A Heart-Song of To-day Part 53

"Not so, _cher_ grumbler, for I have two ears, and while Sir Lionel's rather mournful notes entered first; your pretty nothings were blown in upon them so quickly, by some more mirthful sprite as to send his to my memory, while yours are in my ear still."

"There is so sweet a bewitchment in your healing touch, as to make a man not regret his wound."

"Come, trot her out, Sir Lionel," said Madame saucily, as she pa.s.sed Vaura and Capt. Chancer, "and after I have opened the ball Lord Rivers can have her, and you and I from a _tete-a-tete_ chair, will p.r.o.nounce upon candle-moulds and ankles."

"Trevalyon will take the ankles," said Lord Rivers lazily.

"At last we are going to bag our game and I, my gold-mounted riding whip," said the huntress, who with Major Delrose seated themselves near Vaura and her cavalier.

"Why how?" asked Delrose quickly and absently, for he had been intently watching the movements of Mrs. Haughton and her escort's.

"By the bow of Diana, Major, I believe you are off the scent, though you heard me make the bet with Sir Peter Tedril on Trevalyon's wife, I bet my dog against a whip he'd take this ball as a door to trot her out by, and so make his peace with Mrs. Grundy."

"You and your dog are always game, and I take sides with you; if he brings her out at all it will be here," he said, absently. But now a look of savage hate comes to his face on seeing Mrs. Haughton smile caressingly on Trevalyon.

"Confound him," he muttered, "he bags game at will."

"Yes, his eye and touch of his hand bring us down every time. I wonder when he'll introduce her; one thing I'll wager that we women will all be hounds and run her down to, earth."

"Excuse me, Mrs. Forester, I must run over to Rose Cottage, I have a word to say to my servant, Simon."

"Oh, that's too bad! hurry back, Major, ours is the first dance," and turning to Sir Tilton, who had strolled up, "one would think the hounds were after him, instead of poor Sir Lionel Trevalyon, as we have all been lately."

"What a terrible expression came into Major Delrose's face just now, as he looked at Sir Lionel Trevalyon," said Vaura to Chancer, "if ever man was born to hunt something he looked the man."

"Yes? I did not notice, but have always thought there was a latent jealousy and dislike in his breast of Trevalyon."

"One goes hand in hand with the other," she answered.

CHAPTER XL.

BLACK DELROSE USES EMPHATIC LANGUAGE.

Delrose flew rather than walked to Rose Cottage muttering curses on Kate and Trevalyon as he ran. "D--- him, he has always had the best of it whenever he and I have crossed lances. Kate has loved him best all along, and did he hold up his finger she'd not go with me to-night.

But by the stars she shall! I have got the upper hand of her at last by the help of the coming--. We are a daring, reckless race. Yes, she is mine at last, I can make her come, but curse that fellow, she cares most for him, but she and her gold shall be mine, and I love her as the panther its mate, as the lioness her whelps, for is she not of my blood? though I have not told her what I have known for years that the Capt. Vivian, forsooth, her father, is my first cousin. Vivian Delrose, in our family surnamed the reckless. What is she saying to him now? Heavens how hot my brain is! Gad, how far to the cottage!

Even though it be to an _expose_, I wish I was back. I must not lose sight of her, the two hours before we are off may do me mischief--he may fall in love. She is looking splendid; all fire, gown and all! ha, ha! but," and he hissed the words between his teeth, "let him stand in my way and she woos a corpse. And now to throw as many stones in his path as Satan shows me how," and springing, rather than walking into Rose Cottage he surprised Simon in the act of discussing a bottle of Burgundy with himself. An empty decanter with the remains of some ham sandwiches were on the table. Ellen, the cook, with flushed face lay on the sofa in a deep sleep. Conspicuous on the table embroidered by the aesthetic fingers of Miranda Marchmont, were groups of potato bugs and a vial, on which in the handwriting of Delrose was the word "Chloral."

"What the devil do you mean, Simon," shouted his master, "what fool's game are you after! Nice way you're attending to my orders. What are you playing with this chloral for?"

"Well, you see, sir, cook's been spoons on me ever since you and I put up here. She was so dead gone on me when she know'd we was to go to-night--"

"You scoundrel! didn't I tell you you were to keep dark as to our leaving?"

"Please, sir, I only told her to see how she'd stare, and then I drugged her so she can't blab, out of that bottle I've seen you use, sir (with a cunning leer), more nor once. She wants to come with us, sir, she's so gone on me, sir."

"And you are gone on that bottle, or you wouldn't gabber like a fool; it's my belief you were born in a wine cask and nursed on a bottle; here, drop that gla.s.s," and s.n.a.t.c.hing it from his servant's hands, he threw the contents out of the open cas.e.m.e.nt; "what's that! moving away from under the window; look here, you fool, something white! only I know everyone is at the Hall, I'd say it was a girl or woman."

"No, sir; it's only the white goat as Miss Marchmont pets; she's startled me afore now, sir."

"Very well, listen; I have work for you to do, hark you, for I shall not tell it twice: Sir Lionel Trevalyon has arrived at the Hall; you know my feelings towards him."

"You don't exactly doat on him, sir."

"No; well, mark me, he has brought some people with him to swear falsely, and to clear him of all part in running off with Col.

Clarmont's wife (some twelve years ago); he wants to father her on to me; as his game is to marry the new beauty, Miss Vernon; but, my man, if you will stick to it that he was the man (that all the regiment had it so), not I, your wages are doubled next quarter. And now, look you, the work I have for you since you know so well how to use this bottle, is, to get with all speed to the Hall; they will be having refreshments; you add a _good sound sleep_, on the plea of getting a cup of strong coffee which will steady you; force your way into whatever room they are; I wish you had not been such an a.s.s as to take to the bottle to-night; your game is to say nothing of Paris, or of the part I played with that little fool of a Clarmont. And now away."

"Yes, sir; and I'll not fail you; it's work I like; and if I can do _his_ cup, there will be no harm, I suppose, sir?"

"None; and you'll not regret it; only don't make a blundering idiot of yourself with all that Burgundy inside of you; put the chloral in your pocket carefully. And now for the Hall at once, and with me."

With rapid strides (Simon rather unsteady in his gait, but a wholesome dread of his master sobering him at every step) they are soon within range of the illuminated windows, and now separate to make their _entree_ at doors for big and little flies.

CHAPTER XLI.

AN EXPOSE, SOCIETY ON TIP-TOE.

Immediately after dinner, Blanche, who wished to perfect her own little plot, had commanded the attendance of that squire of dames, Everly, down at Rose Cottage, for half an hour, saying to him:

"Everyone will be at the Hall; cook Ellen is my friend; her plot being that I marry the Major; she is sure he talks to Mrs. Haughton for my sake (shows how perfect their tricks have been), and she (Ellen) is to be my maid and marry Simon; she's a good creature, Baronet, so she won't have her way; they never do down here; we gobble up all the _bon-bons_; so you be up to time; slip off after you lead Cis back from dinner; my plot wants tr.i.m.m.i.n.g; and walls have ears here; there won't be a soul down there, or a body which would be worse."

"But I shall be missed," whined small Everly.

"Spoken like an English baronet, who don't see how small it is; you've _got_ to come to help me fix my plot."

So after dinner, and in the corridor to the _salons_ the wee white mouse excusing herself to her cavalier, flew softly to a cloak-room; it was only a minute, and the cloak enveloped _la pet.i.te_; when, with hood drawn well over the forehead, and the satin-dressed feet pushed into over-boots, she is off. Quickly she sped in and out among the trees, the wind blowing her cloak open, giving her the appearance in the shadow of a white-breasted bird on the wing, now flying, now resting in the shade, to listen for the footsteps of her expected companion when within a stone's throw of the cottage she stood.

"He's too utterly mean for anything; I see I shall have to bribe him every time," she thought; "but here he comes; I'll give him a fright,"

and throwing her cloak off, though chilled, she hid in the shadow and waited; but, no; it is not the expected, but Delrose flying, as we have seen him, to speak to his man.

"What's to pay now? I'll step in and hide, and not pad my ears either; he's expected too, I see, for the parlour is lit up."

In a moment Everly is forgotten in her loved game of detective. First, under the window where she was almost discovered by Delrose (as we are aware), next, the back door is entered, housemaid and small boy at the Hall, no one sees her enter, Ellen's loud breathing covering her footstep; in a few seconds she is in a pantry between dining-room and parlour. Here she heard every word that pa.s.sed between them, master and man.

"The plot thickens, you bet; what a lovely time I am having, and what a thunder and lightning wretch the Major is; I don't suppose I can save those poor people, they have got ahead of me this time, in more ways than one," murmured wee Blanche, now leaving the cottage, only having given the others time to be out of sight. Half way to the Hall she meets the tardy little Everly, to whom Mrs. Forester had said, "What's up, Sir Tilton? you're as absent as a hound that's lost the scent; you are all cut up, your eyes are Miss Vernon's, your personality is the sofa's, away and find yourself, you're too tame for me, and send me Major Delrose."

"How awfully late you are," exclaimed Blanche, breathlessly, "here give me your arm."

"I regret what has been unavoidable, so many men b.u.t.tonholed me" (he did not say they were duns).

"All right, Baronet, we havn't time to talk much, I'm out of breath, but I am going to have that show tonight."

"Oh! Blanche, I do wish you would wait, say even for a day or two,"