The next Wednesday evening, after singing-school, Maid Sally said to Master Sutcliff, with many a blush and a queer quaking of the voice:
"I have a great desire to see something of the fine ball, but there appeareth no way for me to do it."
Master Sutcliff laughed at the courage as well as the frightened, anxious face of the maid. He next looked thoughtful for a space, and then said, with nods and bows that made Sally's heart leap:
"I play the violin for the company, and must needs have rosin at hand in case a string getteth obstinate1. And it might beseem me to have some one nigh to hand me music in the order it must be played."
[Pg 178]"Oh, but I can't be seen," cried Maid Sally.
"No more you need, young maid. Many fiddlers will be there, and you can have a low seat, even on a cricket hard by the bass2 viol, and though the players will be on a high platform, you can hide for a little while behind the big instrument and have a good peep at it all."
"How can I get in?" asked Sally.
"You can enter under the shadow of my wing," said Master Sutcliff, "but not long had you best remain. At first no one would notice you, but it might not be easy for you to long hide entirely3: we change places once in a while."
Never before had the maiden had an idea of the glamour6, the bewitchment, the splendor7 of such a scene.
The costumes, or dresses, the dancing, and[Pg 179] courtly manners,—the manners of those who are about the court of a king,—the music that thrilled and charmed her, sending all kinds of bright and airy dreams through her mind, all these sent the blood rushing swiftly through the veins8 of the delighted maid as, spell-bound, she peered from behind the great bass viol.
"Oh, it is heaven, heaven!" she panted, as with great starry9 eyes she looked down upon the splendid company. "And I, I could so enjoy it all, had I only been born to it! Was I born to it? Oh, no, no, it could not be!"
"Who knows?" faintly asked her Fairy.
But Sally spent not much time in asking longing10 questions. The room seemed filled with the odor of musk11, attar of roses, and cologne, flowers, and perfumes of many kinds.
There was the governor, brilliant as a king, in purple velvet12 coat, gold lace, a white, flowered waistcoat with great frills of costly13 lace adown the front and falling over his white hands.
Shining knee-buckles14 flashed back the light[Pg 180] from hundreds of candles, which caught also the light from gleaming stones in the buckles of his high-heeled shoes. A man of fancy-fine appearance, but looked upon with eyes that loved him not, but rather despised him.
The ladies were like Fairy dreams, in stiff, brocaded-silks, sheeny satins, ribbons, lace, jewels, and necklaces of gold, amber15, and medallions—round stones with faces cut on them.
With dazzled eyes, Sally gazed upon the courtlike appearance of Sir Percival Grandison, his wife, daughter, and niece. But her eyes lingered long on the Lady Rosamond Earlscourt.
Never in her brightest visions had the poor maid watching from the platform beheld16 such radiance. The powdered hair was cushioned high on her head, and held between the puffs17 were white plumes18 and glossy19 leaves, joined in loops of small gilt20 chains.
Her bodice, or short waist, of pink velvet was laced over gauze puffings and ran down both in front and at the back into long points over an upper skirt of white lace figured all[Pg 181] over with threads of gold. The overskirt of gauze and gold was looped high at the sides over a skirt or petticoat of white brocaded satin with a figure of pink roses. On cheek and chin were small black patches bringing out in vivid contrast the whiteness of her skin.
Her snowy neck and shoulders were bare, and a string of thick gold beads21 strung on a wire kept directly in the curve of her throat. Gold bracelets22 with sparkling gems23 were on her white arms, a spray of pink roses was against her bosom24, and the feet that peeped plainly from beneath her skirt were in white laced shoes, with high heels and rosettes from which glistened25 the bright tints26 of pink stones.
The question of why, why, was she out of all these things to which her whole nature leaped as if they should be hers by right, was only kept down by the wonder and splendor of all she saw.
But she caught her breath in fresh admiration28 when her eye fell on her Fairy Prince.
[Pg 182]He had been detained a few moments in the rooms below, and was directly on a line with her eyes when suddenly she beheld him for the first time in more than two years.
"Fairy Prince! Fairy Prince!" cried her heart and faintly cried her lips, and she knew it not when Master Clinton turned around from his bass viol, thinking he heard a strange sound. But he heeded29 not the rapt gaze of the maiden, for she sat quiet as any mousie while her eyes drank in the vision of her Fairy Prince.
His thick hair was lightly powdered and curled at the ends. A coat of blue velvet with silver braid and buttons of filagree,—or wrought30 openwork silver buttons,—fitted as if moulded to his tall, erect31 young figure. His waistcoat of cloth of gold had frills of rich lace at the front, according to the general fashion of the day, and also at the wrists. A flashing diamond on his finger sent out shoots of red, blue, and yellow light.
He wore knee-breeches of blue velvet with bands of silver braid and jewelled buckles at[Pg 183] the knee. His long white silk stockings were clocked, or embroidered32 at the sides, while high-heeled, glittering dancing-pumps set off his highly arched feet.
Sally noted33 the grace with which he bowed to the ladies and the low curtseys they returned. The ease and fine manners charmed her.
"They are born to it! born to it!" sighed the poor young maiden.
When the dancing began, she still sat entranced, watching chiefly one tall, splendidly arrayed young man who kept perfect time to the music, which rose and fell with a beauty of sound that brought tears to the eyes of Maid Sally.
Master Sutcliff, seeing the intense delight on the face of the maiden, said within himself:
"She shall remain until it cometh time to serve the syllabubs, the cream froth and the nectars, then can she slip away without being seen."
It came all too soon, the pause in the merry[Pg 184] dancing, for refreshments34, when Master Sutcliff said, kindly35:
"Now then, young friend, I fear me the time has come when you had best depart. I will go with you to the side door, so that none shall question or trouble you."
As they passed a long room, he said, "Peep within a moment."
And Sally looked upon tables covered with all kinds of fancy dishes: there were froths, foamy36 custards, jellies she could almost see through, plum cakes, pound cakes, and the odor of strong, rich coffee, mingled37 with the scent38 of flowers.
Colored servants were moving to and fro with the slow step of the Southern waiter, and everything was orderly, abundant, and inviting39.
Master Sutcliff said something to a man close at hand, and the next moment he was bidding Sally good night, at the same time he laid something on her arm.
"Merely a cheese-cake," he said, and in the soft moonlight Sally saw that she held a heart-shaped[Pg 185] cake filled with currants, with thin spires40 of cocoanut and cheese standing41 thick all over the top.
She entered the house through the shed at the side, went to her cubby of a room, and sat down on the floor with her head against the bed.
"I am too happy to undress," she said, "or else too full of what I have seen. I must think it all right over."
And there she stayed the livelong night with her shawl about her.
When at last she fell asleep, she saw her Fairy Prince, in his velvet coat, his rich small-clothes and dancing-shoes, as large as life before her. The music of the violins with the deep note of the bass viol sounded almost as plainly in her ears as they had in the Hall of Burgesses.
But standing in the full light of the streaming candles was Rosamond Earlscourt, a lovely creature in silks and jewels, beckoning42 with an eager finger to the Fairy Prince.
Would he go? He had started toward her[Pg 186] when his eye fell on a young maiden who was hiding midst the players on the platform.
This so alarmed the maid that she hid far behind Master Clinton's bass viol. But peeping around after a few moments, she saw the Fairy Prince was close at hand.
With a frightened jump she awoke. The sun was streaming into her little room.
"He was going to find me," said Maid Sally.
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1
obstinate
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| adj.顽固的，倔强的，不易屈服的，较难治愈的 | |
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2
bass
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| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
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3
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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4
maiden
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| n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的 | |
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5
bliss
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| n.狂喜，福佑，天赐的福 | |
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6
glamour
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| n.魔力，魅力；vt.迷住 | |
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7
splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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8
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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9
starry
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| adj.星光照耀的, 闪亮的 | |
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10
longing
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| n.（for）渴望 | |
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11
musk
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| n.麝香, 能发出麝香的各种各样的植物，香猫 | |
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12
velvet
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| n.丝绒，天鹅绒；adj.丝绒制的，柔软的 | |
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13
costly
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| adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的 | |
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14
buckles
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| 搭扣，扣环( buckle的名词复数 ) | |
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15
amber
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| n.琥珀；琥珀色；adj.琥珀制的 | |
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16
beheld
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| v.看，注视( behold的过去式和过去分词 )；瞧；看呀；（叙述中用于引出某人意外的出现）哎哟 | |
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17
puffs
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| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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18
plumes
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| 羽毛( plume的名词复数 )； 羽毛饰； 羽毛状物； 升上空中的羽状物 | |
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19
glossy
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| adj.平滑的；有光泽的 | |
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20
gilt
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| adj.镀金的；n.金边证券 | |
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21
beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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22
bracelets
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| n.手镯，臂镯( bracelet的名词复数 ) | |
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23
gems
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| growth； economy； management； and customer satisfaction 增长 | |
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24
bosom
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| n.胸，胸部；胸怀；内心；adj.亲密的 | |
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25
glistened
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| v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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26
tints
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| 色彩( tint的名词复数 )； 带白的颜色； （淡色）染发剂； 痕迹 | |
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27
tugging
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| n.牵引感v.用力拉，使劲拉，猛扯( tug的现在分词 ) | |
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28
admiration
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| n.钦佩，赞美，羡慕 | |
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29
heeded
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| v.听某人的劝告，听从( heed的过去式和过去分词 )；变平，使（某物）变平( flatten的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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30
wrought
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| v.引起；以…原料制作；运转；adj.制造的 | |
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31
erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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32
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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33
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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34
refreshments
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| n.点心,便餐;(会议后的)简单茶点招 待 | |
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35
kindly
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| adj.和蔼的，温和的，爽快的；adv.温和地，亲切地 | |
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36
foamy
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| adj.全是泡沫的，泡沫的，起泡沫的 | |
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37
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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38
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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39
inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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40
spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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41
standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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42
beckoning
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| adj.引诱人的，令人心动的v.（用头或手的动作）示意，召唤( beckon的现在分词 ) | |
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