Read CHAPTER XLIII - HOPES AND PERSUASIONS of Mabel's Mistake , free online book, by Ann S. Stephens, on ReadCentral.com.

“In the morning my head and heart both ached with the strain of thought which had racked them so piteously. I shrank nervously from appearing before any of my tormentors. But they came to my door, wondering what kept me so late. There was to be a splendid religious procession that day. All the churches of Seville were to send forth their imaged Madonnas in great splendor, with attending priests, that their worshipers might see them by broad daylight. Great preparations had been made on this occasion, for one Madonna of wonderful potency was to be brought forth from her convent for the first time in ninety years. The convent Montes Serat being one of most holy repute, and at a distance from the city, had not, for nearly a century, joined in the procession of the holy week; but now its famous Madonna was coming forth from her sacred privacy, rich in the gifts of her votaries, resplendent with the jewels which attested her superior sanctity.

“The advent of no crowned monarch into his capital ever produced a greater sensation than this coming of our Lady of Montes Serat. It awoke a strong spirit of rivalry in all the churches of Seville. Fair devotees emptied their jewel cases in behalf of their favorite Madonnas nothing was withheld which female pride could bestow on the object of its religious idolatry. So, for a time, all Seville was in a tumult of ambitious rivalry, and out of this was sure to come the most brilliant day of the holy week. I had not cared to go to this exhibition, but General Harrington had secured a balcony overlooking that of the Infanta and her suite. It was to be a splendid procession, they said, and I should regret it forever if they permitted me to remain at home.

“I found it easier to submit than to contend, but still hesitated, when James Harrington came up to the verandah where we were sitting, and leaning over my chair, whispered a request that I should go. His manner was almost caressing, and there thrilled through his voice such genuine anxiety, that I could hardly suppress the quick leaping of my heart, or speak at first, it throbbed so loudly. The rest had left us and we were alone.

“‘Do go! It seems an age since I have seen you except in a crowd,’ he said, drawing a chair to mine.

“‘But this will be a crowd, also!’

“‘Not for us.’

“I looked up suddenly and felt the warm crimson leap to my face, when my eyes met his.

“‘Let us be happy this once,’ he said, ’the crowd itself will be well worth seeing. Besides, the Infanta will be there, with her husband, Le Duc de Montpensier. Then remember that the Princess Clementina, wife of the Prince of Saxe Coburg will be of the party, quite a nest of royalty, you will find; just the persons that I for one should like to see.’

“’And so would I. My heart always warms toward the children of that good man, Louis Philippe,’ I answered.

“‘Then you will go?’

“’Yes, I will certainly go; the promise of seeing all these interesting persons makes me almost impatient.’

“’Ah, how bright you look; we shall have a pleasant day. Mother is getting ready. She seems to be feeling young as a girl. Did you ever see any one change as she has since we came to Seville?’

“‘The General was speaking of it this morning,’ I replied. ’She is so well and happy,’ he said, ’that I can hardly think of moving yet. The very air of Seville carries balm with it.’

“Harrington turned away and walked to a window, as if I had said something to disturb him. After a little he came back again with the air of a man who had flung aside some unpleasant burden, and began to talk of the country we were in.

“‘What a calm, delicious climate it is,’ he said, ’I wonder people can get angry or very much in earnest here. For myself this country life seems like floating at will on some lake, with scarcely air enough to stir a sail, or ripple foam wreaths around the prow of one’s boat; the very breath we draw is a luxury.’

“‘A sad one sometimes,’ I answered, ’the very solitude and repose which steal over one, enfeebles the spirit and makes life too harmonious for improvement either of the mind or heart. Continued life in a place like this, would rob an American of his last attribute, a love of progression. Rest and sensuous enjoyment were not intended for a people like us. Yet the place is so lovely, I feel like a traitor while saying this.’

“He looked at me with unconscious earnestness, sighed gently and paced the room once or twice before he resumed the subject.

“’You are right; a soul worth having would never content itself with the drowsy sweetness of a life like this. After all, the great glory of existence lies in action.’

“‘And the greatest happiness;’ I answered, with a dreamy sense of the inaction to which I, as a woman, was forever consigned.

“‘You speak with the feeling of a man, shut out from his proper career,’ he said, ’there, I think you and I can have sympathy; only the life of a woman should be restful, and full of love.’

“‘And I of a man?’ I questioned.

“’You must not ask that question of a man shut out from action, and and even from the woman’s privilege of loving.’

“What was there in my expression that changed his so instantly? Could he discover in my eyes the brightness that had come over me with the sound of his voice, tender and impressive as it had been that day among the water lilies? I do not know, but in a moment a cloud crept over his face, and a chill into his voice.

“‘Excuse me, if I have pressed you over much,’ he said. ’But it is a lovely day and the procession will be well worth seeing. If it would not be considered sacrilegious among so many good Catholics, I should say, there would be a rivalry among the Madonnas. You will go?’

“‘Yes,’ I answered, sinking into depression again, ’as well there as here. Who will be of our party?’

“’Oh, the General, and my mother, of course, with the Eatons. That will be enough to fill the balcony.’

“I felt the blood growing warm in my cheeks. Why must those Eatons forever compose a portion of our party? Could no one see how I detested this eternal companionship with persons who had not a single idea or principle in common with us?

“Just then Miss Eaton came into the balcony her transparent muslin dress looped up at the sleeves and throat with delicate blue ribbons, floating like a cloud around her, and a wreath of forget-me-nots relieving the snow-white chip of her bonnet. Her parasol was frosted over with soft Brussels lace, and a better dressed or more beautiful creature I have seldom set my eyes upon. James Harrington left my chair the moment she appeared. Taking the parasol from her hand, he commenced playing with it as he conversed with her, lightly, carelessly, and with such smiles as he had not given me in many a long day.

“At times one gets in love with pain, to abridge it seems like cowardice. What mattered it whether I suffered a little more or less, since suffering was so early become my destiny? This girl, with her bright beauty and soft words, superseded me every where; yet she did not seem to prize the homage for which I famished, but stood there, smiling up in his face, and dropping a sweet word now and then, carelessly, as she would have given sugar to a parrot.”