Anna drew her to a sofa, seeing pictures of her and Hilary together, and tortured with a belief in their exquisite3 fitness to be so. "Can I help you, dear?" she asked, though the question echoed mockingly within her.
"Ah, no, except with advice," said Flora4, "only with advice!"
"Ho-o-oh! if I were worthy5 to advise you it wouldn't flatter me so to be asked."
"But I muz' ask. 'Tis only with you that I know my secret will be--to everybody--and forever--at the bed of the ocean. You can anyhow promise me that."
"Yes, I can anyhow promise you that."
"Then," said Flora, "let me speak whiles--" She dropped her face into her hands, lifted it again and stared into her listener's eyes so piteously that through Anna ran another cry--"He has not asked! No girl alive could look so if he had asked her!"
Flora seemed to nerve herself: "Anna, every dollar we had, every picayune we could raise, grandma and I, even on our Mobile house and our few best jewels, is--is--"
"Oh, what--what? Not lost? Not--not stolen?"
"Blown up! Blown up with that poor old man in the powder-mill!"
"Flora, Flora!" was all Anna, in the shame of her rebuked6 conjectures7, could cry, and all she might have cried had she known the very truth: That every dollar, picayune, and other resource had disappeared gradually in the grist-mill of daily need and indulgence, and never one of them been near the powder-mill, the poor old man or any of his devices.
"His theories were so convincing," sighed Flora.
"And you felt so pitiful for him," prompted Anna.
"Grandma did; and I was so ambitious to do some great patriotic8 service--like yours, you Callenders, in giving those cannon--and--"
"Oh, but you went too far!"
"Ah, if we had only gone no farther!"
"You went farther? How could you?"
"Grandma did. You know, dear, how suddenly Captain Kincaid had to leave for Mobile--by night?"
"Yes," murmured Anna, with great emphasis in her private mind.
"Well, jus' at the las' he gave Charlie a small bag of gold, hundreds of dollars, for--for--me to keep for him till his return. Anna! I was offended."
"Oh, but surely he meant no--"
"Ah, my dear, did I ever give him the very least right to pick me out in that manner? No. Except in that one pretty way he has with all of us--and which you know so well--"
An uncourageous faint smile seemed the safest response.
"Yes," said Flora, "you know it. And I had never allowed myself--"
With eyes down the two girls sat silent. Then the further word came absently, "I refused to touch his money," and there was another stillness.
"Dear," slowly said Anna, "I don't believe it was his. It would not have been in gold. Some men of the battery were here last evening--You know the Abolition9 schoolmistress who was sent North that day?"
"Yes, I know, 'twas hers."
"Well, dear, if she could entrust10 it to him--"
"Ah! she had a sort of right, being, as the whole battery knows, in love with him"--the beauty swept a finger across her perfect brows--"up to there! For that I don't know is he to blame. If a girl has no more sense--"
"No," murmured Anna as the cruel shaft11 went through her. "What did Charlie do with the money?"
Flora tossed a despairing hand: "Gave it to grandma! And poor innocent grandma lent it to the old gentleman! 'Twas to do wonders for the powder and gun, and be return' in three days. But the next--"
"I see," sighed Anna, "I see!"
"Yes, next day 'twas Sunday, and whiles I was kneeling in the church the powder, the gun, the old man and the money--Oh, Anna, what shall I do?"
"My dear, I will tell you," began Anna, but the seeker of advice was not quite ready for it.
"We have a few paltry12 things, of course," she spoke13 on, "but barely would they pay half. They would neither save our honor, neither leave us anything for rent or bread! Our house, to be sure, is worth more than we have borrowed on it, but in the meantime--"
"In the meantime, dear, you shall--" But still Flora persisted:
"Any day, any hour, Captain Kincaid may return. Oh, if 'twere anybody in this worl' but him! For, Anna, I must take all the blame--all!" The face went again into the hands.
"My dear, you shall take none. You shall hand him every dollar, every picayune, on sight."
"Ah, how is that possible? Oh, no, no, no. Use your money? Never, never, never!"
"It isn't money, Flora. And no one shall ever know. I've got some old family jewellery--"
"Family--Oh, sweet, for shame!"
"No shame whatever. There's a great lot of it--kinds that will never be worn again. Let me--" The speaker rose.
"No, no, no! No, Anna, no! For Heaven's sake--"
"Just a piece or two," insisted Anna. "Barely enough to borrow the amount." She backed away, Flora clinging to her fingers and faltering14: "No, blessed angel, you must not! No, I will not wait. I'll--I'll--"
But Anna kissed the clinging hands and vanished.
A high elation15 bore her quite to her room and remained with her until she had unlocked the mass of old jewels and knelt before them. But then all at once it left her. She laid her folded hands upon them, bent16 her brow to the hands, then lifted brow and weeping eyes and whispered to Heaven for mercy.
"Oh"--a name she could not speak even there went through her heart in two big throbs--"if only we had never met! I never set so much as a smile to snare17 you, you who have snared18 me. Can Connie be right? Have you felt my thraldom19, and are you trying to throw me off? Then I must help you do it. Though I covet20 your love more than life I will not tether it. Oh, it's because I so covet that I will not tether it! With the last gem21 from my own throat will I rather help you go free if you want to go. God of mercy, what else can I do!"
In grave exultancy22 Flora moved up and down the drawing-room enjoying her tread on its rich carpet. She would have liked to flit back to the side of yonder great chimney breast, the spot where she had been surprised while sounding the panel work, but this was no time for postponable23 risks. She halted to regale24 her critical eye on the goodly needlework of a folding-screen whose joints25, she noticed, could not be peered through, and in a pretty, bird-like way stole a glance behind it. Nothing there. She stepped to a front window and stood toying with the perfect round of her silken belt. How slimly neat it was. Yet beneath the draperies it so trimly confined lay hid, in a few notes of "city money," the proceeds of the gold she had just reported blown into thin air with the old inventor--who had never seen a glimmer26 of it. Not quite the full amount was there; it had been sadly nibbled27. But now by dear Anna's goodness (ahem!) the shortage could be restored, the entire hundreds handed back to Captain Kincaid, and a snug28 sum be retained "for rent and bread." Yet after all--as long as good stories came easy--why hand anything back--to anybody--even to--him?
He! In her heart desire and odium beat strangely together. Fine as martial29 music he was, yet gallingly out of her rhythm, above her key. Liked her much, too. Yes, for charms she had; any fool could be liked that way. What she craved30 was to be liked for charms she had not, graces she scorned; and because she could not be sure how much of that sort she was winning she tingled31 with heat against him--and against Anna--Anna giver of guns--who had the money to give guns--till her bosom32 rose and fell. But suddenly her musing33 ceased, her eyes shone.
A mounted officer galloped34 into the driveway, a private soldier followed, and the private was her brother. Now they came close. The leader dismounted, passed his rein35 to Charlie and sprang up the veranda36 steps. Flora shrank softly from the window and at the same moment Anna re?ntered gayly, showing a glitter of values twice all expectation:
"If these are not enough--" She halted with lips apart. Flora had made sign toward the front door, and now with a moan of fond protest covered the gem-laden hand in both her palms and pushed it from her.
"Take them back," she whispered, yet held it fast, "'tis too late! There--the door-bell! 'Tis Hilary Kincaid! All is too late, take them back!"
"Take them, you!" as vehemently37 whispered Anna. "You must take them! You must, you shall!"
Flora had half started to fly, but while she hung upon Anna's words she let her palms slip under the bestowing38 hand and the treasure slide into her own fingers.
"Too late, too late! And oh, I can never, never use them any'ow!" She sprang noiselessly aside. To a maid who came down the hall Anna quietly motioned to show the newcomer into an opposite room, but Flora saw that the sign was misinterpreted: "She didn't understan'! Anna, she's going to bring him!" Before the words were done the speaker's lithe39 form was gliding40 down the room toward the door by which the other ladies had gone out, but as she reached it she turned with a hand-toss as of some despairing afterthought and flitted back.
Out in the hall the front door opened and closed and a sabre clinked: "Is Miss Callender at home?"
Before the question was half put its unsuspected hearers had recovered a faultless poise41. Beside a table that bore her roses she whom the inquirer sought stood retouching them and reflecting a faint excess of their tint42, while Flora, in a grave joy of the theatrical43, equal to her companion's distress44 of it, floated from view behind the silken screen.
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1
warily
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| adv.留心地 | |
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2
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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3
exquisite
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| adj.精美的；敏锐的；剧烈的，感觉强烈的 | |
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flora
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| n.(某一地区的)植物群 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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6
rebuked
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| 责难或指责( rebuke的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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conjectures
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| 推测，猜想( conjecture的名词复数 ) | |
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8
patriotic
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| adj.爱国的，有爱国心的 | |
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9
abolition
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| n.废除，取消 | |
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entrust
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| v.信赖，信托，交托 | |
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shaft
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| n.(工具的)柄，杆状物 | |
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paltry
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| adj.无价值的，微不足道的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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14
faltering
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| 犹豫的，支吾的，蹒跚的 | |
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elation
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| n.兴高采烈，洋洋得意 | |
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16
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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17
snare
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| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
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18
snared
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| v.用罗网捕捉，诱陷，陷害( snare的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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19
thraldom
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| n.奴隶的身份，奴役，束缚 | |
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covet
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| vt.垂涎；贪图(尤指属于他人的东西) | |
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21
gem
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| n.宝石，珠宝；受爱戴的人 [同]jewel | |
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exultancy
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| n.大喜，狂喜 | |
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postponable
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| adj.可以延缓的 | |
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regale
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| v.取悦，款待 | |
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25
joints
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| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
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26
glimmer
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| v.发出闪烁的微光；n.微光，微弱的闪光 | |
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27
nibbled
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| v.啃，一点一点地咬（吃）( nibble的过去式和过去分词 )；啃出（洞），一点一点咬出（洞）；慢慢减少；小口咬 | |
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28
snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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29
martial
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| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
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30
craved
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| 渴望，热望( crave的过去式 )； 恳求，请求 | |
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31
tingled
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| v.有刺痛感( tingle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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32
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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33
musing
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| n. 沉思，冥想 adj. 沉思的, 冥想的 动词muse的现在分词形式 | |
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34
galloped
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| （使马）飞奔，奔驰( gallop的过去式和过去分词 )； 快速做[说]某事 | |
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35
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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veranda
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| n.走廊；阳台 | |
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37
vehemently
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| adv. 热烈地 | |
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38
bestowing
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| 砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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39
lithe
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| adj.(指人、身体)柔软的，易弯的 | |
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40
gliding
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| v. 滑翔 adj. 滑动的 | |
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41
poise
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| vt./vi. 平衡，保持平衡；n.泰然自若，自信 | |
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42
tint
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| n.淡色，浅色；染发剂；vt.着以淡淡的颜色 | |
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43
theatrical
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| adj.剧场的，演戏的；做戏似的，做作的 | |
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44
distress
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| n.苦恼，痛苦，不舒适；不幸；vt.使悲痛 | |
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