A KNIGHT OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY - Edward Payson Roe (best color ebook reader TXT) 📗

Beg Your Pardon. You Know A Hundred-Fold More About

Music Than I Do, And I Have Been Talking as If The Reverse Were True. I

Never Heard Anything So Fine In my Life, And I Also Confess That I Never

Heard That Piece Before."

 

 

 

The Young Girl Blushed with Pleasure On Having Thus Speedily Vanquished

This Superior Being, Whom She Had Been Learning Both To Dread And

Dislike. At The Same Time His Frank, Impulsive Words Of Compliment Did

Much To Remove The Prejudice Which She Was Naturally Forming against

Him. Mrs. Arnot Said, With Her Mellow Laugh, That Often Accomplished

More Than Long Homilies:

 

 

 

"That Is A Manly Speech, Egbert, And Much To Your Credit. 'Honest

Confession Is Good For The Soul.'"

 

 

 

Haldane Did Not Get On His Stilts Again That Evening, And Before It Was

Over He Concluded that Miss Romeyn Was The Most Charming Young Lady He

Had Ever Met, Though, For Some Reason, She Still Permitted him To Do

Nearly All The Talking. She Bade Him Good-Night, However, With A Smile

That Was Not Unkindly, And Which Was Interpreted by Him As Being

Singularly Gracious.

 

 

 

By This Time He Had Concluded that Miss Romeyn Was A "Young Lady _Par

Excellence_"; But It Has Already Been Shown That His Judgment In most

Matters Was Not To Be Trusted. Whether She Was A School-Girl Or A Fully

Fledged young Lady, A Child Or A Woman, Might Have Kept A Closer

Observer Than Himself Much Longer In doubt. In truth, She Was Scarcely

The One Or The Other, And Had Many Of The Characteristics Of Both. His

Opinion Of Her Was As Incorrect As That Of Himself. He Was Not A Man,

Though He Considered himself A Superior One, And Had Attained to Manly

Proportions.

 

 

 

But There Were Wide Differences In their Immaturity. She Was Forming

Under The Guidance Of A Mother Who Blended firmness And Judgment Equally

With Love. Gentle Blood Was In her Veins, And She Had Inherited many Of

Her Mother'S Traits With Her Beauty. Her Parents, However, Believed

That, Even As The Garden Of Eden Needed to Be "Dressed and Kept," So The

Nature Of Their Child Required careful Pruning, With Repression Here And

Development There. While The Young Girl Was Far From Being Faultless,

Fine Traits And Tendencies Dominated, And, Though As Yet Undeveloped,

They Were Unfolding With The Naturalness And Beauty Of A Budding Flower.

 

 

 

In Haldane'S Case Evil Traits Were In the Ascendant, And The Best Hope

For Him Was That They As Yet Had Not Become Confirmed.

 

 

 

"Who Is This Mr. Haldane, Auntie?" Laura Asked on Reaching Her Room.

There Was A Slight Trace Of Vexation In her Tone.

 

 

 

"He Is The Son Of An Old Friend Of Mine. I Have Induced my Husband To

Try To Give Him A Business Education. You Do Not Like Him."

 

 

 

"I Did Not Like Him At All At First, But He Improves A Little On

Acquaintance. Is He A Fair Sample Of Your Young Men Proteges?"

 

 

 

"He Is The Least Promising Of Any Of Them," Replied mrs. Arnot, Sitting

Down Before The Fire. Laura Saw That Her Face Had Become Shadowed with

Sadness And Anxiety.

 

 

 

"You Look Troubled, Auntie. Is He The Cause?"

 

 

 

"Yes."

 

 

 

"Are You Very Much Interested in him?"

 

 

 

"I Am, Laura; Very Much, Indeed. I Cannot Bear To Give Him Up, And Yet I

Fear I Must."

 

 

 

"Is He A Very Interesting 'Case'?" Asked the Young Girl In some

Surprise. "Mother Often Laughingly Calls The Young Men You Are Trying To

Coax To Be Good By Your Winning Ways, 'Cases.' I Don'T Know Much About

Young Men, But Should Suppose That You Had Many Under Treatment Much

More Interesting Than He Is."

 

 

 

"Sister Fanny Is Always Laughing at My Hobby, And Saying That, Since I

Have No Children Of My Own, I Try To Adopt Every Young Man Who Will Give

Me A Chance. Perhaps If I Try To Carry Out Your Mother'S Figure, You

Will Understand Why I Am So Interested in this 'Case.' If I Were A

Physician And Had Charge Of A Good Many Patients, Ought I Not To Be

Chiefly Interested in those Who Were In the Most Critical And Dangerous

Condition?"

 

 

 

"It Would Be Just Like You To Be So, Auntie, And I Would Not Mind Being

Quite Ill Myself If I Could Have You To Take Care Of Me. I Hope The

Young Men Whom You 'Adopt' Appreciate Their Privileges."

 

 

 

"The Trouble With Most Of Us, Laura, Is That We Become Wise Too Late In

Life. Young People Are Often Their Own Worst Enemies, And If You Wish To

Do Them Good, You Must Do It, As It Were, On The Sly. If One Tries

Openly To Reform And Guide Them--If I Should Say Plainly, Such And Such

Are Your Faults; Such And Such Places And Associations Are Full Of

Danger--They Would Be Angry Or Disgusted, Or They Would Say I Was Blue

And Strait-Laced, And Had An Old Woman'S Notions Of What A Man Should

Be. I Must Coax Them, As You Say; I Must Disguise My Medicines, And

Apply My Remedies Almost Without Their Knowing It. I Also Find It True

In My Practice That Tonics And Good Wholesome Diet Are Better Than All

Moral Drugs. It Seems To Me That If I Can Bring around These Giddy Young

Fellows Refining, Steadying, Purifying Influences, I Can Do Them More

Good Than If I Lectured them. The Latter Is The Easier Way, And Many

Take It. It Would Require But A Few Minutes To Tell This Young Haldane

What His Wise Safe Course Must Be If He Would Avoid Shipwreck; But I Can

See His Face Flush And Lip Curl At My Homily. And Yet For Weeks I Have

Been Angling For Him, And I Fear To No Purpose. Your Uncle May Discharge

Him Any Day. It Makes Me Very Sad To Say It, But If He Goes Home I Think

He Will Also Go To Ruin. Thank God For Your Good, Wise Mother, Laura. It

Is A Great Thing To Be Started right In life."

 

 

 

"Then This Young Man Has Been Started wrong?

 

 

 

"Yes, Wrong Indeed."

 

 

 

"Is He So Very Bad, Auntie?" Laura Asked with A Face Full Of Serious

Concern.

 

 

 

Mrs. Arnot Smiled as She Said, "If You Were A Young Society Chit, You

Might Think Him 'Very Nice,' As Their Slang Goes. He Is Good-Looking and

Rich, And His Inclination To Be Fast Would Be A Piquant Fact In his

Favor. He Has Done Things Which Would Seem To You Very Wrong Indeed. But

He Is Foolish And Ill-Trained rather Than Bad. He Is A Spoiled boy, And

Spoiled boys Are Apt To Become Spoiled men. I Have Told You All This

Partly Because, Having Been Your Mother'S Companion All Your Life, You

Are So Old-Fashioned that I Can Talk To You Almost As I Would To Sister

Fanny, And Partly Because I Like To Talk About My Hobby."

 

 

 

A Young Girl Naturally Has Quick Sympathies, And All The Influences Of

Laura'S Life Had Been Gentle And Humane. Her Aunt'S Words Speedily Led

Her To Regard Haldane As An "Interesting Case," A Sort Of Fever Patient

Who Was Approaching The Crisis Of His Disease. Curling Down On The

Floor, And Leaning Her Arms On Her Aunt'S Lap, She Looked up With A Face

Full Of Solicitude As She Asked:

 

 

 

"And Don'T You Think You Can Save Him? Please Don'T Give Up Trying."

 

 

 

"I Like The Expression Of Your Face Now," Said Mrs. Arnot, Stroking The

Abundant Tresses, That Were Falling Loosely From The Girl'S Head, "For

In It I Catch A Glimpse Of The Divine Image. Many Think Of God As

Looking Down Angrily And Frowningly Upon The Foolish And Wayward; But I

See In the Solicitude Of Your Face A Faint Reflection Of The 'Not

Willing That Any Should Perish' Which It Ever Seems To Me Is The

Expression Of His."

 

 

 

"Laura," Said She Abruptly, After A Moment, "Did Any One Ever Tell You

That You Were Growing Up Very Pretty?"

 

 

 

"No, Auntie," Said The Girl, Blushing and Laughing.

 

 

 

"Mr. Haldane Told You So This Evening."

 

 

 

"O Auntie, You Are Mistaken; He Could Not Have Been So Rude."

 

 

 

"He Did Not Make A Set Speech To That Effect, My Dear, But He Told You

So By His Eyes And Manner, Only You Are Such An Innocent Home Child That

You Did Not Notice. But When You Go Into Society You Will Be Told This

Fact So Often That You Will Be Compelled to Heed it, And Will Soon Learn

The Whole Language Of Flattery, Spoken And Unspoken. Perhaps I Had,

Better Forewarn You A Little, And So Forearm You. What Are You Going To

Do With Your Beauty?"

 

 

 

"Why, Auntie, How Funny You Talk! What Should I Do With It, Granting

That It Has Any Existence Save In your Fond Eyes?"

 

 

 

"Suppose You Use It To Make Men Better, Instead Of To Make Them Merely

Admire You. One Can'T Be A Belle Very Long At Best, And Of All The

Querulous, Discontented, And Disagreeable People That I Have Met,

Superannuated belles, Who Could No Longer Obtain Their Revenue Of

Flattery, Were The Worst. They Were Impoverished, Indeed. If You Do As I

Suggest, You Will Have Much That Is Pleasant To Think About When You

Come To Be As Old As I Am. Perhaps You Can Do More For Young Haldane

Than I Can."

 

 

 

"Now, Auntie, What Can I Do?"

 

 

 

"That Which Nearly All Women Can Do: Be Kind And Winning; Make Our Safe,

Cosey Parlor So Attractive That He Will Not Go Out Evenings To Places

Which Tend To Destroy Him. You Feel An Interest In him; Show It. Ask Him

About His Business, And Get Him To Explain It To You. Suggest That If

You Were A Man You Would Like To Master Your Work, And Become Eminent In

It. Show By Your Manner And By Words, If Occasion Offers, That You Love

And Revere All That Is Sacred, Pure, And Christian. Laura, Innocent Dove

As You Are, You Know That Many Women Beguile Men To Ruin With Smiles.

Men Can Be Beguiled from Ruin With Smiles. Indeed, I Think Multitudes

Are Permitted to Go To Destruction Because Women Are So Unattractive, So

Absorbed in themselves And Their Nerves. If Mothers And Wives, Maidens

And Old Maids, Would All Commence Playing The Agreeable To The Men Of

Their Household And Circle, Not For The Sake Of A Few Compliments, But

For The Purpose Of Luring Them From Evil And Making Them Better, The

World Would Improve At Once."

 

 

 

"I See, Auntie," Said Laura, Laughing; "You Wish To Administer Me As A

Sugar-Coated pill To Your 'Difficult Case.'"

 

 

 

A Deep Sigh Was The Only Answer, And, Looking Up, Laura Saw That Her

Words Had Not Been Heeded. Tears Were In her Aunt'S Eyes, And After A

Moment She Said Brokenly:

 

 

 

"My Theories Seem True Enough, And Yet How Signally I Have Failed in

Carrying Them Out! Perhaps It Is My Fault; Perhaps It Is My Fault; But

I'Ve Tried--Oh! How I Have Tried! Laura, Dear, You Know That I Am A

Lonely Woman; But Do Not Let This Prejudice You Against What I Have

Said. Good-Night, Dear; I Have Kept You Up Too Long After Your Journey."

 

 

 

Her Niece Understood Her Allusion To The Cold, Unloving Man Who Sat

Alone Every Evening In his Dim Library, Thinking Rarely Of His Wife, But

Often Of Her Wealth, And How It Might Increase His Leverage In his

Herculean Labors. The Young Girl Had The Tact To Reply Only By A Warm,

Lingering Embrace. It Was An Old Sorrow, Of Which She Had Long Been

Aware; But It Seemed without Remedy, And Was Rarely Touched upon.

 

 

Chapter V (Passion'S Clamor)

Laura Had A Strong Affection For Her Aunt, And Would Naturally Be

Inclined to Gratify Any Wishes That She Might Express, Even Had They

Involved tasks Uncongenial And Unattractive. But The Proposal That She

Should Become An Ally In the Effort To Lure Young Haldane From His Evil

Associations, And Awaken Within Him Pure And Refined tastes, Was

Decidedly Attractive. She Was Peculiarly Romantic In her Disposition,

And No Rude Contact With