Gertrude Wentworth had held a silent place in the little circle gathered about the two gentlemen from Boston. She was not interested in the visitors; she was watching Madame Munster, as she constantly watched her. She knew that Eugenia also was not interested--that she was bored; and Gertrude was absorbed in study of the problem how, in spite of her indifference and her absent attention, she managed to have such a charming manner.
That was the manner Gertrude would have liked to have; she determined to cultivate it, and she wished that--to give her the charm--she might in future very often be bored.
While she was engaged in these researches, Felix Young was looking for Charlotte, to whom he had something to say.
For some time, now, he had had something to say to Charlotte, and this evening his sense of the propriety of holding some special conversation with her had reached the motive-point--resolved itself into acute and delightful desire. He wandered through the empty rooms on the large ground-floor of the house, and found her at last in a small apartment denominated, for reasons not immediately apparent, Mr. Wentworth's "office:" an extremely neat and well-dusted room, with an array of law-books, in time-darkened sheep-skin, on one of the walls; a large map of the United States on the other, flanked on either side by an old steel engraving of one of Raphael's Madonnas; and on the third several glass cases containing specimens of butterflies and beetles.
Charlotte was sitting by a lamp, embroidering a slipper.
Felix did not ask for whom the slipper was destined; he saw it was very large.
He moved a chair toward her and sat down, smiling as usual, but, at first, not speaking. She watched him, with her needle poised, and with a certain shy, fluttered look which she always wore when he approached her.
There was something in Felix's manner that quickened her modesty, her self-consciousness; if absolute choice had been given her she would have preferred never to find herself alone with him; and in fact, though she thought him a most brilliant, distinguished, and well-meaning person, she had exercised a much larger amount of tremulous tact than he had ever suspected, to circumvent the accident of tete-a-tete.
Poor Charlotte could have given no account of the matter that would not have seemed unjust both to herself and to her foreign kinsman; she could only have said--or rather, she would never have said it--that she did not like so much gentleman's society at once.
She was not reassured, accordingly, when he began, emphasizing his words with a kind of admiring radiance, "My dear cousin, I am enchanted at finding you alone."
"I am very often alone," Charlotte observed. Then she quickly added, "I don't mean I am lonely!"
"So clever a woman as you is never lonely," said Felix.
"You have company in your beautiful work." And he glanced at the big slipper.
"I like to work," declared Charlotte, simply.
"So do I!" said her companion. "And I like to idle too.
But it is not to idle that I have come in search of you.
I want to tell you something very particular."
"Well," murmured Charlotte; "of course, if you must"--
"My dear cousin," said Felix, "it 's nothing that a young lady may not listen to. At least I suppose it is n't. But voyons; you shall judge.
I am terribly in love."
"Well, Felix," began Miss Wentworth, gravely. But her very gravity appeared to check the development of her phrase.
"I am in love with your sister; but in love, Charlotte--in love!" the young man pursued. Charlotte had laid her work in her lap; her hands were tightly folded on top of it; she was staring at the carpet. "In short, I 'm in love, dear lady," said Felix.
"Now I want you to help me."
"To help you?" asked Charlotte, with a tremor.
"I don't mean with Gertrude; she and I have a perfect understanding; and oh, how well she understands one! I mean with your father and with the world in general, including Mr. Brand."
"Poor Mr. Brand!" said Charlotte, slowly, but with a simplicity which made it evident to Felix that the young minister had not repeated to Miss Wentworth the talk that had lately occurred between them.
"Ah, now, don't say 'poor' Mr. Brand! I don't pity Mr. Brand at all.
But I pity your father a little, and I don't want to displease him.
Therefore, you see, I want you to plead for me. You don't think me very shabby, eh?"
"Shabby?" exclaimed Charlotte softly, for whom Felix represented the most polished and iridescent qualities of mankind.
"I don't mean in my appearance," rejoined Felix, laughing; for Charlotte was looking at his boots. "I mean in my conduct.
You don't think it 's an abuse of hospitality?"
"To--to care for Gertrude?" asked Charlotte.
"To have really expressed one's self. Because I have expressed myself, Charlotte; I must tell you the whole truth--I have!
Of course I want to marry her--and here is the difficulty. I held off as long as I could; but she is such a terribly fascinating person!
She 's a strange creature, Charlotte; I don't believe you really know her."
Charlotte took up her tapestry again, and again she laid it down.
"I know your father has had higher views," Felix continued; "and I think you have shared them. You have wanted to marry her to Mr. Brand."