"I'm afraid I must. Indeed I haven't brought my things with me."And then he again caught Marian's eye, and began to wish that his resolution had not been so sternly made.
"I suppose you are so fond of that House of Assembly," said Marian, "that you cannot tear yourself away for more than one day. You'll not be able, I suppose, to find time to come to our picnic next week?"Maurice said he feared that he should not have time to go to a picnic.
"Oh, nonsense," said Fanny--one of the younger girls--"you must come.
We can't do without him, can we?"
"Marian has got your name down the first on the list of the gentlemen," said another.
"Yes; and Captain Ewing's second," said Bell, the youngest.
"I'm afraid I must induce your sister to alter her list," said Maurice, in his sternest manner. "I cannot manage to go, and I'm sure she will not miss me."Marion looked at the little girl who had so unfortunately mentioned the warrior's name, and the little girl knew that she had sinned.
"Oh, we cannot possibly do without you; can we, Marian?" said Fanny.
"It's to be at Bingley's Dell, and we've got a bed for you at Newcastle; quite near, you know.""And another for--" began Bell, but she stopped herself.
"Go away to your lessons, Bell," said Marion. "You know how angry mamma will be at your staying here all the morning;" and poor Bell with a sorrowful look left the room.
"We are all certainly very anxious that you should come; very anxious for a great many reasons," said Marian, in a voice that was rather solemn, and as though the matter were one of considerable import.
"But if you really cannot, why of course there is no more to be said.""There will be plenty without me, I am sure.""As regards numbers, I dare say there will; for we shall have pretty nearly the whole of the two regiments;" and Marian as she alluded to the officers spoke in a tone which might lead one to think that she would much rather be without them; "but we counted on you as being one of ourselves; and as you had been away so long, we thought--we thought--," and then she turned away her face, and did not finish her speech. Before he could make up his mind as to his answer she had risen from her chair, and walked out of the room. Maurice almost thought that he saw a tear in her eye as she went.
He did ride back to Spanish Town that afternoon, after an early dinner; but before he went Marian spoke to him alone for one minute.
"I hope you are not offended with me," she said.
"Offended! oh no; how could I be offended with you?""Because you seem so stern. I am sure I would do anything I could to oblige you, if I knew how. It would be so shocking not to be good friends with a cousin like you.""But there are so many different sorts of friends," said Maurice.
"Of course there are. There are a great many friends that one does not care a bit for,--people that one meets at balls and places like that--""And at picnics," said Maurice.
"'Well, some of them there too; but we are not like that; are we?"What could Maurice do but say, "no," and declare that their friendship was of a warmer description? And how could he resist promising to go to the picnic, though as he made the promise he knew that misery would be in store for him? He did promise, and then she gave him her hand and called him Maurice.
"Oh! I am so glad," she said. "It seemed so shocking that you should refuse to join us. And mind and be early, Maurice; for Ishall want to explain it all. We are to meet, you know, at Clifton Gate at one o'clock, but do you be a little before that, and we shall be there."Maurice Cumming resolved within his own breast as he rode back to Spanish Town, that if Marian behaved to him all that day at the picnic as she had done this day at Shandy Hall, he would ask her to be his wife before he left her.
And Miss Jack also was to be at the picnic.
"There is no need of going early," said she, when her nephew made a fuss about the starting. "People are never very punctual at such affairs as that; and then they are always quite long enough." But Maurice explained that he was anxious to be early, and on this occasion he carried his point.
When they reached Clifton Gate the ladies were already there; not in carriages, as people go to picnics in other and tamer countries, but each on her own horse or her own pony. But they were not alone.
Beside Miss Leslie was a gentleman, whom Maurice knew as Lieutenant Graham, of the flag-ship at Port Royal; and at a little distance which quite enabled him to join in the conversation was Captain Ewing, the lieutenant with the narrow waist of the previous year.
"We shall have a delightful day, Miss Leslie," said the lieutenant.
"Oh, charming, isn't it?" said Marian.
"But now to choose a place for dinner, Captain Ewing;--what do you say?""Will you commission me to select? You know I'm very well up in geometry, and all that?""But that won't teach you what sort of a place does for a picnic dinner;--will it, Mr. Cumming?" And then she shook hands with Maurice, but did not take any further special notice of him. "We'll all go together, if you please. The commission is too important to be left to one." And then Marian rode off, and the lieutenant and the captain rode with her.
It was open for Maurice to join them if he chose, but he did not choose. He had come there ever so much earlier than he need have done, dragging his aunt with him, because Marian had told him that his services would be specially required by her. And now as soon as she saw him she went away with the two officers!--went away without vouchsafing him a word. He made up his mind, there on the spot, that he would never think of her again--never speak to her otherwise than he might speak to the most indifferent of mortals.
And yet he was a man that could struggle right manfully with the world's troubles; one who had struggled with them from his boyhood, and had never been overcome. Now he was unable to conceal the bitterness of his wrath because a little girl had ridden off to look for a green spot for her tablecloth without asking his assistance!
