The Clever Woman of the Family [122]
she is in the other room." "Not particularly, thank you," said Rachel, and she was surprised to find how glad she was to look up freely at him. "Would it be contrary to your principles or practice to dance with me?" "To my practice," she said smilingly, "so let us find my mother. Is Miss Alison Williams here? I never heard whether it was settled that she should come," she added, resolved both to show him her knowledge of his situation, and to let her mother see her at her ease with him. "No, she was obstinate, though her sister and I did our utmost to persuade her, and the boys were crazy to make her go." "I can't understand your wishing it." "Not as an experience of life? Alison never went to anything in her girlhood, but devoted herself solely to her sister, and it would be pleasant to see her begin her youth." "Not as a mere young lady!" exclaimed Rachel. "That is happily not possible." An answer that somewhat puzzled Rachel, whose regard for him was likely to be a good deal dependent upon his contentment with Alison's station in life. "I must say young ladyhood looks to the greatest advantage there," Rachel could not help exclaiming, as at that moment Elizabeth Keith smiled at them, as she floated past, her airy white draperies looped with scarlet ribbons; her dark hair turned back and fastened by a snood of the same, an eagle's feather clasped in it by a large emerald, a memory of her father's last siege--that of Lucknow. "She is a very pretty creature," said the Colonel, under the sparkle of her bright eyes. "I never saw any one make the pursuits of young ladyhood have so much spirit and meaning," added Rachel. "Here you see she has managed to make herself sufficiently like other people, yet full of individual character and meaning." "That is the theory of dress, I suppose," said the Colonel. "If one chooses to cultivate it." "Did you ever see Lady Temple in full dress?" "No; we were not out when we parted as girls." "Then you have had a loss. I think it was at our last Melbourne ball, that when she went to the nursery to wish the children good night, one of them--Hubert, I believe--told her to wear that dress when she went to heaven, and dear old Sir Stephen was so delighted that he went straight upstairs to kiss the boy for it." "Was that Lady Temple?" said Alick Keith, who having found Miss Grey engaged many deep, joined them again, and at his words came back a thrill of Rachel's old fear and doubt as to the possible future. "Yes," said the Colonel; "I was recollecting the gracious vision she used to be at all our chief's parties." "Vision, you call her, who lived in the house with her? What do you think she was to us--poor wretches--coming up from barracks where Mrs. O'Shaughnessy was our cynosure? There was not one of us to whom she was not Queen of the East, and more, with that innocent, soft, helpless dignity of hers!" "And Sir Stephen for the first of her vassals," said the Colonel. "What a change it has been!" said Alick. "Yes; but a change that has shown her to have been unspoilable. We were just agreeing on the ball-room perfections of her and your sister in their several lines." "Very different lines," said Alick, smiling. "I can't judge of Fanny's," said Rachel, "but your sister is almost enough to make one believe there can be some soul in young lady life." "I did not bring Bessie here to convert you," was the somewhat perplexing answer. "Nor has she," said Rachel, "except so far as I see that she can follow ordinary girls' pursuits without being frivolous in them." Alick bowed at the compliment. "And she has been a sunbeam," added Rachel, "we shall all feel graver and cloudier without her." "Yes," said Colonel Keith, "and I am glad Mr. Clare has such a sunbeam for his parsonage. What a blessing she will be there!" he added, as he watched Bessie's graceful way of explaining to his brother some little matter in behalf of the shy mother of a shy girl. Thinking he might be wanted, Colonel Keith went forward to assist, and Rachel continued, "I