CHAPTER THREE.
REFERS TO A SMALL TEA-PARTY, AND TOUCHES VERY MILDLY ON LOVE.
Miss Pritty was a good soul, but weak. She was Edgar Berrington'smaiden aunt--of an uncertain age--on the mother's side. Her chiefcharacteristic was delicacy--delicacy of health, delicacy of sentiment,delicacy of intellect--general delicacy, in fact, all over. She wasslight too--slightly made, slightly educated, slightly pretty, andslightly cracked. But there were a few things in regard to which MissLaura Pritty was strong. She was strong in her affections, strong inher reverence for all good things (including a few bad things which inher innocence she thought good), strong in her prejudices and impulses,and strong--remarkably strong--in parentheses. Her speech was eminentlyparenthetical, insomuch that the range of her ideas was whollyuntrammelled by the proprieties of subject or language. Given a pointto be aimed at in conversation, Miss Pritty _never_ aimed at it. Sheinvariably began with it, and, parting finally from it at the outset,diverged to any or every other point in nature. Perplexity, as a matterof course, was the usual result both in speaker and hearer, but thenthat mattered little, for Miss Pritty was also strong in easy-goinggood-nature.
On the evening in which we introduce her, Miss Pritty was going to haveher dear and intimate friend Aileen Hazlit to tea, and she laid out herlittle tea-table with as much care as an engineer might have taken indrawing a mathematical problem. The teapot was placed in the exactcentre of the tray, with its spout and handle pointing so that a linedrawn through them would have been parallel to the sides of her little"boudoir." The urn stood exactly behind it. The sugar-basin formed, onone side of the tray, a _pendant_ to the cream-jug on the other, andinasmuch as the cream-jug was small, a toast-rack was coupled with it toconstitute the necessary balance. So, too, with the cups: they wereplaced equidistant from the teapot, the sides of the tray, and eachother, while a salver of cake on one side of the table was scrupulouslybalanced by a plate of buns on the other side.
"There she is--the _darling_!" exclaimed Miss Pritty, with a little skipand (excuse the word) a giggle as the bell rang.
"Miss Aileen Hazlit," announced Miss Pritty's small and only domestic,who flung wide open the door of the boudoir, as its owner was fond ofstyling it.
Whereupon there entered "an angel in blue, with a straw hat and ostrichfeather."
We quote from the last, almost dying, speech of a hopeless youth in thetown--a lawyer's clerk--whose heart was stamped over so completely withthe word "Aileen" that it was unrecognisable, and practically uselessfor any purpose except beating--which it did, hard, at all times.
Aileen was beautiful beyond compare, because, in her case, extremebeauty of face and feature was coupled with rare beauty of expression,indicating fine qualities of mind. She was quiet in demeanour, grave inspeech, serious and very earnest in thought, enthusiastic in action,unconscious and unselfish.
"Pooh! Perfection!" I hear some lady reader ejaculate.
No, fair one, not quite that, but as near it as was compatible withhumanity. Happily there are many such in the world--some with more andsome with less of the external beauty--and man is blessed and the worldupheld by them.
The chief bond that bound Aileen and Miss Pritty together was a text ofScripture, "Consider the poor." The latter had strong sympathy with thepoor, being herself one of the number. The former, being rich in faithas well as in means, "considered" them. The two laid their headstogether and concerted plans for the "raising of the masses," whichmight have been food for study to _some_ statesmen. For instance, theyfed the hungry and clothed the naked; they encouraged the well-disposedand reproved the evil; they "scattered seeds of kindness" wherever theywent; they sowed the precious Word of God in all kinds of ground--goodand bad; they comforted the sorrowing; they visited the sick and theprisoner; they refused to help, or, in any way to encourage, the idle;they handed the obstreperous and violent over to the police, with thehope--if not the recommendation--that the rod should not be spared; andin all cases they prayed for them. The results were considerable, but,not being ostentatiously trumpeted, were not always recognised or tracedto their true cause.
"Come away, darling," exclaimed Miss Pritty, eagerly embracing andkissing her friend, who accepted, but did not return, the embrace,though she did the kiss. "I thought you were not coming at all, and Ihave not seen you for a whole week! What has kept you? There, put offyour hat. I'm _so_ glad to see you, dear Aileen. Isn't it strange thatI'm so fond of you? They say that people who are contrasts generallydraw together--at least I've often heard Mrs Boxer, the wife of CaptainBoxer, you know, of the navy, who used to swear so dreadfully before hewas married, but, I am happy to say, has quite given it up now, whichsays a great deal for wedded life, though it's a state that I don'tquite believe in myself, for if Adam had never married Eve he would nothave been tempted to eat the forbidden fruit, and so there would havebeen no sin and no sorrow or poverty--no poor! Only think of that."
"So that our chief occupation would have been gone," said Aileen, with aslight twinkle of her lustrous blue eyes, "and perhaps you and I mightnever have met."
Miss Pritty replied to this something very much to the effect that shewould have preferred the entrance of sin and all its consequences--poverty included--into the world, rather than have missed making thefriendship of Miss Hazlit. At least her words might have borne thatinterpretation--or any other!
"My father detained me," said Aileen, seating herself at the table,while her volatile friend put lumps of sugar into the cups, with atender yet sprightly motion of the hand, as if she were doing the cups aspecial kindness--as indeed she was, when preparing one of them to touchthe lips of Aileen.
"Naughty man, why did he detain you?" said Miss Pritty.
"Only to write one or two notes, his right hand being disabled atpresent by rheumatism."
"A gentleman, Miss, in the dinin'-room," said the small domestic,suddenly opening a chink of the door for the admission of her somewhatdishevelled head. "He won't send his name up--says he wants to seeyou."
"How vexing!" exclaimed Miss Pritty, "but I'll go down. I'm determinedthat he shan't interrupt our _tete-a-tete_."
Miss Pritty uttered a little scream of surprise on entering thedining-room.
"Well, aunt," said Edgar Berrington, with a hearty smile, as he extendedhis hand, "you are surprised to see me?"
"Of course I am, dear Eddy," cried Miss Pritty, holding up her cheek fora kiss. "Sit down. Why, you were in London when I last heard of you."
"True, but I'm not in London now, as you see. I've been a week here."
"A week, Eddy! And you did not come to see me till now?"
"Well, I ought to apologise," replied the youth, with a slight look ofconfusion, "but--the fact is, I came down partly on business, and--and--so you see I've been very busy."
"Of course," laughed Miss Pritty; "people who have business to do areusually very busy! Well, I forgive you, and am glad to see you--but--"
"Well, aunt--but what?"
"In short, Eddy, I happen to be particularly engaged this evening--on_business_, too, like yourself; but, after all, why should I notintroduce you to my friend? You might help us in our discussion--it isto be about the poor. Do you know much about the poor and theirmiseries?"
Edgar smiled sadly as he replied--
"Yes, I have had some experimental knowledge of the poor--being one ofthem myself, and my poverty too has made me inconceivably miserable."
"Come, Eddy, don't talk nonsense. You know I mean the _very_ poor, thedestitute. But let us go up-stairs and have a cup of tea."
The idea of discussing the condition of the poor over a cup of tea withtwo ladies was not attractive to our hero in his then state of mind, andhe was beginning to excuse himself when his aunt stopped him:--
"Now, don't say you can't, or won't, for you must. And I shallintroduce you to a very pretty girl--oh! _such_ a pretty one--you've noidea--and _so_ sweet!"
Miss Pritty spoke impressively
and with enthusiasm, but as the youthknew himself to be already acquainted with and beloved by the prettiestgirl in the town he was not so much impressed as he might have been.However, being a good-natured fellow, he was easily persuaded.
All the way up-stairs, and while they were entering the boudoir, littleMiss Pritty's tongue never ceased to vibrate, but when she observed hernephew gazing in surprise at her friend, whose usually calm andself-possessed face was covered with confusion, she stopped suddenly.
"Good-evening, Miss Hazlit," said Edgar, recovering himself, and holdingout his hand as he advanced towards her; "I did not anticipate thepleasure of meeting _you_ here."
"Then you are acquainted already!" exclaimed Miss Pritty, looking asmuch amazed as if the accident of two young people being acquaintedwithout her knowledge were something tantamount to a miracle.
"Yes, I have met Mr Berrington at my father's several times," saidAileen, resuming her seat, and bestowing a minute examination on thecorner of her handkerchief.
If Aileen had added that she had met Mr Berrington every evening for aweek past at her father's, had there renewed the acquaintance begun inLondon a year before, and had been wooed and won by him before his sternrepulse by her father, she would have said nothing beyond the baretruth; but she thought, no doubt, that it was not necessary to add allthat.
"Well, well, what strange things do happen!" said Miss Pritty, resumingher duties at the tea-table. "Sugar, Eddy? And cream?--Only to thinkthat Aileen and I have known each other so well, and she did not knowthat you were my nephew; but after all it could not well be otherwise,for now I think of it, I never mentioned your name to her. Out ofsight, out of mind, Eddy, you know, and indeed you don't deserve to beremembered. If we all had our deserts, some people that I know of wouldbe in a very different position from what they are, and some peoplewouldn't _be_ at all."
"Why, aunt," said Edgar, laughing. "Would you--"
"Some more cake, Eddy?"
"No, thank you. I was going to say--"
"Have you enough cream? Allow me to--"
"_Quite_ enough, thanks. I was about to remark--"
"Some sugar, Aileen?--I beg your pardon--yes--you were about to say--"
"Oh! Nothing," replied Edgar, half exasperated by these frequentinterruptions, but laughing in spite of himself, "only I'm surprisedthat sentence of annihilation should be passed on `some people' by oneso amiable as you are."
"Oh! I didn't exactly mean annihilation," returned Miss Pritty, with apitiful smile; "I only mean that I wouldn't have had them come intoexistence, they seem to be so utterly useless in the world, and _so_interfering, too, with those who _want_ to be useful."
"Surely that quality, or capacity of interference, proves them to be not_utterly_ useless," said Edgar, "for does it not give occasion for theexercise of patience and forbearance?"
"Ah!" replied Miss Pritty, with an arch smile, shaking her finger at hernephew, "you are a fallacious reasoner. Do you know what that means? Ican't help laughing still at the trouble I used to have in trying tofind out the meaning of that word fallacious, when I was at MissDullandoor's seminary for young ladies--hi! Hi! Some of us wereexcessively _young_ ladies, and we were taught everything by rote,explanations of meanings of anything being quite ignored by MissDullandoor. Do you remember her sister? Oh! I'm so stupid to forgetthat it's exactly thirty years to-day since she died, and you can't bequite that age yet; besides, even if you were, it would require that youshould have seen, and recognised, and remembered her on her deathbedabout the time of your own birth. Oh! She _was_ so funny, both in faceand figure. One of the older girls made a portrait of her for me whichI have yet. I'll go fetch it; the expression is irresistible--it iskilling. Excuse me a minute."
Miss Pritty rose and tripped--she never walked--from the room. Duringmuch of the previous conversation our hero had been sorely perplexed inhis mind as to his duty in present circumstances. Having been forbiddento hold any intercourse with Aileen, he questioned the propriety of hisremaining to spend the evening with her, and had made up his mind torise and tear himself away when this unlooked-for opportunity for a_tete-a-tete_ occurred. Being a man of quick wit and strong will, hedid not neglect it. Turning suddenly to the fair girl, he said, in avoice low and measured--
"Aileen, your father commanded me to have no further intercourse withyou, and he made me aware that he had laid a similar injunction onyourself. I know full well your true-hearted loyalty to him, and do notintend to induce you to disobey. I ask you to make no reply to what Isay that is not consistent with your promise to your father. Formyself, common courtesy tells me that I may not leave your presence fora distant land without saying at least good-bye. Nay, more, I feel thatI break no command in making to you a simple deliberate statement."
Edgar paused for a moment, for, in spite of the powerful restraint puton himself, and the intended sedateness of his words, his feelings werealmost too strong for him.
"Aileen," he resumed, "I may never see you again. Your father intendsthat I shall not. Your looks seem to say that you fear as much. Now,my heart tells me that I _shall_; but, whatever betide, or wherever Igo, let me assure you that I will continue to love you with unalterablefidelity. More than this I shall not say, less I could not. You saidthat these New Testaments"--pointing to a pile of four or five which layon the table--"are meant to be given to poor men. _I_ am a poor man:will you give me one?"
"Willingly," said Aileen, taking one from the pile.
She handed it to her lover without a single word, but with a tenderanxious look that went straight to his heart, and took up its lodgingthere--to abide for ever!
The youth grasped the book and the hand at once, and, stooping, pressedthe latter fervently to his lips.
At that moment Miss Pritty was heard tripping along the passage.
Edgar sprang to intercept her, and closed the door of the boudoir behindhim.
"Why, Edgar, you seem in haste!"
"I am, dear aunt; circumstances require that I should be. Comedown-stairs with me. I have stayed too long already. I am goingabroad, and may not spend more time with you this evening."
"Going abroad!" exclaimed Miss Pritty, in breathless surprise, "where?"
"I don't know. To China, Japan, New Zealand, the North Pole--anywhere.In fact, I've not quite fixed. Good-bye, dear aunt. Sorry to have seenso little of you. Good-bye."
He stooped, printed a gentle kiss between Miss Pritty's wondering eyes,and vanished.
"A most remarkable boy," said the disconcerted lady, resuming her seatat the tea-table--"so impulsive and volatile. But he's a dear good boynevertheless--was so kind to his mother while she was alive, and ranaway from school when quite young--and no wonder, for it was a dreadfulschool, where they used to torture the boys,--absolutely tortured them.The head-master and ushers were tried for it afterwards, I'm told. Atall events; Eddy ran away from it after pulling the master's nose andkicking the head usher--so it is said, though I cannot believe it, he isusually so gentle and courteous.--_Do_ have a little more tea. No? Apiece of bun? No? Why, you seem quite flushed, my love. Not unwell, Itrust? No? Well, then, let us proceed to business."