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

She Saw That His Technical Knowledge

Was Limited, It Was Clearly Evident That He Possessed a Nature

Singularly Responsive To Musical Thoughts And Effects; Indeed, She Found

A Peculiar Pleasure And Incentive In glancing at His Face From Time To

Time, For She Saw Reflected there The Varied characteristics Of The

Melody. But Once, As She Looked up To See How He Liked an Old English

Ballad, She Caught That Which Instantly Brought The Hot Blood Into Her

Face.

 

 

 

Haldane Had Forgotten Himself, Forgotten That She Belonged to Another,

And, Under The Spell Of The Old Love Song, Had Dropped his Mask. She Saw

His Heart In his Gaze Of Deep, Intense Affection More Plainly Than

Spoken Words Could Have Revealed it.

 

 

 

He Started slightly As He Saw Her Conscious Blush, Turned pale Instead

Of Becoming Red and Embarrassed, And, Save A Slight Compression Of His

Lips, Made No Other Movement. She Sang The Concluding Verse Of The

Ballad In a Rather Unsympathetic Manner, And, After A Light Instrumental

Piece Devoid Of Sentiment, Rose From The Piano.

 

 

 

Haldane Thanked her With Frank Heartiness, And Then Added in a Playful

Manner That, Although The Concert Was Over, He Was Weather-Bound On

Account Of The Shower, And Would Therefore Try To Compensate Them For

Giving Him Shelter By Relating a Curious Story Which Was Not Only

Founded on Fact, But All Fact; And He Soon Had Both Of His Auditors

Deeply Interested in one Of Those Strange And Varied experiences Which

Occasionally Occur In real Life, And Which He Had Learned through His

Mission Class. The Tale Was So Full Of Lights And Shadows That Now It

Provoked to Laughter, And Again Almost Moved the Listeners To Tears.

While The Narrator Made As Little Reference To Himself As Possible, He

Unconsciously And Of Necessity Revealed how Practically And Vitally

Useful He Was To The Class Among Whom He Was Working. Partly To Draw Him

Out, And Partly To Learn More About Certain Characters In whom She Had

Become Interested, Mrs. Arnot Asked after One And Another Of Haldane'S

"Difficult Cases." As His Replies Suggested inevitably Something Of

Their Dark And Revolting History, Laura Again Forgot Herself So Far As

To Exclaim:

 

 

 

"How Can You Work Among Such People?"

 

 

 

After The Words Were Spoken She Was Already To Wish That She Had Bitten

Her Tongue Out.

 

 

 

"Christ Worked among Them," Replied he Gravely, And Then He Added, With

A Look Of Grateful Affection Toward Mrs. Arnot, "Besides, Your Aunt Has

Taught Me By A Happy Experience That There Are Some Possibilities Of A

Change For The Better In 'Such People.'"

 

 

 

"Mr. Haldane," Said Laura Impetuously, And With A Burning Flush, "I

Sincerely Beg Your Pardon. As You Were Speaking You Seemed so Like My

Aunt In refinement And Character That You Banished every Other

Association From My Mind."

 

 

 

His Face Lighted up With A Strong Expression Of Pleasure, And He Said:

 

 

 

"I Am Glad That Those Words Are So Heartily Uttered, And That There Is

No Premeditation In them; For If In the Faintest And Furthest Degree I

Can Even Resemble Mrs. Arnot, I Shall Feel That I Am Indeed making

Progress."

 

 

 

"I Shall Say What Is In my Mind Without Any Constraint Whatever," Said

Mrs. Arnot. "Years Ago, Egbert, When Once Visiting You In prison, To

Which You Had Been Sent Very Justly, I Said In effect, That In rising

Above Yourself And Your Circumstances, You Would Realize My Ideal Of

Knighthood. You Cannot Know With What Deep Pleasure I Tell You To-Night

That You Are Realizing This Ideal Even Beyond My Hopes."

 

 

 

"Mrs. Arnot," Replied haldane, In a Tone That Trembled slightly, "I Was

Justly Sent To That Prison, And To-Night, No Doubt, I Should Have Been

In Some Other Prison-House Of Human Justice--Quite Possibly," He Added,

In A Low, Shuddering Tone, "In The Prison-House Of God'S Justice--If You

Had Not Come Like An Angel Of Mercy--If You Had Not Borne With Me,

Taught Me, Restrained me, Helped me With A Patience Closely Akin To

Heaven'S Own. It Is The Hope And Prayer Of My Life That I May Some Day

Prove How I Appreciate All That You Have Done For Me. But, See; The

Storm Is Over, As All Storms Will Be In time. Good-Night, And Good-By,"

And He Lifted her Hand To His Lips In a Manner That Was At Once So Full

Of Homage And Gratitude, And Also The Grace Of Natural And Unstudied

Action, That There Came A Rush Of Tears Into The Lady'S Eyes.

 

 

 

Laura Held Out Her Hand And Said: "Mr. Haldane, You Cannot Respect Me

More Than You Have Taught Me To Respect You."

 

 

 

He Shook His Head At These Words, Involuntarily Intimating That She Did

Not Know, And Never Could, But Departed without Trusting Himself To

Reply.

 

 

 

The Ladies Sat Quite A Long Time In silence. At Length Laura Remarked

With A Sigh:

 

 

 

"Mr. Haldane Is Mistaken. The Ice Is Thin Here And There, But I Had No

Idea That There Were Such Depths Beneath It"

 

 

 

Mrs. Arnot Did Not Reply At Once, And When She Did Perhaps She Had In

Mind Other Experiences Than Those Of Her Young Friend, For She Only Said

In A Low Musing Tone:

 

 

 

"Yes, He Is Right. All Storms Will Be Over In time."

 

Chapter XLIX (A Knightly Deed)

The Year Previous Haldane Had Buried himself Among The Mountains Of

Maine, But He Resolved to Spend Much Of The Present Summer In the City

Of New York, Studying Such Works Of Art As Were Within His Reach,

Haunting The Cool, Quiet Libraries, And Visiting The Hospitals, Giving

To The Last, As A Medical Student, The Most Of His Time. He Found

Himself More Lonely And Isolated among The Numberless Strange Faces Than

He Had Been In the Northern Forests. He Also Went To His Native City For

The Purpose Of Visiting Dr. Marks, And As The Family Mansion Was Closed,

Took A Room At The Hotel. His Old Acquaintances Stood Far Aloof At

First, But When Dr. Marks Carried him Off With Friendly Violence To The

Parsonage, And Kept Him There As A Welcome Guest, Those Who Had Known

Him Or His Family Concluded that They Could Shake Hands With Him, And

Many Took Pains To Do So, And To Congratulate Him On The Course He Was

Taking. Dr. Marks' Parsonage Was Emphatically The Interpreter'S House To

Him, And After A Brief Visit He Returned to New York More Encouraged

With The Hope That He Would Eventually Retrieve The Past Than Ever He

Had Been Before.

 

 

 

But Events Now Occurred which Promised to Speedily Blot Out All

Possibility Of An Earthly Future. In answer To His Letter Describing His

Visit To Dr. Marks, He Received from Mrs. Arnot A Brief Note, Saying

That The Warm Weather Had Affected her Very Unfavorably, And That She

Was Quite Ill And Had Been Losing Strength For Some Weeks. On This

Ground He Must Pardon Her Brief Reply. Her Closing Words Were,

"Persevere, Egbert. In a Few Years More The Best Homes In the Land Will

Be Open To You, And You Can Choose Your Society From Those Who Are

Honorable Here And Will Be Honored hereafter."

 

 

 

There Were Marks Of Feebleness In the Handwriting, And Haldane'S Anxiety

Was So Strongly Aroused in behalf Of His Friend That He Returned to

Hillaton At Once, Hoping, However, That Since The Heats Of August Were

Nearly Over, The Bracing Breath Of Autumn Would Bring Renewed strength.

 

 

 

After Being announced he Was Shown Directly Up To Mrs. Arnot'S Private

Parlor, And He Found Himself Where, Years Before, He Had First Met His

Friend. The Memory Of The Bright, Vivacious Lady Who Had Then

Entertained him With A Delicate Little Lunch, While She Suggested how He

Might Make His Earliest Venture Out Into The World Successful, Flashed

Into His Mind, With Thronging Thoughts Of All That Had Since Occurred;

But Now He Was Pained to See That His Friend Reclined feebly On Her

Lounge, And Held Out Her Hand Without Rising.

 

 

 

"I Am Glad You Have Come," She Said With Quiet Emphasis, "For Your

Sympathy Will Be Welcome, Although, Like Others, You Can Do Nothing For

Us In our Trouble."

 

 

 

"Mrs. Arnot," He Exclaimed in a Tone Of Deep Distress, "You Are Not

Seriously Ill?"

 

 

 

"No," She Replied, "That Is Not It. I'M Better, Or Will Be Soon, I

Think. Laura, Dear, Light The Gas, Please, And Egbert Can Read The

Telegrams For Himself. You Once Met My Sister, Mrs. Poland, Who Resides

In The South, I Think."

 

 

 

"Yes, I Remember Her Very Well. There Was Something about Her Face That

Haunted me For Months Afterward."

 

 

 

"Amy Was Once Very Beautiful, But Ill-Health Has Greatly Changed her."

 

 

 

In The Dusk Of The Evening Haldane Had Not Seen Laura And Mr. Beaumont,

As He Entered, And He Now Greeted them With A Quiet Bow; But Laura Came

And Gave Him Her Hand, Saying:

 

 

 

"We Did Not Expect You To Return So Soon, Mr. Haldane."

 

 

 

"After Hearing That Mrs. Arnot Was Ill I Could Not Rest Till I Had Seen

Her, And I Received her Note Only This Morning."

 

 

 

He Now Saw That Both Laura'S Eyes And Mrs. Arnot'S Were Red with

Weeping.

 

 

 

The Latter, In answer To His Questioning, Troubled face, Said: "The

Yellow Fever Has Broken Out In the City Where My Sister Resides. Her

Husband, Mr. Poland, Has Very Important Business Interests There, Which

He Could Not Drop Instantly. She Would Not Leave Him, And Amy, Her

Daughter, Would Not Leave Her Mother. Indeed, Before They Were Aware Of

Their Danger The Disease Had Become Epidemic, And Mr. Poland Was

Stricken Down. The First Telegram Is From My Sister, And States This

Fact; The Second There Is From My Niece, And It Breaks My Heart To Read

It," And She Handed it To Him And He Read As Follows:

 

 

 

"The Worst Has Happened. Father Very Low. Doctor Gives Little Hope. I

Almost Fear For Mother'S Mind. The City In panic--Our Help

Leaving--Medical Attendance Uncertain. It Looks As If I Should Be Left

Alone, And I Helpless. What Shall I Do?"

 

 

 

"Was There Ever A More Pathetic Cry Of Distress?" Said Mrs. Arnot, With

Another Burst Of Grief. "Oh That I Were Strong And Well, And I Would Fly

To Them At Once."

 

 

 

"Do You Think I Could Do Any Good By Going?" Asked laura, Stepping

Forward Eagerly, But Very Pale.

 

 

 

"No," Interposed mr. Beaumont, With Sharp Emphasis; "You Would Only

Become An Additional Burden, And Add To The Horrors Of The Situation."

 

 

 

"Mr. Beaumont Is Right; But You Are A Noble Woman Even To Think Of Such

A Thing," Said Haldane, And He Gave Her A Look Of Such Strong Feeling

And Admiration That A Little Color Came Into Her White Cheeks.

 

 

 

"She Does Not Realize What She Is Saying," Added mr. Beaumont. "It Would

Be Certain Death For An Unacclimated northener To Go Down There Now."

 

 

 

Laura Grew Very Pale Again. She Had Realized what She Was Saying, And

Was Capable Of The Sacrifice; But The Man Who Had Recognized and

Appreciated her Heroism Was Not The One Who Held Her Plighted troth.

 

 

 

Paying No Heed to Beaumont'S Last Remark, Haldane Snatched up The Daily

Paper That Lay Upon The Table, And Turned hastily To A Certain Place For

A Moment, Then, Looking at His Watch, Exclaimed eagerly:

 

 

 

"I Can Do It If Not A Moment Is Wasted. The Express Train For The South

Leaves In an Hour, And It Connects With All The Through Lines. Miss

Romeyn, Please Write For Me, On Your Card, An Introduction To Your

Cousin, Miss Poland, And I Will Present It, With The Offer Of My

Assistance, At The Earliest Possible Moment."

 

 

 

"Egbert, No!" Said Mrs. Arnot, With Strong Emphasis, And Rising From Her

Couch, Though So Ill And Feeble. "I Will Not Permit You To Sacrifice

Your Life For Comparative Strangers."

 

 

 

He Turned and Took Her Hand In both Of His, And Said:

 

 

 

"Mrs. Arnot, There Is No Time For Remonstrance, And It Is Useless. _I

Am Going_, And No One Shall Prevent Me." Then He Added, In tones And

With A Look Of Affection Which She Never Forgot, "Deeply As I Regret

This Sad Emergency, I Would Not, For Ten Times The Value