Reckoning-Day [pp. 329-332]

330
?~EC'KO~IK~~A Y:
[MARcll ~4,
of Mrs. Credit's infernal major-domo. He follows me round, and stares at me as if be
thought I was going to steal something."
And, so saying, he indicated a very dark perann age, dressed in a black frock-coat, with a
black cravat and black gloves, who was looking fixedly at us from the other side of the
room.
"That is singular," said I," for I, too,
have thought that the same individual was
dogging me ubout; only I have been puzzling
as to whether his expression was one of
warning or of sarcasm."
"Curse him!" said my friend; "I feel as
though I could strangle him! But I'm going
to have a waltz to the lovely music out there,"
pointing through the Modnab arches to the
ballroom, "and, if he still haunts me, I'll
either leave the house or plunge into a conservatory flirtation with my partner."
I happened to know that my friend was
so heavily weighted wiil~ fancy stocks that
the waves of the financial panic were threatening daily to swamp him. So I did not
wonder that his nerves were somewhat set
on edge, and in sorse curiosity I remained
behind to see if the dark personage followed
him. To my surprise, he seemed to stay and
mouiit guard over me; but, as I was neither
nervous nor weighted with fancy stocks, I
did not mind that there should be one blot
on so bright a scene, and was soon sauntering on in my tour through the apartments.
Having completed it, I again descended
to the drawing-rooms, for my first glimpse
of Mrs. Credit had completely fascinated me,
even aside from the fact that the presiding
genius of the splendid establishment thus
thrown open like the day for the happiness
of her friends was naturally the most interesting thing in it. As I was crossing the
ball, however, I glanced mechanically up the
staircase, and beheld Mrs. Credit's major-domo
descending likewise, and evidently keeping
me in view. For the mcment I was annoyed
and half minded to demand an explanation,
but no sooner had I entered my hostess's radiant presence than I forgot all about him.
She was moving among her guests with won`drous grace and ease, and with smlles and
cordial greetings, was making everybody feel
apprcci~ed and at home. Her dress, as a
lady has since told me, was of pinlt satin
and white lace, with slippers to correspond,
and she seemed to have on rivulets of diamonds. I could not tell her years, for her
beauty-and she was beautiful exceedinglyhad the rose-leat, touch-me-not character of
first youth, while expressions of all ages nnd
experiences chased themselves across it.
Such a shining creature as she was, therefore,
perl~aps it was not wonderful that her general effect was bewlldering, but, really, to
get a steady look at her face was like trying
to see a water-fall behind the trees. In a
strange manner it shifted continually between earnestness and elfishness, and she
seemed to know by instinct if you were studying her, for by a sudden turn of her bead, a
flutter of her fan, or an upward movement of
I~er hand, she would baffle you completely.
Her warmest admirers stoutly maintained
that this intangibility was an especial charm,
giving one a fearful joy in one's intercourse
with her, as if one were grasph)g something
evanescent which might presently fade from
one a hold; and as I watched her I felt the
fevering influence enter into me. Wherever
she went she was followed by a train of men
distinguished for fortune, or position, or gifts;
and no matter to whom they owed allegiance,
whether to wife, mother, or maid, while, within her magic circle, devotion to Mrs. Credit
took precedence of every thing else.
So immensely sought after and influential
as this wondrous lady was, I made no attempt
to attract her notice, but neither could I
tear myself away from her vicinity, and consequently I overheard a good deal of her conversation. It displayed that inability or that
unwillingness to go below the surface of any
thing which so characterizes rich women, but
it was sparkling and wide-glancing, as from
having roved through many fields of culture,
and gathered blossoms from all. She would
never be pinned down, however, and I could
see that she almost drove a well-known reformer, who was rather forcing his views upon
her, to despair. He was trying to interest
her in the Coo~perative Stores of England, of
which, he said, there are now about a tl)00sand in successful operation; and he endeavored to explain what a boon it would be to
the struggling classes of New-York City if
Mrs. Credit and other women of means and
position should open and conduct one of these
stores for the benefit of their poorer sisters.
"The mission of the modern house-keeper of the well-to-do-classes," said he, "is, to
sweep away the modern middle-man by taking possession of the function of retail distribution, and saving to the community the
twelve per cent. it 110W pays out of retail
profit. Only one such store successfully organized by women, and thousands would follow all over the country, while the final result
of the movement would be that pauperism
would be prevented, and, of course, disappear.
But Mrs. Credit shook her 663]small head,
disapprovingly, and believed in no such Utopian vision. She thought it was better to
"give to him that asketh thee," with the
saints of all ages, than to adopt these selfish
modern theories of "making the poor help
themselves." * As for preventing pauperism, we were told long ago that "the poor
ye have ahvays with you;" so, if it did not
exist in one form, it would in another. Why
not do the good that comes to us instead of
running to seek it in such an unknown land
(to New-York ladies) as a Coo~perative Store?
Against these stock Scripture phrases the
reformer might have quoted the thirty-fifth
chapter of Isaiah with damaging effect, but
he did not, and a gentleman standing near
me whispered with a chuckle: "Rather cool
to ask a Mrs. Credit to open a Coo~perative
Store, since the very basis of the system is
cesi'."
Whether Mrs. Credit heard tlie whisper or
the chuckle, I know not, but I fancied that
she turned slightly pale. Meantime I had
been trying to decipher the riddle of her face,
* "Hetpzaa the poor to help themselves" was
the reformer's phrase, hnt Mrs. Credit gave it a
little feminine twist.
and I decided that it partly lay in an apprehension of something that she ever felt to be
impending over her. Her mind was not at
ease, and her subtle eyes, that seldom looked
straight into yours, but were so dangerously sweet, would glance over and beyond all
this admiration, and splendor, and seeming security, into the mirrored vistas of her
apartments, as if something lurked in their
depths that threatened her. Once, following
her eye, I saw a distant reflection of her dark
and silent major-domo. The reflection stood
still for a moment, facing us, then passed along,
as if going toward an opposite quarter of the
house. As it disappeared, I looked back at
Mrs. Credit, and her delicate face, which had
contracted a little, lifted and brightened, as
if relieved from a menace or a fear.
It was now growing late, and the tardiest
comer had paid his respects. Our hostess and
all her train had been into the supper-room,
where she had daintily sipped a cup of 6oui'ton as her only refreshment; and she was
now in the ballroom, looking on, but not
joining the waltzers. My fatigue had developed into a terrific headache, but I was
too completely carried away by Mrs. Credit
to pay much attention to it, and I would not
have curtailed by an hour the intoxication of
her presence for the world. The festivity of
the occasion was at the height that always
precedes the home-going, and, all over the
great house, guests were talking, laughing,
dancing, playing, eating, or drinking. The
card-room was raised by two or fliree broad
steps above the ballroom, and was separated
from it by low Moorish arches. On these
steps the musicians were seated, and, as Mrs.
Credit Was passing from one apartment to
the other, she turned for a moment to speak
to a young violin-player, in whose fortunes
she had been taking an interest. Thus she
was standing at the very top of the ballroom,
and framed by one of the gilded arches as in
a picture; her robe lay in rid~ folds about her
feet, and flowed along the steps; and I was
just thinking that her pose, as she lingered
there, was the climax of the whole eveningwhen suddenly a sharp pain darted knife-like
through iny temples, and my senses were enveloped in a golden haze, with every thing
singing and tingling about me.
How iong this lasted, I know not; but I
was recalled to myself and my surroundings
by hearing the liveried footman at the entrance of the ballroom announce, iii a tone
that seemed to ring through every brain:
"Ma. DEalT, THE HasHAND OF Mas.
CazulT!"
A shriek went up under the Moorish arches that penetrated the entire mansion from
garret to celiar, and instantly I heard the
trampling of many feet from every part of
the house, all rushing to see what could be
the matter. Within the ballroom all eyes
were turned toward the door, and lo! the
gloomy figure of Mrs. Credit's major-domo
was seen advancing to the dais where she
stood. As he drew near, a look of agonized
terror passed over the fascinating face, then
one of helpless despair, and lastly a smile
of strange irony as she closed her eyes, and,
not fainted-but failed absolutely away