Morton House, Chapters XIX-XX [pp. 576-583]

578 JPIOR TON HO USE. [MAY 20,
ance struck a gentleman standing near the set in which she was
dancing, a gentleman whose tall head towered somewhat above the
throng of lookers-on-for all La Grange was in force there that night,
the county people thinking nothing of a ten-miles' drive to Mrs.
Annesley's Christmas-ball. His intent gaze caught Katharine's at tention at last. In the course of chassging back and forth, she looked
up, saw him, and smiled. "Oh, Mr. Warwick!" she said, in a tone
that surprised her partner.
"Mr.-wlho?" he asked, looking round.
"Mr. Warwick," answered Katharine, still smiling, and nodding
to Mr. Warwick across the set. "I am so glad to see him," she
went on. "It is like a home-face in the midst of strangers. I must
speak to him as soon as the cotillon is over. I want to ask about
Mrs. Marks, and the children, and all of them. I feel-"
She stopped suddenly, and her face changed so much that her com panion absolutely stared. A sharp recollection came to her of the
difference that these few days had made in her life, of the man who
had seen Mrs. Marks, and the inquiries which would meet her when
she returned to the familiar house in Tallahoma. Of course Mr. Lang don understood none of this, and, seeing her hesitate and turn pale,
he at once conceived a suspicion of Mr. Warwick, and glanced across
the room at that gentleman. Being somewhat reassured by his se date, middle-aged appearance, he took up Katharine's sentence.
"You feel-what? Not home-sick, I trust?"
"I feel as if it had been such a long time since I left home," she
answered, absently. "That is always the case, you know, when one
has been among new scenes and new people.-First gentleman and
lady, did they say? You are the first gentleman, Mr. Langdon."
Meanwhile, Morton was dancing with Miss Vernon, in quite an other set, at the upper end of the room. He thought, and so did a
great many other people, that Irene had never looked more lovely
than on that night. Fashions change very much in thirty years,
and to describe her costume would probably be to bring a dread ful picture before the eyes of to-day; but everybody said how charm ingly she was dressed, and certainly the shining pink silk that she
wore, with rich point lace falling from her shoulders, was as becom ing as possible. Then her cheeks were flushed, and her eyes were
bright, and her hair looked like spun gold, as it gleamed about her
graceful head. Morton, who had never thought very much about
her beauty, suddenly opened his eyes, and admired it with quite a
fervor of enthusiasm. "I never saw you look so well," he could not
help telling her more than once-though the remark strictly inter preted was any thing but a compliment.
"Perhaps you never looked at me before," she said, though she
hated herself for saying it. "Nobody else seems to think that I am
looking unusually well to-night."
"Shall we take a vote on the question, for I don't fancy the im putation of being a mole or a bat?"
"No, thank you. I'll take the fact of my unusual good looks or
your unusual good-nature, for granted, in preference to that. A pro pos of appearance, don't you think Miss Tresham is looking very
well?"
"Very pretty, but not very well. She is too pale."
"Yes, but she is one of the few people to whom pallor is becom ing. And those morning-glories-are they not beautiful?"
"Yes," said Morton, catching a glimpse of the morning-glories in
question, as their wearer moved forward in the dance. Then he saw
his way to a sudden inquiry, and made it without loss of time.
"I met Miss Tresham on the staircase this morning, just after
my return, and she seemed very much distressed and agitated. I
hope nothing unpleasant occurred while you and she were in the
grounds?"
"Nothing," answered Miss Vernon, with a reticence that did not
escape his observation. "How did you know that I was in the
grounds with her?" she added, with a keen glance at him.
"My mother told me," he answered. "Don't think that I was
busying myself with matters which did not concern me," he added,
with a quick flush coming over his face; "but when I met Miss
Tresham, I saw at once that something had annoyed her, and I
thought it might be something I could remedy, so I went to my moth er "-at the moment, Morton really forgot that his mother had gone
to him-" and she told me that you had been with Miss Tresham, and
* mentioned that she met some one-"
"I did not mention it at all," interrupted Miss Vernon, bluntly.
" Miss Tresham asked me-that is, I thought it likely she would not
care for me to speak of the matter, so I was sorry Mrs. Annesley had
seen the-the person come in the gate. I answered her questions,
that was all. I shall not answer yours, Mr. Annesley, so I beg you
won't ask any."
"I am not going to ask any," said Morton, a little amused. "I
would not think of such a thing as meddling with Miss Tresham's affairs. But she seemed so much agitated-"
"Things agitate at one time, that would have no effect at another,"
said Miss Vernon, coolly. "I should probably be agitated if I was
living in Russia and you suddenly appeared before me-though there
is nothing at all agitating in seeing you here, you know."
"I understand. But Miss Tresham I am sure can have no reason
for concealing-"
Miss Vernon interrupted him again, remorselessly.
"Miss Tresham did not ask me to conceal any thing, Mr. Annesley
but I have learned by experience that silence is golden, and speech is
silver-or base copper, rather, when it takes the form of silly tattling.
I do as I would be done by. There are many reasons which might
make me wish to conceal-that's a hateful word!-the visit of some
embarrassing friend or relation, from people who had no right of
espionage over my conduct, and so I am not quick to suspect other
people for doing the same thing."
"Thank you," said Morton, before he knew what he was about.
Then he added, with a blush: "You don't know how much I admire
and respect such sentiments. There are not many women like you,
Miss Vernon."
"There are thousands much better," said Miss Vernon, with a
sharpness that quite took him by surprise.
While this conversation was going on, the cotillon ended, the
last bows were made, and, as Mr. Langdon was leading Katharine
away, Mr. Warwick came up to her.
"Shall we go into the drawing-room and get an ice?" the obliging
Cousin Tom was saying, when he found himself summarily put aside.
"Mr. Warwick!-I am so glad to see you," Katharine cried; and Mr.
Warwick looked at her companion, as he said: "I have a great many
messages for you, from Bessie andthe children. Do you care about
hearing them?"
"Of course I do," answered she, warmly; and upon this, she with drew her hand from Mr. Langdon's arm, and took instead the one Mr.
Warwick offered.
"I will see you again, when the fourth set comes round," she said,
with a smile, to the former gentleman, and in this way he found him self deserted, just as he had flattered himself with the expectation of
a pleasantly, uninterrupted tgte-d-tgte.
"So Annesdale and all its gayety has not made you forget Tallahoma and the school-room? " said Mr. Warwick, as they walked
away. "I could hardly realize that you were yourself, when I saw
you dancing a little while ago."
"' If I am I, as I do think I be,'" said Katharine, with a laugh,
"I have certainly not forgotten the school-room, or anybody connected
with it, Mr. Warwick. How is Mrs. Marks, and how are the chil dren?-did Sara and Katy go to see their aunt?-and has Nelly's
cough given any more trouble?"
"Bessie and all the children are well, and sent you more love
than I could carry-Katy and Sara did not go to their aunt's, and
Nelly's cough is quite well, I believe."
"Has nothing happened since I went away? I feel as if a great
deal ought to have happened."
"I think every thing has gone on exactly as usual, excepting that
it may compliment you to hear that you have been very much missed
by everybody. When Dick cut his hand the other day, he disgraced
his manhood by crying because you were not there to bandage it up."
"Has Dick cut his hand? I am so sorry. How did he do it?"
"I was foolish enough to give him a box of tools as a Christmas gift, and the result was three accidents in the course of as many
days. Katy was very anxious to come with me to-night."
"I wish you could have brought her," said Katharine, sincerely.
They had left the ballroom by this time, and were in the drawing room, which was thronged with people laughing, talking, eating ices,
making picture-like groups everywhere.
"Is there a quiet spot to be found anywhere?" asked Mr. War wick, looking round. "Twenty years ago, I might have liked this
kind of thing; but now I find that I am very much out of my element.
578
MOR, TON HO 0UE.
[MAY 20,