A KNIGHT OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY by Edward Payson Roe (red seas under red skies .TXT) 📕

"I Shall Expect You To Be Very Agreeable This Evening, To Compensate Me

For Mrs. Arnot'S Absence."

Laura Blushed vividly, And Was Provoked with Herself That She Did So,

But She Replied quietly:

"You Must Excuse Me This Evening, Mr. Haldane; I Am Sure My Aunt Will

Need me."

His Smile Was Succeeded by A Sudden Frown; But, As Mr. Arnot Was At The

Table, He Said, With Assumed carelessness:

"Then I Will Go Out And Try To Find Amusement Elsewhere."

"It Might Be Well, Young Man," Said Mr. Arnot Austerely, "To Seek For

Something Else Than Amusement. When I Was At Your Age I So Invested my

Evenings That They Now Tell In my Business."

"I Am Willing To Invest This Evening In a Way To Make It Tell Upon My

Future," Replied haldane, With A Meaning Glance At Laura.

Mr. Arnot Observed this Glance And The Blushing Face Of His Niece, And

Drew His Own Conclusions; But He Only Said Dryly:

"That Remark Is About As Inexplicable As Some Of Your Performances At

The Office Of Late."

Laura Soon After Excused herself And Sought A Refuge In her Aunt'S Room,

Which, Being Darkened, Prevented the Lady From Seeing Her Burning Cheeks

And General Air Of Vexation And Disquiet. Were It Not For Mrs. Arnot'S

Suffering Condition And Need of Rest, Laura Would Then Have Told Her Of

Her Trouble And Asked permission To Return Home, And She Determined to

Do This At The First Opportunity. Now, However, She Unselfishly Forgot

Herself In her Effort To Alleviate Her Aunt'S Distress. With A Strong

Sense Of Relief She Heard Haldane Go Out, Slamming The Front Door After

Him.

"Was There Ever Such An Absurd Fellow!" Thought She; "He Has Made

Himself Disagreeable Ever Since I Came, With His Superior Airs, As If He

Knew Everything, When, In fact, He Doesn'T Know Anything Well, Not Even

Good Manners. He Acts As If I Belonged to Him And Had No Right To Any

Will Or Wishes Of My Own. If He Can'T Take The Hints That I Have Given

He Must Be As Stupid And Blind As An Owl. In spite Of All That I Can Do

Or Say He Seems To Think That I Only Want An Opportunity To Show The

Same Ridiculous Feeling That Makes Him Appear Like A Simpleton. If I

Were A Young Lady In society I Should Detest A Man Who Took It For

Granted that I Would Fall In love With Him."

With Like Indignant Musings She Beguiled the Time, Wondering

Occasionally Why Her Aunt Did Not Ask Her To Go Down And Entertain The

Object Of Her Dread, But Secretly Thankful That She Did Not.

At Last Mrs. Arnot Said:

"Mr. Haldane Went Out, Did He Not?"

"Yes, Auntie, Some Time Ago."

"I Left My Other Bottle Of Smelling-Salts In the Parlor. I Think It Is

Stronger Than This. Would You Mind Getting It For Me? It'S On The

Mantel."

Laura Had No Difficulty In finding It In the Somewhat Dimly-Lighted

Drawing-Room, But As She Turned to Leave The Apartment She Saw Haldane

Between Her And The Door.

Before He Had Reached any Of His Garish Haunts He Had Felt Such An Utter

Distaste For Them In his Present Mood That He Returned. He Was Conscious

Of The Impulse Merely To Be Near The Object Of His Thoughts, And Also

Hoped that By Some Fortunate Chance He Might Still Be Able To Find Her

Alone. That His Return Might Be Unnoted, He Had Quietly Entered a Side

Door, And Was Waiting and Watching For Just Such An Opportunity As Mrs.

Arnot Had Unwittingly Occasioned.

Laura Tried to Brush Past, But He Intercepted her, And Said:

"No, Miss Laura, Not Till You Hear Me. You Have My Destiny In your

Hands."

"I Haven'T Anything Of The Kind," She Answered, In tones Of Strong

Vexation. Guided by Instinct, She Resolved to Be As Prosaic And

Matter-Of-Fact As Possible; So She Added: "I Have Only Aunt'S

Smelling-Salts In my Hands, And She Needs Them."

"I Need _You_ Far More Than Mrs. Arnot Needs Her Smelling-Salts,"

He Said Tragically.

"Mr. Haldane, Such Talk Is Very Absurd," She Replied, Half Ready To Cry

From Nervousness And Annoyance.

"It Is Not Absurd. How Can You Trifle With The Deepest And Holiest

Feelings That A Man--Of Which A Man--Feels?" He Retorted passionately,

And Growing a Little Incoherent.

"I Don'T Know Anything about Such Feelings, And Therefore Cannot Trifle

With Them."

"What Did Your Blushes Mean This Evening? You Cannot Deceive Me; I Have

Seen The World And Know It."

"I Am Not The World. I Am Only A School-Girl, And If You Had Good Sense

You Would Not Talk So To Me. You Appear To Think That I Must Feel And Do

As You Wish. What Right Have You To Act So?"

"The Truest And Strongest Right. You Know Well That I Love You With My

Whole Soul. I Have Given You My Heart--All There Is Of Me. Have I Not A

Right To Ask Your Love In return?"

Laura Was Conscious Of A Strange Thrill As She Heard These Passionate

Words, For They Appeared to Echo In a Depth Of Her Nature Of Which She

Had Not Been Conscious Before.

The Strong And Undoubting assurance Which Possessed him Carried for A

Moment A Strange Mastery Over Her Mind. As He So Vehemently Asserted the

Only Claim Which A Man Can Urge, Her Woman'S Soul Trembled, And For A

Moment She Felt Almost Powerless To Resist. His Unreserved giving

Appeared to Require That He Should Receive Also. She Would Have Soon

Realized, However, That Haldane'S Attitude Was Essentially That Of An

Oriental Lover, Who, In his Strongest Attachments, Is Ever Prone To

Maintain The Imperative Mood, And To Consult His Own Heart Rather Than

That Of The Woman He Loves. While In laura'S Nature There Was Unusual

Gentleness And A Tendency To Respect And Admire Virile Force, She Was

Too Highly Bred in our Western Civilization Not To Resent As An Insult

Any Such Manifestation Of This Force As Would Make The Quest Of Her Love

A Demand Rather Than A Suit, After Once Recognizing Such A Spirit. She

Was Now Confused, However, And After An Awkward Moment Said:

"I Have Not Asked or Wished you To Give Me So Much. I Don'T Think You

Realize What You Are Saying. If You Would Only Remember That I Am

Scarcely More Than A Child You Would Not Talk So Foolishly. Please Let

Me Go To My Aunt."

"No, Not Till You Give Me Some Hope. Your Blushes Prove That You Are A

Woman."

"They Prove That I Am Excessively Annoyed and Vexed."

"Oh, Laura, After Raising So Many Hopes You Cannot--You Cannot----"

"I Haven'T Meant To Raise Any Hopes."

"Why Were You So Kind To Me At First?"

"Well, If You Must Know, My Aunt Wished me To Be. If I Had Dreamed you

Would Act So I Would Not Have Spoken To You."

"What Motive Could Mrs. Arnot Have Had For Such A Request?"

"I Will Tell You, And When You Know The Whole Truth You Will See How

Mistaken You Are, And How Greatly You Wrong Me. Aunt Wanted me To Help

Her Keep You Home Evenings, And Away From All Sorts Of Horrid Places To

Which You Were Fond Of Going."

These Words Gave Haldane A Cue Which He At Once Followed, And He Said

Eagerly:

"If You Will Be My Wife, I Will Do Anything You Wish. I Will Make Myself

Good, Great, And Renowned for Your Sake. Your Smiles Will Keep Me From

Every Temptation. But I Warn You That If You Cast Me Off--If You Trifle

With Me--I Shall Become A Reckless Man. I Shall Be Ruined. My Only

Impulse Will Be Self-Destruction."

Laura Was Now Thoroughly Incensed, And She Said Indignantly:

"Mr. Haldane, I Should Think You Would Be Ashamed to Talk In that

Manner. It'S The Same As If A Spoiled boy Should Say: If You Don'T Give

Me What I Wish, Right Or Wrong, I Will Do Something Dreadful. If I Ever

Do Love A Man, It Will Be One That I Can Look Up To And Respect, And Not

One Who Must Be Coaxed and Bribed to Give Up Disgusting Vices. If You Do

Not Open That Door I Will Call Uncle."

The Door Opened, And Mr. Arnot Entered with A Heavy Frown Upon His Brow.

Mr. Arnot'S Library Was On The Side Of The Hall Opposite To The

Drawing-Room. Though He Had Been Deeply Intent Upon His Writing, He At

Last Became Conscious That There Were Some Persons In the Parlor Who

Were Talking In an Unusual Manner, And He Soon Distinguished the Voice

Of His Niece. Haldane'S Words, Manner, And Glances At The Dinner-Table

At Once Recurred to Him, And Stepping Silently To The Drawing-Room Door,

He Heard The Latter Part Of The Colloquy Narrated in the Previous

Chapter. He Was Both Amused and Angry, And While Relieved to Find That

His Niece Was Indulging In no "Sentimental Nonsense," He Had Not A

Particle Of Sympathy Or Charity For Haldane, And He Determined to Give

The Young Man A "Lesson That Would Not Soon Be Forgotten."

"What Is The Meaning Of This Ridiculous Scene?" He Demanded sternly.

"What Have You Been Saying To This Child?"

Haldane At First Had Been Much Abashed by The Entrance Of His Employer;

But His Tone And Manner Stung The Young Fellow Into Instant Anger, And

He Replied haughtily:

"She Is Not A Child, And What I Have Said Concerns Miss Romeyn Only."

"Ah, Indeed! I Have No Right To Protect My Niece In my Own House!"

"My Intentions Toward Miss Romeyn Are Entirely Honorable, And There Is

No Occasion For Protection."

Reassured by Her Uncle'S Presence, Laura'S Nervous Apprehension Began To

Give Place To Something Like Pity For The Youth, Who Had Assumed an

Attitude Befitting High Tragedy, And Toward Whom She Felt That She Had

Been A Little Harsh. Now That He Was Confronted by One Who Was Disposed

To Be Still More Harsh, Womanlike, She Was Inclined to Take His Part.

She Would Be Sorry To Have Him Come To An Open Rupture With His Employer

On Her Account, So She Said Eagerly:

"Please, Uncle, Do Me The Favor Of Letting The Whole Matter Drop. Mr.

Haldane Has Seen His Mistake By This Time. I Am Going Home To-Morrow,

And The Affair Is Too Absurd To Make Any One Any More Trouble."

Before He Could Answer, Mrs. Arnot, Hearing Their Voices, And Surmising

The Trouble Which She Had Hoped to Prevent, Now Appeared also, And By

Her Good Sense And Tact Brought The Disagreeable Scene To A Speedy

Close.

"Laura, My Dear," She Said Quietly, "Go Up To My Room, And I Will Join

You There Soon." The Young Girl Gladly Obeyed.

There Were Times When Mrs. Arnot Controlled her Strong-Willed husband In

A Manner That Seemed scarcely To Be Reconciled with His Dictatorial

Habits. This Fact Might Be Explained in part By Her Wealth, Of Which He

Had The Use, But Which She Still Controlled, But More Truly By Her

Innate Superiority, Which Ever Gives Supremacy To The Nobler And

Stronger Mind When Aroused.

Mr. Arnot Had Become Suddenly And Vindictively Angry With His Clerk,

Who, Instead Of Being Overwhelmed with Awe And Shame At His Unexpected

Appearance, Was Haughty And Even Defiant. One Of The Strongest Impulses

Of This Man Was To Crush Out Of Those In his Employ A Spirit Of

Independence And Individual Self-Assertion. The Idea Of A Part Of His

Business Machinery Making Such A Jarring Tumult In his Own House! He

Proposed to Instantly Cast Away The Cause Of Friction, And Insert A More

Stolid Human Cog-Wheel In haldane'S Place.

But When His Wife Said, In a Tone Which She Rarely Used:

"Mr. Arnot, Before Anything Further Is Said Upon This Matter, I Would

Like To See You In your Library"--He Followed her Without A Word.

Before The Library Door Closed, However, He Could Not Forbear Snarling.

"I Told You That Your Having This Big Spoiled boy As An Inmate Of The

House Would Not Work Well."

"He Has Been Offering Himself To Laura, Has He Not?" She Said Quietly.

"I Suppose That Is The