“The cathedral was magnificent.
All its rich properties in velvets, silver and gold,
had been brought forth for its adornment. The
altar was one blaze of light tapers of
snow-white wax rose in crowds from golden candlesticks,
garlanded with flowers which sent their sweetness through
the pungent smoke of the censers, and clothed the altar
with a sacred whiteness. Reliquaires flaming
with jewels, flashed out through all this noonday
splendor, and two enormous tapers, six feet high, stood
like sentinels on each side the altar. Yet all
this was insufficient to light up the vast edifice
or penetrate the chapels in the side aisles. Here
all was shadowy and full of religious gloom, where
any weary soul might pray in solitude, notwithstanding
the priests were saying high mass at the great altar,
and a grand choir of fresh, young voices filled the
whole edifice with music which seemed born of Heaven.
“The gloom along the centre
of the building was heightened by draperies of warm
crimson velvet, which, banded at each seam with gold,
swept down the vast stone pillars and fell in massive
folds over the great entrance doors.
“I could not understand all
that was said, for the service was in Latin, but I
did feel the solemn swell of the music in every fibre
of my being, and the devotional feeling which impressed
the crowd touched me with holy sympathy.
“I do not know what caused the
impulse, but Mrs. Harrington took my hand tenderly
in hers. Then we stole to a side altar gleaming
snow-white through the shadows, and kneeling down
together asked that help and blessing from God which
both of us thirsted for. The whispered prayers
we uttered that solemn hour, undoubtedly sanctified
a friendship which has been growing deeper and stronger
from the first hour of my meeting with this lovely
woman. She wept that day, and I saw, for the first
time, that under her soft and gentle exterior, lay
feelings and passions which the world would never
dream of.
“I did not appear to notice
the singular emotion she betrayed at that altar, but
it recurred to me afterwards, and my mind was filled
with conjectures about its cause. Surely it could
not be her husband. No human being was ever more
attentive and kind to a wife than General Harrington
was to his. There was something almost chivalric
in his devotion to her wishes. Was it her son?
There my heart stood still. With only these near
relatives in the world, she could have no grief which
did not relate to them or one of them at least.
“That night Mrs. Harrington
came into my room, which opened upon the same verandah
with her own. She sat down on the sofa I occupied,
and began to talk to me of the ceremonies we had witnessed
that day in the cathedral. From that she glided
gradually to other subjects, and dwelt with a touch
of sadness on the impolicy of early marriages.
‘Her own,’ she said, ’had been a
happy one, and she had married at sixteen; but as
a general thing she would advise no girl to undertake
the cares of domestic life under two or three and
twenty. Particularly she would urge this on me.
With no mother to guide me in a choice, with money
enough to invite venal offers, I was, she thought,
liable to peculiar temptations. Besides,’
she added sweetly, ’I have no daughter, and crave
a little of your life, for there will come a time when
I shall be very lonely.’
“I did not ask her when that
time would be, or to whom it related, but sat still,
mute and cold. Was James Harrington engaged?
I thought of Mrs. Eaton’s vague speeches regarding
him, of her daughter’s blushes and Harrington’s
attention to her that day when I seemed utterly forgotten.
Was the kind lady preparing me? Had she seen my
weakness! Heavens, how my heart burned within
me that I had so betrayed myself to this delicate
and high-minded woman, his mother too. Wounded
pride made me courageous. I would answer carelessly.
She should never know that I had been mute from want
of speech. I arose from the sofa and drank a glass
of water, eagerly, for it seemed as if I must strangle.
Then I said with a laugh,
“’You have something to
tell me. Who is it that is likely to enter into
an early marriage! certainly it is not me.’
“’No indeed, I have little
fear of that, but they have been forcing the subject
on me since I came home. Why cannot people allow
a family to rest in peace. I have never seen
that he cared so much for the girl.’
“‘Of whom are you speaking?’ I asked.
“‘Of my son and Miss Eaton.’
“‘Is he then engaged to her?’
“’I do not understand
it, but the General seems confident that it will soon
come about. The Eatons are enormously wealthy,
you know, and Lucy is an only child.’
“’But what of that?
There is no need that Mr. Harrington should make a
mercenary marriage. Are not you rich, and is not
he an only son?’
“’Why how sharply you
speak, Mabel. I never observed your voice so
shrill before,’ exclaimed the lady, lifting up
her two delicate hands as if to ward off a disagreeable
sound. ’Upon my word I think we are all
getting cross. When I told the General how much
better I should like you, that is, how
much better I did like you than that pretty thing
with the blue eyes, he asked me if I was willing to
betray the young creature thrown into our protection,
by giving her wealth into the hands of my own son,
whom I knew ’
“She checked herself and turned
her face from me like a guilty child.
“‘When you knew that he
did not like me?’ I questioned, controlling
myself.
“’No, no, he did not say
that. Who could help liking you, Mabel? It
was love he was talking about. She said it would
be treacherous to let him entangle you for your money,
when I was sure that he looked upon you only as a
sister. I said that we were not sure of that by
any means. Indeed, sometimes it had seemed to
me Oh Mabel, how wild you look. I
did not say a thing to wound your delicacy. There
is not a lady in the land who might not be proud of
any preference James Harrington can give. I only
thought that General Harrington was mistaken.
As for my James liking or marrying anybody for her
money, the idea made me quite beside myself.
It is not often that I get out of temper, but this
really made me angry.’
“‘No wonder,’ I
said, ’It was unkind indeed in the General to
speak of me in that way.’
“’No, no, you quite misunderstand
again. General Harrington is incapable of unkindness.
As for indelicacy, a more perfect gentleman never lived.
His sensitive honor was touched. You are his ward,
beautiful, young, rich. James is his step-son,
without a dollar of his own, wholly dependent on the
General ’
“‘But I thought the property
came from his father.’ I said this so abruptly
that it brought the color into Mrs. Harrington’s
face, and sent the hot blood into my own.
“’So it did, but my husband
loved me dearly, and in his will gave every dollar
to me; knowing, he said, that I would be generous with
our only child; and so I have been, Mabel. The
General is liberal to a fault. James never wants
for money.’
“‘But he is a man now, and dependence
must be irksome.’
“’Oh, he is not dependent;
that feeling is impossible with a man like the General.
James knows well enough that the whole property will
be his when my husband has done with it that
is made sure in my will; first the General, then my
son. I should be a wretched woman else.’
“‘I am sure you will do right in the end,’
I said.
“’I had thought at one
time that the property was so large and had increased
so much in value, that it would be well to divide it
and give James half; but the General fancied that
it might take him too much away from us that
he might get to speculate or want to go into business, a
thing none of the Harringtons ever had stooped to,
and we decided to put it off. James felt a little
hurt, I know, but it was all for his own good, and
because his society is so dear to us.’
“I think the woman was in earnest,
and had no idea how unjust she seemed in thus withholding
the natural inheritance of her son, in behalf of the
man she had married. The whole thing disturbed
me, all the more because I dared not speak out the
revolt of my own feelings. Mrs. Harrington saw
this in my face, I dare say, and began to apologise
about troubling me with family matters.
“’Here, I came to have
a little chat about that girl Lucy, and we have branched
off into discussions on money, the last thing on earth
that I ever care to think about,’ she said.
’Now tell me, do you think that she is so very
pretty?’
“‘Yes,’ I answered,
’very pretty. I have seldom seen anything
more delicately beautiful.’
“I spoke the truth, in spite
of all the bitter feelings which the few last days
had engendered. That girl’s beauty was so
patent that even prejudice must acknowledge it.
Nay, in my determination to be just, her perfections
were perhaps a little exaggerated.
“’There, I think you are
wrong, Mabel. I have seen fifty prettier girls
even of her own type necks like lilies,
cheeks like the lip of a sea shell, and golden hair.
But I like coloring, depth, richness. Now in my
estimation you are fifty times more beautiful than
Lucy Eaton, and I know James thinks so in spite of
the General’s belief about that girl.’
“‘Oh, Mrs. Harrington, how partial and
how kind you are.’
“’Well, I should like
to have any one look at you now, and say if I am wrong.
Why, no peach was ever so richly crimsoned as your
cheeks this moment, and as for the eyes, Mabel, you
have splendid eyes! That was the first thing
James told me when I asked about you; ‘purplish
gray,’ he said, with such curling lashes, their
glance is something to remember when she looks up.’
“‘Did Mr. Harrington say this?’
“’Indeed he did, and a
great deal more. Upon my word, Mabel, I think
he was taken with you then.’
“‘I am sure you are mistaken.
We scarcely exchanged a dozen words.’
“‘But James has his eyes.’
“‘I must not trust my ears when you flatter
so sweetly,’ I said.
“’Well, the truth is,
Mabel, I am a little disappointed. My heart, I
may as well own it, was set on having you for a daughter-in-law,
and I wont believe it quite impossible yet. General
Harrington is so nice in his sense of honor, but women
care nothing about business, and the idea of refusing
a noble young fellow because you have money, is just
ridiculous, especially as my son will have plenty by
and by, don’t you think so.’
“‘It would be where love
existed, certainly,’ I answered, ready to cast
myself into this woman’s arms, and tell her all
that was stirring in my heart.
“‘Ah, it is a pity that
you could not have fancied him,’ she answered,
’seeing it would have saved him from this choice
which General Harrington approves so much; but I cannot
believe it yet.’
“‘But the General should know.’
“’I hope not, I hope not.
The truth is, dear, I never could like the girl, and
as for her mother, the very idea of a connection with
her makes me shiver.’
“‘She certainly is not a pleasant woman,’
I said.
“’Pleasant! but we will
not talk of her. Mercy! that is her voice, let
me escape.’”