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"And fashionably."
"O, fashionably! of course."
"What's left to a man when he ceases to be fashionable?"
"Well, of course he chooses a new set of associates."
"But if Tom Caruthers had married as you say he wanted to marry, hiswife would have come at once into his circle, and made one of it?"
"Provided she could hold the place."
"Of that I have no doubt."
"It was a great gain to Tom that he missed."
"The world has odd balances to weigh loss and gain!" said Philip.
"Why, Philip, in addition to everything else, these girls arereligious;– not after a reasonable fashion, you know, butpuritanical; prejudiced, and narrow, and stiff."
"How do you know all that?"
"From that one's talk last night. And from Mrs. Wishart."
"Did she say they were puritanical?"
"Yes. O yes! they are stiff about dancing and cards; and I had nearlylaughed last night at the way Miss – what's her name? – opened her eyesat me when I spoke of the theatre."
"She does not know what the theatre is," said Philip.
"She thinks she does."
"She does not know the half."
"Philip," said Mrs. Burrage severely and discontentedly, "you are notagreeing with me."
"Not entirely, sister."
"You are as fond of the theatre, or of the opera, as anybody I know."
"I never saw a decent opera in my life."
"Philip!"
"Nor did you."
"How ridiculous! You have been going to the opera all your life, andthe theatre too, in half a dozen different countries."
"Therefore I claim to know of what I speak. And if I had a wife – " hepaused. His thoughts made two or three leaps; the vision of Lois'ssweet, pure dignity came before him, and words were wanting.
"What if you had a wife?" asked his sister impatiently.
"I would rather she would be anything but a 'fast' woman."
"She needn't be 'fast'; but she needn't be precise either."
There was something in Philip's air or his silence which provoked Mrs.
Burrage. She went on with some heat, and defiantly.
"I have no objection to religion, in a proper way. I always teach
Chauncey to make the responses."
"Make them yourself?"
"Of course."
"Do you mean them?"
"Mean them!" —
"Yes. Do you mean what you say? When you have said, 'Lord, have mercyupon us, miserable sinners' – did you feel guilty? or miserable?"
"Miserable!" —
"Yes. Did you feel miserable?"
"Philip, I have no idea what you are driving at, unless you aredefending these two precise, puritanical young country-women."
"A little of that," he said, smiling, "and a little of something else."
He had risen, as if to go. His sister looked at him, vexed anduncertain. She was proud of her brother, she admired him, as almostpeople did who knew Mr. Dillwyn. Suddenly she changed her tactics; roseup, and coming to him laid both her hands on his shoulders so that shecould raise herself up to kiss him.
"Don't you go and be foolish!" she said. "I will forgive your friend,
Philip, but I will not forgive you!"
CHAPTER XLV
DUTY
The days of December went by. Lois was herself again, in health; andnothing was in the way of Madge's full enjoyment of New York and itspleasures, so she enjoyed them to the full. She went wherever Mrs.Wishart would take her. That did not involve any very outrageousdissipation, for Mrs. Wishart, though fond of society, liked it best inmoderation. Moderate companies and moderate hours suited her. However,Madge had enough to content her new thirst for excitement and variety, especially as Mr. Dillwyn continually came in to fill up gaps in herengagements. He took her to drive, or to see various sights, which forthe country-bred girl were full of enchantment; and he came to thehouse constantly on the empty evenings.
Lois queried again and again what brought him there? Madge it must be;it could hardly be the society of his old friend Mrs. Wishart. It wasnot her society that he sought. He was general in his attentions, to besure; but he played chess with Madge, he accompanied Madge's singing,he helped Madge in her French reading and Italian pronunciation, andtook Madge out. He did none of these things with Lois. Truly Lois hadbeen asked, and would not go out either alone or with her sister in Mr.Dillwyn's carriage or in Mr. Dillwyn's convoy. And she had beenchallenged, and invariably declined, to sing with them; and she did notwant to learn the game of chess, and took no help from anybody in herstudies. Indeed, Lois kept herself persistently in the background, andrefused to accompany her friends to any sort of parties; and at home, though she must sit down-stairs in the evening, she withdrew from theconversation as much as she could.
"My dear," said Mrs. Wishart, much vexed at last, "you do not think itis wicked to go into society, I hope?"
"Not for you. I do not think it would be right for me."
"O, fashionably! of course."
"What's left to a man when he ceases to be fashionable?"
"Well, of course he chooses a new set of associates."
"But if Tom Caruthers had married as you say he wanted to marry, hiswife would have come at once into his circle, and made one of it?"
"Provided she could hold the place."
"Of that I have no doubt."
"It was a great gain to Tom that he missed."
"The world has odd balances to weigh loss and gain!" said Philip.
"Why, Philip, in addition to everything else, these girls arereligious;– not after a reasonable fashion, you know, butpuritanical; prejudiced, and narrow, and stiff."
"How do you know all that?"
"From that one's talk last night. And from Mrs. Wishart."
"Did she say they were puritanical?"
"Yes. O yes! they are stiff about dancing and cards; and I had nearlylaughed last night at the way Miss – what's her name? – opened her eyesat me when I spoke of the theatre."
"She does not know what the theatre is," said Philip.
"She thinks she does."
"She does not know the half."
"Philip," said Mrs. Burrage severely and discontentedly, "you are notagreeing with me."
"Not entirely, sister."
"You are as fond of the theatre, or of the opera, as anybody I know."
"I never saw a decent opera in my life."
"Philip!"
"Nor did you."
"How ridiculous! You have been going to the opera all your life, andthe theatre too, in half a dozen different countries."
"Therefore I claim to know of what I speak. And if I had a wife – " hepaused. His thoughts made two or three leaps; the vision of Lois'ssweet, pure dignity came before him, and words were wanting.
"What if you had a wife?" asked his sister impatiently.
"I would rather she would be anything but a 'fast' woman."
"She needn't be 'fast'; but she needn't be precise either."
There was something in Philip's air or his silence which provoked Mrs.
Burrage. She went on with some heat, and defiantly.
"I have no objection to religion, in a proper way. I always teach
Chauncey to make the responses."
"Make them yourself?"
"Of course."
"Do you mean them?"
"Mean them!" —
"Yes. Do you mean what you say? When you have said, 'Lord, have mercyupon us, miserable sinners' – did you feel guilty? or miserable?"
"Miserable!" —
"Yes. Did you feel miserable?"
"Philip, I have no idea what you are driving at, unless you aredefending these two precise, puritanical young country-women."
"A little of that," he said, smiling, "and a little of something else."
He had risen, as if to go. His sister looked at him, vexed anduncertain. She was proud of her brother, she admired him, as almostpeople did who knew Mr. Dillwyn. Suddenly she changed her tactics; roseup, and coming to him laid both her hands on his shoulders so that shecould raise herself up to kiss him.
"Don't you go and be foolish!" she said. "I will forgive your friend,
Philip, but I will not forgive you!"
CHAPTER XLV
DUTY
The days of December went by. Lois was herself again, in health; andnothing was in the way of Madge's full enjoyment of New York and itspleasures, so she enjoyed them to the full. She went wherever Mrs.Wishart would take her. That did not involve any very outrageousdissipation, for Mrs. Wishart, though fond of society, liked it best inmoderation. Moderate companies and moderate hours suited her. However,Madge had enough to content her new thirst for excitement and variety, especially as Mr. Dillwyn continually came in to fill up gaps in herengagements. He took her to drive, or to see various sights, which forthe country-bred girl were full of enchantment; and he came to thehouse constantly on the empty evenings.
Lois queried again and again what brought him there? Madge it must be;it could hardly be the society of his old friend Mrs. Wishart. It wasnot her society that he sought. He was general in his attentions, to besure; but he played chess with Madge, he accompanied Madge's singing,he helped Madge in her French reading and Italian pronunciation, andtook Madge out. He did none of these things with Lois. Truly Lois hadbeen asked, and would not go out either alone or with her sister in Mr.Dillwyn's carriage or in Mr. Dillwyn's convoy. And she had beenchallenged, and invariably declined, to sing with them; and she did notwant to learn the game of chess, and took no help from anybody in herstudies. Indeed, Lois kept herself persistently in the background, andrefused to accompany her friends to any sort of parties; and at home, though she must sit down-stairs in the evening, she withdrew from theconversation as much as she could.
"My dear," said Mrs. Wishart, much vexed at last, "you do not think itis wicked to go into society, I hope?"
"Not for you. I do not think it would be right for me."
Другие электронные книги автора Susan Warner
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