Tales and Novels Volume IX Part 35

"Another cup of tea, aunt, if you please."

"Then the sooner the better, I say," continued her father; "for when a disagreeable thing is to be done--that is, when a thing that's not quite agreeable to a young lady, such as marriage--" Dora took the cup of tea from her aunt's hand, Harry not interfering--"I say," persisted her father, "the sooner it's done and over, the better."

Dora saw that Ormond's eyes were fixed upon her: she suddenly tasted, and suddenly started back from her scalding tea; Harry involuntarily uttered some exclamation of pity; she turned, and seeing his eyes still fixed upon her, said, "Very rude, sir, to stare at any one so."

"I only thought you had scalded yourself."

"Then you only thought wrong."

"At any rate, there's no great occasion to be angry with me, Dora."

"And who is angry, pray, Mr. Ormond? What put it in your head that I was doing you the honour to be angry with you?"

"The cream! the cream!" cried Miss O'Faley.

A sudden motion, we must not say an angry motion of Dora's elbow, had at this moment overset the cream ewer; but Harry set it up again, before its contents poured on her new riding-habit.

"Thank you," said she, "thank you; but," added she, changing the places of the cream ewer and cups and saucers before her, "I'd rather manage my own affairs my own way, if you'd let me, Mr. Ormond--if you'd leave me--I can take care of myself my own way."

"I beg your pardon for saving your habit from destruction, for that is the only cause of offence that I am conscious of having given. But I leave you to your own way, as I am ordered," said he, rising from the breakfast table.

"Sparring! sparring again, you two!" said Dora's father: "but, Dora, I wonder whether you and White Connal were sparring that way when you met."

"Time enough for that, sir, after marriage," said Dora.

Our hero, who had stood leaning on the back of his chair, fearing that he had been too abrupt in what he had said, cast a lingering look at Dora, as her father spoke about White Connal, and as she replied; but there was something so unfeminine, so unamiable, so decided and bold, he thought, in the tone of her voice, as she p.r.o.nounced the word _marriage_, that he then, without reluctance, and with a feeling of disgust, quitted the room, and left her "to manage her own affairs, and to take her own way."

CHAPTER XI.

Our young hero, hero-like, took a solitary walk to indulge his feelings; and as he rambled, he railed to his heart's content against Dora.

"Here all my plans of happiness and improvement are again overturned: Dora cannot improve me, can give me no motive for making myself any thing better than what I am. Polish my manners! no, when she has such rude, odious manners herself; much changed for the worse--a hundred times more agreeable when she was a child. Lost to me she is every way--no longer my playfellow--no chance of her being my friend. Her good father hoped she would be a sister to me--very sorry I should be to have such a sister: then I am to consider her as a married woman--pretty wife she will make! I am convinced she cares no more for that man she is going to marry than I do--marrying merely to be married, to manage her own affairs, and have her own way--so childis.h.!.+--or marrying merely to get an establishment--so base! How women, and such young creatures, _can_ bring themselves to make these venal matches--I protest Peggy Sheridan's worth a hundred of such. Moriarty may think himself a happy fellow--Suzy--Jenny, any body--only with dress and manner a little different--is full as good in reality. I question whether they'd give themselves, without liking, to any White Connal in their own rank, at the first offer, for a few sheep, or a cow, or to have their own way."

Such was the summing up of the topics of invective, which, during a two hours' walk, had come round and round continually in Ormond's indignant fancy. He went plucking off the hawthorn blossoms in his path, till at one desperate tug, that he gave to a branch which crossed his way, he opened to a bank that sloped down to the lake. At a little distance below him he saw old Sheelah sitting under a tree rocking herself backwards and forwards; while Dora stood motionless opposite to her, with her hand covering her eyes, and her head drooping. They neither of them saw Ormond, and he walked on pursuing his own path; it led close behind the hedge to the place where they were, so close, that the sounds "Willastrew! Willastrew!" from Old Sheelah, in her funereal tone, reached his ear, and then the words, "Oh, my heart's darling! so young to be a sacrifice--But what next did he say?"

Ormond's curiosity was strongly excited; but he was too honourable to listen or to equivocate with conscience: so to warn them that some one was within hearing, he began to whistle clear and strong. Both the old woman and the young lady started.

"Murder!" cried Sheelah, "it's Harry Ormond. Oh! did he overhear any thing--or all, think ye?"

"Not I," answered Ormond, leaping over the hedge directly, and standing firm before them: "I _overheard_ nothing--I _heard_ only your last words, Sheelah--you spoke so loud I could not help it. They are as safe with me as with yourself--but don't speak so loud another time, if you are talking secrets; and whatever you do, never suspect me of listening--I am incapable of _that_, or any other baseness."

So saying, he turned his back, and was preparing to vault over the hedge again, when he heard Dora, in a soft low voice, say, "I never suspected you, Harry, of that, or any other baseness."

"Thank you, Dora," said he, turning with some emotion, "thank you, Dora, for this first, this only kind word you've said to me since you came home."

Looking at her earnestly, as he approached nearer, he saw the traces of tears, and an air of dejection in her countenance, which turned all his anger to pity and tenderness in an instant. With a soothing tone he said, "Forgive my unseasonable reproach--I was wrong--I see you are not as much to blame as I thought you were."

"To blame!" cried Dora. "And pray how--and why--and for what did you think me to blame, sir?"

The impossibility of explanation, the impropriety of what he had said flashed suddenly on his mind; and in a few moments a rapid succession of ideas followed. "Was Dora to blame for obeying her father, for being ready to marry the man to whom her father had destined--promised her hand; and was he, Harry Ormond, the adopted child, the trusted friend of the family, to suggest to the daughter the idea of rebelling against her father's will, or disputing the propriety of his choice?"

Ormond's imagination took a rapid flight on Dora's side of the question, and he finished with the _conviction_ that she was "a sacrifice, a martyr, and a miracle of perfection!" "Blame you, Dora!" cried he, "blame you! No--I admire, I esteem, I respect you. Did I say that I blamed you? I did not know what I said, or what I meant."

"And are you sure you know any better what you say or what you mean, now?" said Dora.

The altered look and tone of tartness in which this question was asked produced as sudden a change in Harry's _conviction_. He hesitatingly answered, "I am--"

"He is," said Sheelah, confidently.

"I did not ask your opinion, Sheelah: I can judge for myself," said Dora. "Your words tell me one thing, sir, and your looks another," said she, turning to Ormond; "which am I to believe, pray?"

"Oh! believe the young man any way, sure," said Sheelah; "silence speaks best for him."

"Best against him, in my opinion," said Dora.

"Dora, will you hear me?" Ormond began.

"No, sir, I will not," interrupted Dora. "What's the use of hearing or listening to a man who does not, by the confession of his own eyes, and his own tongue, know two minutes together _what_ he means, or mean two minutes together the same thing? A woman might as well listen to a fool or a madman!"

"Too harsh, too severe, Dora," said he.

"Too true, too sincere, perhaps you mean."

"Since I am allowed, Dora, to speak to you as a brother--"

"Who allowed you, sir?" interrupted Dora.

"Your father, Dora."

"My father cannot, shall not! n.o.body but nature can make any man my brother--n.o.body but myself shall allow any man to call himself my brother."

"I am sorry I presumed so far, Miss O'Shane--I was only going to offer one word of advice."

"I want no advice--I will take none from you, sir."

"You shall have none, madam, henceforward, from Harry Ormond."

"'Tis well, sir. Come away, Sheelah."

"Oh! wait, dear--Och! I am too old," said Sheelah, groaning as she rose slowly. "I'm too slow entirely for these quick pa.s.sions."

"Pa.s.sions!" cried Dora, growing scarlet and pale in an instant: "what do you mean by pa.s.sions, Sheelah?"

"I mean _changes_," said Sheelah, "changes, dear. I am ready now--where's my stick? Thank you, Master Harry. Only I say I can't change my quarters and march so quick as you, dear."

"Well, well, lean on me," said Dora impatiently.