a white dove given her by Mr. Landreth soon afterher arrival.
But all these were taken from her; the doll had to be resigned to Enna,the dove to Walter, and the squirrel to Arthur.
There was a short struggle each time, then she gave it up and sobbedout her sorrow in her mammy's arms, or on Mildred's sympathizing bosom.
"Oh, Elsie wants to go back to her own dear home!" s
he would cry."Can't Elsie go back? Must Elsie stay here, where dey take her fingsall away?"
Mildred at first hoped her uncle would interfere; but no, he did notenjoy contention with his wife, and, like many another man, could notunderstand how things of value so trifling in his sight, could be worthso much to the child.
He was willing to replace them, and thought it only ill-temper andstubbornness when she refused to be comforted in that manner.
It was a sore trial to the three hearts in the house that loved herso dearly; but all they could do was to soothe her with caresses andassurances of their love, and of the love of Jesus, and that if shebore her trials with meekness and patience, returning good for evil tothose who used her so ill, it would be pleasing to Him.
Mildred would talk to her of her papa, too, and the happy times shewould have when he came home;--how he would love and pet and fondle her.
"For surely," she reasoned with herself, "he cannot possibly dootherwise when he sees how sweet and lovely she is."
The prospect seemed to give the little one intense pleasure, and shewould often ask to be told "'bout de time when Elsie's dear papa willcome."
She would watch her grandfather, too, as he petted and fondled hislittle ones, with a wistful longing in the sweet brown eyes thatbrought tears to those of Mildred, and made her heart ache.