Afloat and Ashore (57 page)

Grace had made provisions against all this, with a tact and judgment
for which I could have worshipped her. I knew the viands, the
vegetables, and the wines would all be good of their kind, for in
these we seldom failed; nor did I distrust the cookery, the
English
-descended families of the Middle States, of my class,
understanding that to perfection; but I feared we should fail in those
little incidents of style and arrangement, and in the order of the
service, that denote a well-regulated table. This is just what Grace
had seen to; and I found that a great revolution had been quietly
effected in this branch of our domestic economy during my absence;
thanks to Grace's observations while at Mrs. Bradfort's.

Emily seemed pleased at dinner, and Lucy could again laugh and
smile. After the cloth was removed, the Major and Mr. Hardinge
discussed a bottle of Madeira, and that too of a quality of which I
had no reason to be ashamed; while we young people withdrew together
to a little piazza, that was in the shade at that hour, and took
seats, for a chat. Rupert was permitted to smoke, on condition that he
would not approach within fifteen feet of the party. No sooner was
this little group thus arranged, the three girls in a crescent, than I
disappeared.

"Grace, I have not yet spoken to you of a necklace of pearls possessed
by your humble servant," I cried, as my foot again touched the
piazza.—"I would not say a word about it—"

"Yet, Lucy and I heard all about it—" answered Grace with provoking
calmness, "but would not ask to see it, lest you should accuse us of
girlish curiosity. We waited your high pleasure, in the matter."

"You and Lucy heard I had such a necklace!"

"Most unquestionably; I, Grace Wallingford, and she, Lucy Hardinge. I
hope it is no infringement on the rights of Mr. Miles Clawbonny"—so
the girls often called me, when they affected to think I was on my
high-ropes—"I hope it is no infringement on the rights of Mr. Miles
Clawbonny to say as much."

"And pray how
could
you and Lucy know anything about it?"

"That is altogether another question; perhaps we may accord an answer,
after we have seen the necklace."

"Miss Merton told us, Miles," said Lucy, looking at me with
gentleness, for she saw I really wished an answer; and what could Lucy
Hardinge ever refuse me, that was right in itself when she saw my
feelings were really interested?

"Miss Merton? Then I have been betrayed, and the surprise I
anticipated is lost."

I was vexed, and my manner must have shown it in a slight
degree. Emily coloured, bit her lip, and said nothing; but Grace made
her excuses with more spirit than it was usual for
her
to show.

"You are rightly punished, Master Miles," she cried; "for you had no
business to anticipate surprises. They are vulgar things at best, and
they are worse than that when they come from a distance of fifteen
thousand miles—from a brother to a sister. Besides, you have
surprised us sufficiently once, already, in connection with Miss
Merton."

"I!" I exclaimed.

"Me!" added Emily.

"Yes, I and me; did you tell us one word about her, in your letters?
and have you not now both surprised and delighted us, by making us
acquainted with so charming a person? I can pardon such a surprise, on
account of its consequences; but nothing so vulgar as a surprise about
pearls."

Emily blushed now; and in her it was possible to tell the difference
between a blush and the suffusion that arose from a different feeling;
but she looked immensely superior to anything like explanations.

"Captain Wallingford"—how I disliked that
Captain
—"Captain
Wallingford can have but little knowledge of young ladies," she said,
coldly, "if he supposes such pearls as he possesses would not form the
subject of their conversation."

I was coxcomb enough to fancy Emily was vexed that I had neglected to
be more particular about her being on the island, and her connection
with the ship. This might have been a mistake; however.

"Let us see the pearls, Miles; and that will plead your apology," said
Lucy.

"There, then—your charming eyes, young ladies, never looked on pearls
like those, before."

Female nature could not suppress the exclamations of belight that
succeeded. Even Rupert, who had a besetting weakness on the subject of
all personal ornaments, laid aside his segar, and came within the
prescribed distance, the better to admire. It was admitted all round,
New York had nothing to compare with them. I then mentioned that they
had been fished up by myself from the depths of the sea.

"How much that adds to their value!" said Lucy, in a low voice, but in
her warm, sincere manner.

"That was getting them
cheap
, was it not, Miss Wallingford?"
inquired Emily, with an emphasis I disliked.

"Very; though I agree with Lucy, it makes them so much the more
valuable."

"If Miss Merton will forget my charge of treason, and condescend to
put on the necklace, you will all see it to much greater advantage
than at present. If a fine necklace embellishes a fine woman, the
advantage is quite reciprocal. I have seen my pearls once already on
her neck, and know the effect."

A wish of Grace's aided my application, and Emily placed the ornaments
around her throat. The dazzling whiteness of her skin gave a lustre to
the pearls that they certainly did not previously possess. One
scarcely knew which to admire the most—the ornaments, or their
setting.

"How very, very beautiful they are
now!
" cried Lucy, in
generous admiration. "Oh! Miss Merton, pearls should ever be your
ornaments."

"
Those
pearls, you mean, Lucy," put in Rupert, who was always
extremely liberal with other people's means; "the necklace ought never
to be removed."

"Miss Merton knows their destination," I said, gallantly, "and the
terms of ownership."

Emily slowly undid the clasp, placed the string before her eyes, and
looked at it long and silently.

"And what is this destination, Miles? What these terms of ownership?"
my sister asked.

"Of course he means them for you, dear," Lucy remarked in haste. "For
whom else can he intend such an ornament?"

"You are mistaken, Miss Hardinge. Grace must excuse me for being a
little selfish this time, at least. I do not intend those pearls for
Miss Wallingford, but for Mrs. Wallingford, should there ever be such
a person."

"Upon my word, such a double temptation, my boy, I Wonder Miss Merton
ever had the fortitude to remove them from the enviable position they
so lately occupied," cried Rupert, glancing meaningly towards Emily,
who returned the look with a slight smile.

"Of course, Miss Merton understood that my remark was ventured in
pleasantry," I said stiffly, "and not in presumption. It was decided,
however, when in the Pacific, that these pearls ought to have that
destination. It is true, Clawbonny is not the Pacific, and one may be
pardoned for seeing things a little differently
here
, from what
they appeared
there
. I have a few more pearls, however, very
inferior in quality I confess, to those of the necklace; but, such as
they are, I should esteem it a favour, ladies, if you would consent to
divide them equally among you. They would make three very pretty
rings, and as many breast-pins."

I put into Grace's hands a little box containing all the pearls that
had not been placed on the string. There were many fine ones among
them, and some of very respectable size, though most were of the sort
called seed. In the whole, there were several hundreds.

"We will not balk his generosity," said Grace, smiling—"so, Miss
Merton, we will separate the pearls into three parcels, and draw lots
for them. Here are handsome ornaments among them!"

"They will have one value with you, at least, Grace, and quite likely
with Lucy, while they might possibly possess another with Miss
Merton. I fished up every one of those pearls with my own hands."

"Certainly, that will give them value with both Lucy and me, dearest
Miles, as would the simple fact that they are your gift—but what is
to give them their especial value with Miss Merton?"

"They may serve to remind Miss Merton of some of her hair-breadth
escapes, of the weeks passed on the island, and of scenes that, a few
years hence, will probably possess the colours of a dream, in her
recollection."

"
One
pearl I will take, with this particular object"—said
Emily, with more feeling than I had seen her manifest since she had
got back into the world, "if Miss Wallingford will do me the favour to
select it."

"Let it be enough for a ring, at least," Grace returned, in her own
sweetest manner. "Half a dozen of the finest of these pearls, of which
one shall be on Miles' account, and five on mine."

"On those conditions, let it then be six. I have no occasion for
pearls to remind me how much my father and my self owe to Captain
Wallingford."

"Come, Rupert," added Grace; "you have a taste in these things, let us
have your aid in the selection." Rupert was by no means backward in
complying, for he loved to be meddling in such matters.

"In the first place," he said, "I shall at once direct that the number
be increased to seven; this fine one in the centre, and three on each
side, gradually diminishing in size. We must look to quality, and not
to weight, for the six puisne judges, as we should call them in the
courts. The Chief Justice will be a noble-looking fellow, and the
associates ought to be of good quality to keep his honour's company."

"Why do you not call your judges 'my lords,' as we do in England,
Mr. Hardinge?" inquired Emily, in her prettiest manner.

"
Why,
sure enough! I wish with all my heart we did, and then a
man would have something worth living for."

"Rupert!" exclaimed Lucy, colouring—"you know it is because our
government is republican, and that we have no nobles among us. Nor do
you say exactly what you think; you would not be 'my lord,' if you
could."

"As I never shall be a 'my lord,' and I am afraid never a 'your
honour'—There, Miss Merton—there are numbers two and three—observe
how beautifully they are graduated as to size."

"Well, 'your honour,'" added Grace, who began to be a little uneasy at
the manner Rupert and Emily exhibited towards each other—"well, 'your
honour,' what is to come next?"

"Numbers four and five, of course—and here they are, Miss Merton; as
accurately diminished, as if done by hand. A beautiful ring it will
make—I envy those who will be recalled to mind, by so charming an
object."

"You will now be one of those yourself, Mr. Hardinge"—observed
Emily, with great tact—"for you are fully entitled to it, by the
trouble you are giving yourself, and the taste and judgment you
possess."

Lucy looked petrified. She had so long accustomed herself to think of
Grace as her future sister, that the open admiration expressed in
Rupert's countenance, which was too manifest to escape any of us,
first threw a glimmering of light on suspicions of the most painful
nature. I had long seen that Lucy understood her brother's character
better than any of us—much better, indeed, than his simple-minded
father; and, as for myself, I was prepared to expect anything but
consistency and principle in his conduct. Dearly as I prized Lucy, and
by this time the slight competition that Emily Merton had presented to
my fancy, had entirely given way to the dear creature's heart, and
nature,—but, dearly as I prized Lucy, I would greatly have preferred
that my sister should not marry her brother; and, so far from feeling
resentment on account of his want of fidelity, I was rather disposed
to rejoice at it. I could appreciate his want of merit, and his
unfitness to be the husband of such a woman as Grace, even at my early
age; but, alas! I could not appreciate the effects of his inconstancy
on a heart like that of my sister. Could I have felt as easy on the
subject of Mr. Andrew Drewett, and of my own precise position in
society, I should have cared very little, just then, about Rupert, and
his caprices.

The pearls for the ring were soon selected by Rupert, and approved of
by Grace, after which I assumed the office of dividing the remainder
myself. I drew a chair, took the box from Rupert, and set about the
task.

"I shall make a faithful umpire, girls," I observed, as pearl after
pearl was laid, first on one spot, then on another—"for I feel no
preference between you—Grace is as Lucy; Lucy is as Grace, with me."

"That may be fortunate, Miss Hardinge, since it indicates no
preference of a particular sort, that might require repressing," said
Emily, smiling significantly at Lucy. "When gentlemen treat young
ladies as sisters, it is a subject of rejoicing. These sailors need
severe lessons, to keep them within the rules of the land."

Why this was said, I did not understand; but Rupert laughed at it, as
if it were a capital thing. To mend the matter, he added, a little
boisterously for him—

"You see, Miles, you had better have taken to the law—the ladies
cannot appreciate the merits of you tars."

"So it would seem," I returned, a little drily, "after all Miss Merton
has experienced and seen of the trade."

Emily made no reply, but she regarded her pearls with a steadiness
that showed she was thinking more of their effect than that of either
her own speech or mine. I continued to divide the pearls, and soon had
the work complete.

"What am I to do, now?"—I asked—"Will you draw lots, girls, or will
you trust to my impartiality?"

"We will certainly confide in the last," answered Grace. "The
division is so very equitable that I do not well see how you can
defraud either."