LITMIR.BIZ

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horrid bore," he answered. "My old mother made me hate it. We had to go to church twice; and that was even worse than her veal-broth. But the worst of it is, I can't get it out of my head that I ought to be there, even when I'm driving tandem to Richmond."

      "Ah! your mother will be with us on Sunday, I hope, Percy."

      "Good heavens, uncle! Do you know what you are about? My mother here! I'll just ring the bell, and tell James to pack my traps. I won't stand it. I can't. Indeed I can't."

      He rose as he spoke. His uncle caught him by the arm, laughing, and made him sit down again; which he did with real or pretended reluctance.

      "We'll take care of you, Percy. Never mind.—Don't be a fool," he added, seeing the evident annoyance of the young fellow.

      "Well, uncle, you ought to have known better," said Percy, sulkily, as, yielding, he resumed his seat, and poured himself out a bumper of claret, by way of consolation.

      He had not been much of a companion before: now he made himself almost as unpleasant as a young man could be, and that is saying a great deal. One, certainly, had need to have found something beautiful at church, for here was the prospect of as wretched a Christmas dinner as one could ever wish to avoid.

      When Percy had drunk another bumper of claret, he rose and left the room; and my host, turning to me, said:

      "I fear, Smith, you will have anything but a merry Christmas, this year. I hoped the sight of you would cheer up poor Adela, and set us all right. And now Percy's out of humour at the thought of his mother coming, and I'm sure I don't know what's to be done. We shall sit over our dinner to-day like four crows over a carcass. It's very good of you to stop."

      "Oh! never mind me," I said. "I, too, can take care of myself. But has Adela no companions of her own age?"

      "None but Percy. And I am afraid she has got tired of him. He's a good fellow, though a bit of a puppy. That'll wear off. I wish he would take a fancy to the army, now."

      I made no reply, but I thought the more. It seemed to me that to get tired of Percy was the most natural proceeding that could be adopted with regard to him and all about him.

      But men judge men—and women, women—hardly.

      "I'll tell you what I will do," said the colonel. "I will ask Mr. Bloomfield, the schoolmaster, and his wife, to dine with us. It's no use asking anybody else that I can think of. But they have no family, and I dare say they can put off their own Christmas dinner till to-morrow. They have but one maid, and she can dine with our servants. They are very respectable people, I assure you."

      The colonel always considered his plans thoroughly, and then acted on them at once. He rose.

      "A capital idea!" I said, as he disappeared. I went up to look for Adela. She was not in the drawing-room. I went up again, and tapped at the door of her room.

      "Come in," she said, in a listless voice.

      I entered.

      "How are you now, Adela?" I asked.

      "Thank you, uncle," was all her reply.

      "What is the matter with you, my child?" I said, and drew a chair near hers. She was half reclining, with a book lying upside down on her knee.

      "I would tell you at once, uncle, if I knew," she answered very sweetly, but as sadly. "I believe I am dying; but of what I have not the smallest idea."

      "Nonsense!" I said. "You're not dying."

      "You need not think to comfort me that way, uncle; for I think I would rather die than not."

      "Is there anything you would like?"

      "Nothing. There is nothing worth liking, but sleep."

      "Don't you sleep at night?"

      "Not well.—I will tell you all I know about it.—Some six weeks ago, I woke suddenly one morning, very early—I think about three o'clock—with an overpowering sense of blackness and misery. Everything I thought of seemed to have a core of wretchedness in it. I fought with the feeling as well as I could, and got to sleep again. But the effect of it did not leave me next day. I said to myself: 'They say "morning thoughts are true." What if this should be the true way of looking at things?' And everything became grey and dismal about me. Next morning it was just the same. It was as if I had waked in the middle of some chaos over which God had never said: 'Let there be light.' And the next day was worse. I began to see the bad in everything—wrong motives—and self-love—and pretence, and everything mean and low. And so it has gone on ever since. I wake wretched every morning. I am crowded with wretched, if not wicked thoughts, all day. Nothing seems worth anything. I don't care for anything."

      "But you love somebody?"

      "I hope I love my father. I don't know. I don't feel as if I did."

      "And there's your cousin Percy." I confess this was a feeler I put out.

      "Percy's a fool!" she said, with some show of indignation, which I hailed, for more reasons than one.

      "But you enjoyed the sermon this morning, did you not?"

      "I don't know. I thought it very poetical and very pretty; but whether it was true—how could I tell? I didn't care. The baby he spoke about was nothing to me. I didn't love him, or want to hear about him. Don't you think me a brute, uncle?"

      "No, I don't. I think you are ill. And I think we shall find something that will do you good; but I can't tell yet what. You will dine with us, won't you?"

      "Oh! yes, if you and papa wish it."

      "Of course we do. He is just gone to ask Mr. and Mrs. Bloomfield to dine with us."

      "Oh!"

      "You don't mind, do you?"

      "Oh! no. They are nice people. I like them both."

      "Well, I will leave you, my child. Sleep if you can. I will go and walk in the garden, and think what can be done for my little girl."

      "Thank you, uncle. But you can't do me any good. What if this should be the true way of things? It is better to know it, if it is."

      "Disease couldn't make a sun in the heavens. But it could make a man blind, that he could not see it."

      "I don't understand you."

      "Never mind. It's of no consequence whether you do or not. When you see light again, you will believe in it. For light compels faith."

      "I believe in you, uncle; I do."

      "Thank you, my dear. Good-bye."

      I went round by the stables, and there found the colonel, talking to his groom. He had returned already from his call, and the Bloomfields were coming. I met Percy next, sauntering about, with a huge cigar in his mouth.

      "The Bloomfields are coming to dinner, Mr. Percy," I said.

      "Who are they?"

      "The schoolmaster and his wife."

      "Just like that precious old uncle of mine! Why the deuce did he ask me this Christmas? I tell you what, Mr. Smith—I can't stand it. There's nothing, not even cards, to amuse a fellow. And when my mother comes, it will be ten times worse. I'll cut and run for it."

      "Oh! no, you won't," I said. But I heartily wished he would. I confess the insincerity, and am sorry for it.

      "But what the devil does my mother want, coming here?"

      "I haven't the pleasure of knowing your mother, so I cannot tell what the devil she can want, coming here."

      "Humph!"

      He walked away.

      Chapter III

The Christmas dinner

      Mr. and Mrs. Bloomfield arrived; the former a benevolent, grey-haired man, with a large nose and small mouth, yet with nothing of the foolish look which often accompanies such a malconformation; and the latter a nice-looking little body, middle-aged, rather more; with half-grey curls, and a cap with black ribbons. Indeed, they were both in mourning. Mr. Bloomfield bore himself with a kind of unworldly grace, and

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