THE MORE BEAUTIFUL FACE.
Two tall girls were standing near
the piano; one had just sung a song in a very brilliant
style, the other was complimenting her; the gentlemen
had not yet come in.
“Flora, do look at that queer
little personage over there!” exclaimed the
singer, glancing in Ermengarde’s direction.
“Did you ever see such a little comicality?
Why, she can’t be more than twelve years old,
and she is dressed in much older style than you or
I.”
“Stop, Kate, I’m sure she hears you,”
said Flora.
“I don’t care if she does,
conceited little monkey. Who in the world is
she?”
“Her name is Ermengarde Wilton.
Yes, of course, the dress is unsuitable, but small
piece of gorgeousness that she is, I’d give a
good deal to possess her handsome face; and so would
you, for the matter of that, Kate.”
Ermengarde was standing near a window.
Now she pushed a muslin curtain aside, and hid herself
behind its folds.
“There! She did hear you this time, Flora,”
said Kate.
“I meant her to,” replied
the other. “You were humiliating her so
horribly, Kate.”
The two girls whispered a little longer,
then they parted company. Ermengarde stood behind
the shelter of the window curtain. Her heart
was beating fast, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes
had a triumphant light in them.
Yes, she had heard what those horrid
girls were saying. She had heard every word.
They had abused her dress, but they had praised her
face. This praise made up for all. What
mattered the dress which could be so easily removed,
compared with the face which would remain.
Ermengarde’s heart thrilled
within her at the delicious words of flattery.
These grown-up girls envied her! Oh, she could
bear anything after that.
She was standing thus, thinking her
own thoughts, when the light swish of silken drapery
near caused her to look round, and to her astonishment
the girl who was called Flora stood in the shelter
of the window by her side.
“I hope I am not crowding you,”
she said in a gracious voice to Ermengarde. “It
is so hot in the drawing-room; I have just come here
to get cool before the gentlemen come in.”
“You don’t disturb me at all,” said
Ermengarde.
“Thank you. Are you Miss
Wilton? I think you must be. My mother knows
your father very well.”
“And your name is Flora something?”
answered Ermengarde, looking up with proud defiance
in her face. “And you were speaking about
me to a girl called Kate, and you abused my dress,
and said that I was a little piece of gorgeousness,
and that I was only twelve years old. I am not
twelve-I am fourteen and three months.”
“Oh, my dear child, you should
not have been eavesdropping.”
“I wasn’t. You spoke
out very loud. I thought you knew I must hear
you.”
“Dear, dear, I am sorry.
I did not mean to hurt your feelings, really, Miss
Wilton. Of course the dress is lovely.
Catch Kate or me aspiring to anything half so fine.
But then, you did look very young in it.
Are you really fourteen! You don’t look
it.”
“Yes, I am fourteen and three months.”
“Of course that makes a great
difference. Come, now, let’s be friends.
My name is Flora St. Leger, and mother and I are going
to stay at Glendower for a couple of days. Are
you staying here?”
“Yes, with my father. We came to-day.”
“Oh, I suppose you are Lilias
Russell’s friend. Isn’t she a prim
little piece?”
“I don’t know,”
answered Ermengarde angrily. “I only consider
that she is the dearest and most beautiful girl in
the world.”
“Oh, folly! she can’t
hold a candle to you. I’d like to see you
when you’re dressed for your first drawing-room.
You know, Ermengarde-I may call you Ermengarde,
may I not-I did say something very
nice about your face, even when I abused your dress.
You heard that part too, didn’t you, sly monkey?”
“Yes,” said Ermie, in
a low voice. Then she added, “But it is
not true about my being more beautiful than Lilias,
and I don’t like you even to say it.”
“Well, puss, you can’t
help facts: Lilias is very well in her way; you
are twice as striking. Oh, there comes George
Martineau. I promised to play his accompaniments
for him; he will sing some German songs in a minute.
You listen when he does. He has a remarkably fine
tenor voice for an amateur.”
Flora St. Leger glided away from the
recess of the window, and Ermengarde was left alone.
She did not mind this in the least, her meditations
were so pleasant; and Flora had given her such agreeable
food for thought that she was quite delighted to be
able to have a quiet few minutes to think over everything.
She had quite forgiven Flora’s unkind
words for the sake of her flattering words.
Flora had said the sort of things that Susy had often
regaled her with before, but how much more important
were the honeyed speeches coming from the lips of
this grown-up and beautiful young lady. Ermengarde
felt herself quite in love with Flora. Poor Lilias
was nothing, compared to the friend she had just made.
She was glad to know that Flora was going to spend
a couple of days at Glendower. She earnestly
hoped that she might see a good deal of her during
these few days.
The evening passed somehow, and Ermie
managed to escape to her room without again meeting
her father.
Petite was helping her to undress,
when to her surprise Lady Russell herself came in.
“My dear little Ermengarde,”
she said. She went up to the young girl and kissed
her affectionately. “You can leave us, Petite,”
said Lady Russell to the maid. When they were
alone, she turned to Ermie.
“My love, I am sorry to appear
interfering, but you are a motherless little girl.
Your dress to-night was very unsuitable.”
“Aunt Elizabeth gave it to me,”
said Ermengarde, pouting.
“Yes, my dear; but, pardon me,
we won’t go into the question of how you came
by the dress. You are at least ten years too young
to be dressed in a fanciful costume of that kind.
Your father does not wish you to wear that dress again,
Ermie, nor to arrange your hair as you did to-night.
Have you got a simple white dress with you, my child?”
“No,” said Ermie, still
pouting and frowning; “I thought the white chiffon
was exactly what I needed.”
“Poor child, you sadly miss
your mother. Well, my love, don’t do it
again; that’s all. I will get Petite to
alter one of Lilias’s frocks for you to wear
to-morrow evening. Now, good-night, dear; sleep
sound. I am glad you have come to keep our Lilias
company for a few days.”
Lady Russell kissed Ermengarde and
left her. She took no notice of the little girl’s
sullen face, nor of her rude manner. She went
away looking what she was, a gracious motherly woman.
“I am deeply sorry, both for
Ermengarde and her father,” she said to herself.
“Anyone can see that the poor man does not know
how to manage all those children. Marjorie takes
after her sweet mother, but Ermengarde! she is not
an easy child to influence, and yet what a beautiful
face she has!”