Then she went away with Charlie, who was waiting for his turn, and Macroamed about, wondering if anywhere in all that crowd his future wifewas hidden, saying to himself, as he glanced from face to face, quiteunresponsive to the various allurements displayed,--
"What care I how fair she be, If she be not fair for me?"
Just before supper, several young ladies met in the dressing-room torepair damages; and, being friends, they fell into discourse, as theysmoothed their locks, and had their tattered furbelows sewed or pinnedup by the neat-handed Phillis in waiting.
When each had asked the other, "How do I look to-night, dear?" andbeen answered with reciprocal enthusiasm, "Perfectly lovely, darling!"Kitty said to Rose, who was helping her to restore order out of thechaos to which much exercise had reduced her curls,--
"By the way, young Randal is dying to be presented to you. May I aftersupper?"
"No, thank you," answered Rose, very decidedly.
"Well, I'm sure I don't see why not," began Kitty, looking displeased,but not surprised.
"I think you do, else why didn't you present him when he asked? Youseldom stop to think of etiquette: why did you now?"
"I didn't like to do it till I had--you are so particular--I thoughtyou'd say 'No;' but I couldn't tell him so," stammered Kitty, feelingthat she had better have settled the matter herself; for Rose _was_very particular, and had especial reason to dislike this person,because he was not only a dissipated young reprobate himself, butseemed possessed of Satan to lead others astray likewise.
"I don't wish to be rude, dear: but I really must decline; for Icannot know such people, even though I meet them here," said Rose,remembering Charlie's revelations on New-Year's night, and hardeningher heart against the man who had been his undoing on that as well ason other occasions, she had reason to believe.
"I couldn't help it! Old Mr. Randal and papa are friends; and, thoughI spoke of it, brother Alf wouldn't hear of passing that bad boyover," explained Kitty, eagerly.
"Yet Alf forbade your driving or skating with him; for he knows betterthan we how unfit he is to come among us."
"I'd drop him to-morrow if I could; but I must be civil in my ownhouse. His mother brought him, and he won't dare to behave here as hedoes at their bachelor parties."
"She ought not to have brought him till he had shown some desire tomend his ways. It is none of my business, I know; but I do wish peoplewouldn't be so inconsistent, letting boys go to destruction, and thenexpecting us girls to receive them like decent people." Rose spoke inan energetic whisper, but Annabel heard her, and exclaimed, as sheturned round with a powder-puff in her hand,--
"My goodness, Rose! what is all that about going to destruction?"
"She is being strong-minded; and I don't very much blame her in thiscase. But it leaves me in a dreadful scrape," said Kitty, supportingher spirits with a sniff of aromatic vinegar.
"I appeal to you, since you heard me, and there's no one here butourselves: do you consider young Randal a nice person to know?" andRose turned to Annabel and Emma with an anxious eye; for she did notfind it easy to abide by her principles when so doing annoyed friends.
"No, indeed: he's perfectly horrid! Papa says he and Gorham are thewildest young men he knows, and enough to spoil the whole set. I'm soglad I've got no brothers," responded Annabel, placidly powdering herpink arms, quite undeterred by the memory of sundry white streaks lefton sundry coat-sleeves.
"_I_ think that sort of scrupulousness is very ill-bred, if you'llexcuse my saying so, Rose. _We_ are not supposed to know any thingabout fastness, and wildness, and so on; but to treat every man alike,and not be fussy and prudish," said Emma, settling her many-coloredstreamers with the superior air of a woman of the world, aged twenty.
"Ah! but we do know; and, if our silence and civility have no effect,we ought to try something else, and not encourage wickedness of anykind. We needn't scold and preach, but we _can_ refuse to know suchpeople; and that will do some good, for they don't like to be shunnedand shut out from respectable society. Uncle Alec told me not to knowthat man, and I won't." Rose spoke with unusual warmth, forgettingthat she could not tell the real reason for her strong prejudiceagainst "that man."
"Well, _I_ know him: _I_ think him very jolly, and I'm engaged todance the German with him after supper. He leads quite as well as yourcousin Charlie, and is quite as fascinating, some people think,"returned Emma, tossing her head disdainfully; for Prince Charming didnot worship at her shrine, and it piqued her vanity.
In spite of her quandary, Rose could not help smiling as she recalledMac's comparison; for Emma turned so red with spiteful chagrin, sheseemed to have added strawberry-ice to the other varieties composingthe Harlequin.
"Each must judge for herself. I shall follow Aunt Jessie's advice, andtry to keep my atmosphere as pure as I can; for she says every womanhas her own little circle, and in it can use her influence for good,if she will. I do will heartily; and I'll prove that I'm neither proudnor fussy by receiving, here or at home, any respectable man you liketo present to me, no matter how poor or plain or insignificant he maybe."
With which declaration Rose ended her protest, and the four damselsstreamed downstairs together like a wandering rainbow. But Kitty laidto heart what she had said; Annabel took credit to herself for sidingwith her; and Emma owned that _she_ was not trying to keep heratmosphere pure when she came to dance with the objectionable Randal.So Rose's "little circle" was the better for the influence she triedto exert, although she never knew it.
All supper-time, Charlie kept near her, and she was quite content withhim; for he drank only coffee, and she saw him shake his head with afrown when young Van beckoned him toward an anteroom, from whence thesound of popping corks had issued with increasing frequency as theevening wore on.
"Dear fellow, he does try," thought Rose, longing to show how sheadmired his self-denial; but she could only say, as they left thesupper-room with the aunts, who were going early,--
"If I had not promised uncle to get home as soon after midnight aspossible, I'd stay and dance the German with you; for you deserve areward to-night."
"A thousand thanks! but I am going when you do," answered Charlie,understanding both her look and words, and very grateful for them.
"Really?" cried Rose, delighted.
"Really. I'll be in the hall when you come down." And Charlie thoughtthe Fra Angelico angel was not half so bright and beautiful as the onewho looked back at him out of a pale-blue cloud, as Rose went upstairsas if on wings.
When she came down again, Charlie was not in the hall, however; and,after waiting a few minutes, Mac offered to go and find him, for AuntJane was still hunting a lost rubber above.
"Please say I'm ready, but he needn't come if he doesn't want to,"said Rose, not wishing to demand too much of her promising penitent.
"If he has gone into that bar-room, I'll have him out, no matter whois there!" growled Mac to himself, as he made his way to the smallapartment whither the gentlemen retired for a little privaterefreshment when the spirit moved, as it often did.
The door was ajar, and Charlie seemed to have just entered; for Macheard a familiar voice call out, in a jovial tone,--
"Come, Prince! you're just in time to help us drink Steve's healthwith all the honors."
"Can't stop; only ran in to say good-night, Van. Had a capital time;but I'm on d
uty, and must go."
"That's a new dodge. Take a stirrup-cup anyway, and come back in timefor a merry-go-rounder when you've disposed of the ladies," answeredthe young host, diving into the wine-cooler for another bottle.
"Charlie's going in for sanctity, and it doesn't seem to agree withhim," laughed one of the two other young men, who occupied severalchairs apiece, resting their soles in every sense of the word.
"Apron-strings are coming into fashion,--the bluer the better: hey,Prince?" added the other, trying to be witty, with the usual success.
"You'd better go home early yourself, Barrow, or that tongue of yourswill get you into trouble," retorted Charlie, conscious that he oughtto take his own advice, yet lingering, nervously putting on hisgloves, while the glasses were being filled.
"Now, brother-in-law, fire away! Here you are, Prince." And Stevehanded a glass across the table to his cousin, feeling too much elatedwith various pleasurable emotions to think what he was doing; for theboys all knew Charlie's weakness, and usually tried to defend him fromit.
Before the glass could be taken, however, Mac entered in a greathurry, delivering his message in an abbreviated and rather peremptoryform,--
"Rose is waiting for you. Hurry up!"
"All right. Good-night, old fellows!" And Charlie was off, as if thename had power to stop him in the very act of breaking the promisemade to himself.
"Come, Solon, take a social drop, and give us an epithalamium in yourbest Greek. Here's to you!" And Steve was lifting the wine to his ownlips, when Mac knocked the glass out of his hand, with a flash of theeye that caused his brother to stare at him, with his mouth open, inan imbecile sort of way, which seemed to excite Mac still more; for,turning to his young host, he said, in a low voice, and with a lookthat made the gentlemen on the chairs sit up suddenly,--
"I beg pardon, Van, for making a mess; but I can't stand by and see myown brother tempt another man beyond his strength, or make a brute ofhimself. That's plain English: but I can't help speaking out; for Iknow not one of you would willingly hurt Charlie, and you will if youdon't let him alone."
"What do you pitch into me for? I've done nothing. A fellow must becivil in his own house, mustn't he?" asked Van, good-humoredly, as hefaced about, corkscrew in hand.
"Yes, but it is not civil to urge or joke a guest into doing what youknow and he knows is bad for him. That's only a glass of wine to you,but it is perdition to Charlie; and, if Steve knew what he was about,he'd cut his right hand off before he'd offer it."
"Do you mean to say I'm tipsy?" demanded Steve, ruffling up like alittle game-cock; for, though he saw now what he had done and wasashamed of it, he hated to have Mac air his peculiar notions beforeother people.
"With excitement, not champagne, I hope; for I wouldn't own you if youwere," answered Mac, in whom indignation was effervescing like thewine in the forgotten bottle; for the men were all young, friends ofSteve's and admirers of Charlie's. "Look here, boys," he went on morequietly: "I know I ought not to explode in this violent sort of way,but upon my life I couldn't help it, when I heard what you were sayingand saw what Steve was doing. Since I _have_ begun I may as wellfinish, and tell you straight out that Prince can't stand this sort ofthing. He is trying to flee temptation, and whoever leads him into itdoes a cowardly and sinful act; for the loss of one's own self-respectis bad enough, without losing the more precious things that make lifeworth having. Don't tell him I've said this, but lend a hand if youcan, and never have to reproach yourselves with the knowledge that youhelped to ruin a fellow-creature, soul and body."
It was well for the success of Mac's first crusade, that his hearerswere gentlemen and sober: so his outburst was not received with jeersor laughter, but listened to in silence, while the expression of thefaces changed from one of surprise to regret and respect; forearnestness is always effective, and championship of this sort seldomfails to touch hearts as yet unspoiled. As he paused with an eloquentlittle quiver in his eager voice, Van corked the bottle at a blow,threw down the corkscrew, and offered Mac his hand, saying heartily,in spite of his slang,--
"You are a first-class old brick! I'll lend a hand for one, and do mybest to back up Charlie; for he's the finest fellow I know, and shan'tgo to the devil like poor Randal if _I_ can help it."
Murmurs of applause from the others seemed to express a general assentto this vigorous statement; and, giving the hand a grateful shake, Macretreated to the door, anxious to be off now that he had freed hismind with such unusual impetuosity.
"Count on me for any thing I can do in return for this, Van. I'm sorryto be such a marplot, but you can take it out in quizzing me after I'mgone. I'm fair game, and Steve can set you going."
With that, Mac departed as abruptly as he came, feeling that he _had_"made a mess" of it; but comforting himself with the thought thatperhaps he had secured help for Charlie at his own expense, andthinking with a droll smile as he went back to his mother,--
"My romance begins by looking after other girls' lovers instead offinding a sweetheart for myself; but I can't tell Rose, so _she_ won'tlaugh at me."