Elsie's Kith and Kin Page 3

  CHAPTER III.

  "One woman reads another's character, without the tedious trouble ofdeciphering."--JONSON.

  Zoe's sleep that night was profound and refreshing, and she woke inperfect health and vigor of body and mind; but the first sound thatsmote upon her ear--the dashing of sleet against the window-pane--senta pang of disappointment and dismay to her heart.

  She sprang from her bed, and, running to the window, drew aside thecurtain, and looked out.

  "O Ned!" she groaned, "the ground is covered with sleet and snow,--abouta foot deep, I should think,--and just hear how the wind shrieks andhowls round the house!"

  "Well, love," he answered in a cheery tone, "we are well sheltered, andsupplied with all needful things for comfort and enjoyment."

  "And one that will destroy every bit of my enjoyment in any or all theothers," she sighed; "but," eagerly and half hopefully, "do you think itis quite certain to be too bad for her to go?"

  "Quite, I am afraid. If she should offer to go," he added mischievously,"we will not be more urgent against it than politeness demands, and, ifshe persists, will not refuse the use of the close carriage as far asthe depot."

  "She offer to go!" exclaimed Zoe scornfully: "you may depend, she'llstay as long as she has the least vestige of an excuse for doing so."

  "Oh, now, little woman! don't begin the day with being quite so hard anduncharitable," Edward said, half seriously, half laughingly.

  Zoe was not far wrong in her estimate of her guest. Miss Deane was bothinsincere and a thoroughly selfish person, caring nothing for thecomfort or happiness of others. She had perceived Zoe's antipathy fromthe first day of their acquaintance, and took a revengeful, maliciousdelight in tormenting her; and she had sufficient penetration to seethat the most effectual way to accomplish her end was through Edward.The young wife's ardent and jealous affection for her husband was veryevident; plainly, it was pain to her to see him show Miss Deane theslightest attention, or seem interested in any thing she did or said;therefore the intruder put forth every effort to interest him, andmonopolize his attention, and at the same time contrived to draw outinto exhibition the most unamiable traits in Zoe's character, doing itso adroitly that Edward did not perceive her agency in the matter, andthought Zoe alone to blame. To him Miss Deane's behavior appearedunexceptionable, her manner most polite and courteous, Zoe's just thereverse.

  It was so through all that day and week; for the storm continued, andthe uninvited guest never so much as hinted at a wish to leave theshelter of their hospitable roof.

  Zoe began each day with heroic resolve to be patient and forbearing,sweet-tempered and polite, toward her tormentor, and ended it with adeep sense of humiliating failure, and of having lost something of thehigh esteem and admiration in which her almost idolized husband had beenwont to hold her.

  Feeling that, more or less of change in her manner toward him wasinevitable; less sure than formerly of his entire approval and ardentaffection, a certain timidity and hesitation crept into her manner ofapproaching him, even when they were quite alone together; she grew sad,silent, and reserved: and he, thinking her sullen and jealous withoutreason, ceased to lavish endearments upon her, and, more than that, halfunconsciously allowed both his looks and tones to express disapprobationand reproof.

  That almost broke Zoe's heart; but she strove to hide her wounds fromhim, and especially from her tormentor.

  The storm kept Edward in the house: at another time that would have beena joy to Zoe, but now it only added to her troubles, affording constantopportunity to the wily foe to carry out her evil designs.

  On the evening of the second day from the setting in of the storm, MissDeane challenged Edward to a game of chess. He accepted at once, andwith an air of quiet satisfaction brought out the board, and placed themen.

  He was fond of the game; but Zoe had never fancied it, and he had playedbut seldom since their marriage.

  Miss Deane was a more than ordinarily skilful player, and so was he;indeed, so well matched were they, that neither found it an easy matterto checkmate the other: and that first game proved a long one,--so longthat Zoe, who had watched its progress with some interest in thebeginning, eager to see Edward win, at length grew so weary as to findit difficult to keep her eyes open, or refrain from yawning.

  But Edward, usually so tenderly careful of her, took no notice,--indeed,as she said bitterly to herself, seemed to have forgotten her existence.

  Still, it was with a thrill of delight that she at length perceived thathe had come off victorious.

  Miss Deane took her defeat with very good grace, and smilinglychallenged him to another contest.

  "Rather late, isn't it?" he said with a glance at the clock, whose handspointed to half-past eleven. "Suppose we sign a truce until to-morrow?"

  "Certainly: that will be decidedly best," she promptly replied,following the direction of his glance. "I feel so fresh, and haveenjoyed myself so much, that I had no idea of the hour, and am quiteashamed of having kept my youthful hostess up so late," she added,looking sweetly at Zoe. "Very young people need a large amount of sleep,and can't keep up health and strength without it."

  "You are most kind," said Zoe, a touch of sarcasm in her tones: "it mustbe a very sympathetic nature that has enabled you to remember so longhow young people feel."

  A twinkle of fun shone in Edward's eyes at that.

  Miss Deane colored furiously, bade a hasty good-night, and departed toher own room.

  "That was a rather hard thrust, my dear," remarked Edward, laughing, ashe led the way into their dressing-room; "not quite polite, I'm afraid."

  "I don't care if it wasn't!" said Zoe. "She is always twitting me on myextreme youth."

  "Sour grapes," he said lightly: "she will never see twenty-five again,and would give a great deal for your youth. And since you are exactlythe age to suit me, why should you care a fig for her sneers?"

  "I don't, when I seem to suit you in all respects," returned Zoe withtears in her voice.

  Her back was toward him; but he caught sight of her face in a mirror,and saw that tears were also glistening in her eyes.

  Putting his arm round her waist, and drawing her to him, "I don't want apiece of perfection for my wife," he said; "she would be decidedly toogreat a contrast to her husband: and I have never yet seen the woman orgirl I should be willing to take in exchange for the one belonging tome. And I'm very sure such a one doesn't exist."

  "How good in you to say it!" she said, clinging about his neck, andlifting to his, eyes shining with joy and love. "O Ned! we were so happyby ourselves!"

  "So we were," he assented, "and so we may hope to be again very soon."

  "Not so very, I'm afraid," she answered with a rueful shake of the head;"for just hark how it is storming still!"

  "Yes; but it may be all over by morning. How weary you look, love! Getto bed as fast as you can. You should not have waited for the conclusionof that long game, that, I know, did not interest you."

  "I was interested for your sake," she said, "and so glad to see youwin."

  "Wife-like," he returned with a smile, adding, "It was a very closegame, and you needn't be surprised to see me beaten in the next battle."

  "I'm afraid she will stay for that, even if the storm is over," sighedZoe. "Dear me! I don't see how anybody can have the face to stay whereshe is self-invited, and must know she isn't a welcome guest to the ladyof the house. I'd go through any storm rather than prolong a visit undersuch circumstances."

  "You would never have put yourself in such a position," Edward said."But I wish you could manage to treat her with a little more cordiality.I should feel more comfortable. I could not avoid bringing her here, asyou know; nor can I send her away in such inclement weather, or, indeed,at all, till she offers to go; and your want of courtesy toward her--toput it mildly--is a constant mortification to me."

  "Why don't you say at once that you are ashamed of me?" she exclaimed,tears starting to her eyes again, as with a determined effor
t she freedherself from his grasp, and moved away to the farther side of the room.

  "I am usually very proud of you," he answered in a quiet tone; "but thiswoman seems to exert a strangely malign influence over you."

  To that, Zoe made no response; she could not trust herself to speak; soprepared for bed, and laid herself down there in silence, wiped away atear or two, and presently fell asleep.

  Morning brought no abatement of the storm, and consequently no relief toZoe from the annoyance of Miss Deane's presence in the house.

  On waking, she found that Edward had risen before her; she heard himmoving about in the dressing-room; then he came to the door, looked in,and, seeing her eyes open, said, "Ah, so you are awake! I hope you sleptwell? I'm sorry for your sake that it is still storming."

  "Yes, I slept soundly, thank you; and as for the storm, I'll just haveto try to bear with it and its consequences as patiently as possible,"she sighed.

  "A wise resolve, my dear. I hope you will try to carry it out." hereturned. "Now I must run away, and leave you to make your toilet, as Ihave some little matters to attend to before breakfast."

  She made no reply; and he passed out of the room, and down the stairs.

  "Poor little woman!" he said to himself: "she looks depressed, thoughusually she is so bright and cheery. I hope, from my heart, Miss Deanemay never darken these doors again."

  Zoe was feeling quite out of spirits over the prospect of another day tobe spent in society so distasteful: she lay for a moment contemplatingit ruefully.

  "The worst of it is, that she manages to make me appear so unamiable andunattractive in my husband's eyes," she sighed to herself. "But I'llfoil her efforts," she added, between her shut teeth, springing up, andbeginning her toilet as she spoke: "he likes to have me bright andcheery, and well and becomingly dressed, and so I will be."

  She made haste to arrange her hair in the style he considered mostbecoming, and to don the morning-dress he most admired.

  As she put the finishing touches to her attire, she thought she heardhis step on the stairs, and ran out eagerly to meet him, and claim amorning kiss.

  But the bright, joyous expression of her face suddenly changed to one ofanger and chagrin as she caught the sound of his and Miss Deane's voicesin the hall below, and, looking over the balustrade, saw them go intothe library together.

  "She begins early! It's a pity if I can't have my own husband to myselfeven before breakfast," Zoe muttered, stepping back into thedressing-room.

  Her first impulse was to remain where she was; the second, to go down atonce, and join them.

  She hastened to do so, but, before she reached the foot of the stairway,the breakfast-bell rang; and, instead of going into the library, shepassed on directly to the dining-room, and, as the other two entered amoment later, gave Miss Deane a cold "Good-morning," and Edward a halfreproachful, half pleading look, which he, however, returned with one sokind and re-assuring that she immediately recovered her spirits, and wasable to do the honors of the table with ease and grace.

  Coming upon her in that room alone, an hour later, just as she haddismissed Aunt Dicey with her orders for the day, "Little wife," hesaid, bending down to give her the coveted caress, "I owe you anexplanation."

  "No, Ned, dear, I don't ask it of you: I know it is all right," sheanswered, flushing with happiness, and her eyes smiling up into his.

  "Still, I think it best to explain," he said. "I had finished attendingto the little matters I spoke of,--writing a note, and giving somedirections to Uncle Ben,--and was on my way back to our apartments, whenMiss Deane met me on the stairway, and asked if I would go into thelibrary with her, and help her to look up a certain passage in one ofShakspeare's plays, which she wished to quote in a letter she waswriting. She was anxious to have it perfectly correct, she said, andwould be extremely obliged for my assistance in finding it."

  "And you could not in politeness refuse. I know that, Ned, and pleasedon't think me jealous."

  "I know, dear, that you try not to be; and it shall be my care to avoidgiving you the least occasion. And I do again earnestly assure you, youneed have no fear that the first place in my heart will not always beyours."

  "I don't fear it," she said; "and yet,--O Ned! it is misery to me tohave to share your society with that woman, even for a day or two!"

  "I don't know how I can help you out of it," he said, after a moment'sconsideration, "unless by shutting myself up alone,--to attend tocorrespondence or something,--and leaving you to entertain her byyourself. Shall I do that?"

  "Oh, no! unless you much prefer it. I think it would set me wild to haveher whole attention concentrated upon me," Zoe answered with an uneasylaugh.

  So they went together to the parlor, where Miss Deane sat waiting forthem, or rather for Edward.

  She had the chess-board out, the men placed, and at once challenged himto a renewal of last night's contest.

  He accepted, of course; and they played without intermission tilllunch-time, Zoe sitting by, for the most part silent, and wishing MissDeane miles away from Ion.

  This proved a worse day to her than either of the preceding ones. MissDeane succeeded several times in rousing her to an exhibition of temperthat very much mortified and displeased Edward; and his manner, whenthey retired that night to their private apartments, was many degreescolder than it had been in the morning. He considered himself forbearingin refraining from remark to Zoe on her behavior; while she said toherself, she would rather he would scold her, and have done with it,than keep on looking like a thunder-cloud, and not speaking at all. Hewas not more disgusted with her conduct than she was herself, and shewould own it in a minute if he would but say a kind word to open theway.

  But he did not; and they made their preparations for the night andsought their pillows in uncomfortable silence, Zoe wetting hers withtears before she slept.