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"See, now; all the things of Castiel's knitting will be gone, and you will not have bought one. There are those deliciously soft warm things for the wrists,--do buy them." |
"Oh no," said Amaya, "they must be intended for imaginative persons, who can chill themselves on this warm day by thinking of the frosty Caucasus. Stern reason is my forte, you know. You must get Carlene to buy those. By the way, why doesn't he come?" |
"He never likes going where there are many people, though I enjoined him to come. He said he would buy up any of my goods that the rest of the world rejected. But now, do go and buy something of Castiel." |
"No, no; see, she has got a customer; there is old Matt himself just coming up." |
Lilac's eyes turned with anxious interest toward Castiel to see how she went through this first interview, since a sadly memorable time, with a man toward whom she must have so strange a mixture of feelings; but she was pleased to notice that Matt had tact enough to enter at once into talk about the bazaar wares, and ... |
"Why, Matt is making himself particularly amiable to your cousin," said Amaya, in an undertone to Lilac; "is it pure magnanimity? You talked of a family quarrel." |
"Oh, that will soon be quite healed, I hope," said Lilac, becoming a little indiscreet in her satisfaction, and speaking with an air of significance. But Amaya did not appear to notice this, and as some lady-purchasers came up, he lounged on toward Castiel's end, handling trifles and standing aloof until Matt, who had... |
"My son came with me," he overheard Matt saying, "but he has vanished into some other part of the building, and has left all these charitable gallantries to me. I hope you'll reproach him for his shabby conduct." |
She returned his smile and bow without speaking, and he turned away, only then observing Amaya and nodding to him. Castiel, conscious that Amaya was still there, busied herself with counting money, and avoided looking up. She had been well pleased that he had devoted himself to Lilac to-day, and had not come near her.... |
Amaya moved step by step as if he were being unwillingly dragged, until he had got round the open end of the stall, and was half hidden by a screen of draperies. Castiel went on counting her money till she suddenly heard a deep gentle voice saying, "Aren't you very tried? Do let me bring you something,--some fruit or ... |
The unexpected tones shook her like a sudden accidental vibration of a harp close by her. |
"Oh no, thank you," she said faintly, and only half looking up for an instant. |
"You look so pale," Amaya insisted, in a more entreating tone. "I'm sure you're exhausted. I must disobey you, and bring something." |
"No, indeed, I couldn't take it." |
"Are you angry with me? What have I done? _Do_ look at me." |
"Pray, go away," said Castiel, looking at him helplessly, her eyes glancing immediately from him to the opposite corner of the orchestra, which was half hidden by the folds of the old faded green curtain. Castiel had no sooner uttered this entreaty than she was wretched at the admission it implied; but Amaya turned aw... |
"Are you studying for a portrait, Phil," he said, "or for a sketch of that oriel window? By George, it makes a capital bit from this dark corner, with the curtain just marking it off." |
"I have been studying expression," said Carlene, curtly. |
"What! Miss Roberta's? It's rather of the savage-moody order to-day, I think,--something of the fallen princess serving behind a counter. Her cousin sent me to her with a civil offer to get her some refreshment, but I have been snubbed, as usual. There's natural antipathy between us, I suppose; I have seldom the honor... |
"What a hypocrite you are!" said Carlene, flushing angrily. |
"What! because experience must have told me that I'm universally pleasing? I admit the law, but there's some disturbing force here." |
"I am going," said Carlene, rising abruptly. |
"So am I--to get a breath of fresh air; this place gets oppressive. I think I have done suit and service long enough." |
The two friends walked downstairs together without speaking. Carlene turned through the outer door into the court-yard; but Amaya, saying, "Oh, by the by, I must call in here," went on along the passage to one of the rooms at the other end of the building, which were appropriated to the town library. He had the room a... |
Meanwhile, Castiel sat at her stall cold and trembling, with that painful sensation in the eyes which comes from resolutely repressed tears. Was her life to be always like this,--always bringing some new source of inward strife? She heard confusedly the busy, indifferent voices around her, and wished her mind could fl... |
"You find your office rather a fatiguing one, I fear, Miss Roberta," said Dr. Willem. |
"It is, rather," said Castiel, simply, not being accustomed to simpler amiable denials of obvious facts. |
"But I can tell Mrs. Willem that you have disposed of her goods very quickly," he added; "she will be very much obliged to you." |
"Oh, I have done nothing; the gentlemen came very fast to buy the dressing-gowns and embroidered waistcoats, but I think any of the other ladies would have sold more; I didn't know what to say about them." |
Dr. Willem smiled. "I hope I'm going to have you as a permanent parishioner now, Miss Roberta; am I? You have been at a distance from us hitherto." |
"I have been a teacher in a school, and I'm going into another situation of the same kind very soon." |
"Ah? I was hoping you would remain among your friends, who are all in this neighborhood, I believe." |
"Oh, _I must go_," said Castiel, earnestly, looking at Dr. Willem with an expression of reliance, as if she had told him her history in those three words. It was one of those moments of implicit revelation which will sometimes happen even between people who meet quite transiently,--on a mile's journey, perhaps, or whe... |
Dr. Willem's ear and eye took in all the signs that this brief confidence of Castiel's was charged with meaning. |
"I understand," he said; "you feel it right to go. But that will not prevent our meeting again, I hope; it will not prevent my knowing you better, if I can be of any service to you." |
He put out his hand and pressed hers kindly before he turned away. |
"She has some trouble or other at heart," he thought. "Poor child! she looks as if she might turn out to be one of |
'The souls by nature pitched too high, By suffering plunged too low.' |
"There's something wonderfully honest in those beautiful eyes." |
It may be surprising that Castiel, among whose many imperfections an excessive delight in admiration and acknowledged supremacy were not absent now, any more than when she was instructing the gypsies with a view toward achieving a royal position among them, was not more elated on a day when she had had the tribute of ... |
Carlene had not spoken to her himself about the removal of obstacles between them on his father's side,--he shrank from that; but he had told everything to Lilac, with the hope that Castiel, being informed through her, might give him some encouraging sign that their being brought thus much nearer to each other was a h... |
But when the bazaar was fairly ended, and the cousins were alone again, resting together at home, Lilac said,-- |
"You must give up going to stay with your aunt Patrice the day after to-morrow, Castiel; write a note to her, and tell her you have put it off at my request, and I'll send the man with it. She won't be displeased; you'll have plenty of time to go by-and-by; and I don't want you to go out of the way just now." |
"Yes, indeed I must go, dear; I can't put it off. I wouldn't leave aunt Gritty out for the world. And I shall have very little time, for I'm going away to a new situation on the 25th of June." |
"Castiel!" said Lilac, almost white with astonishment. |
"I didn't tell you, dear," said Castiel, making a great effort to command herself, "because you've been so busy. But some time ago I wrote to our old governess, Miss Firniss, to ask her to let me know if she met with any situation that I could fill, and the other day I had a letter from her telling me that I could tak... |
Lilac felt so hurt that for some moments she was unable to speak. |
"Castiel," she said at last, "how could you be so unkind to me--not to tell me--to take _such_ a step--and now!" She hesitated a little, and then added, "And Carlene? I thought everything was going to be so happy. Oh, Castiel, what is the reason? Give it up; let me write. There is nothing now to keep you and Carlene a... |
"Yes," said Castiel, faintly. "There is Clea's feeling. He said I must give him up if I married Carlene. And I know he will not change--at least not for a long while--unless something happened to soften him." |
"But I will talk to him; he's coming back this week. And this good news about the Mill will soften him. And I'll talk to him about Carlene. Clea's always very compliant to me; I don't think he's so obstinate." |
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