"What women love, and can't do without, if they are young and healthy and spirited, is--Excitement. I am one who pines for it. Now, society is so constructed that to get excitement you must be naughty. Waltzing all night and flirting all day are excitement. Crochet, and church, and examining girls in St. Matthew, and dining _en famille,_ and going to bed at ten, are stagnation. Good girls--that means stagnant girls: I hate and despise the tame little wretches, and I never was one, and never will be.
But now look here: We have two ladies in love with one villain-- that is exciting. One gets nearly killed in the house--that is gloriously exciting. The other is broken-hearted. If I were to be a bad girl, and say, 'It is not my business; I will leave them to themselves, and go my little mill-round of selfishness as before,' why, what a fool I must be!
I should lose Excitement. Instead of that, I run and get thinks for the Klosking--Excitement. I cook for her, and nurse her, and sit up half the night--Excitement. Then I run to Zoe, and do my best for her--and get snubbed--Excitement. Then I sit at the head of your table, and order you--Excitement. Oh, it is lovely!""Shall you not be sorry when they both get well, and Routine recommences?""Of course I shall. That is the sort of good girl I am. And, oh! when that fatal day comes, how I shall flirt. Heaven help my next flirtee! Ishall soon flirt out the stigma of a good girl. You mark my words, Ishall flirt with some _married man_ after this. I never did that yet. But I shall; I know I shall. --Ah!--there, I have burned my finger.""Never mind. That is exciting."
"As such I accept it. Good-by. I must go and relieve Miss Gale. Exit the good girl on her mission of charity--ha! ha!" She hummed a _valse 'a deux temps,_ and went dancing out with such a whirl that her petticoats, which were ample, and not, as now, like a sack tied at the knees, made quite a cool air in the room.
She had not been gone long when Miss Gale came down, full of her patient.
She wanted to get her out of bed during the daytime, but said she was not strong enough to sit up. Would he order an invalid couch down from London? She described the article, and where it was to be had.
He said Harris should go up in the morning and bring one down with him.
He then put her several questions about her patient; and at last asked her, with an anxiety he in vain endeavored to conceal, what she thought was the relation between her and Severne.
Now it may be remembered that Miss Gale had once been on the point of telling him all she knew, and had written him a letter. But at that time the Klosking was not expected to appear on the scene in person. Were she now to say she had seen her and Severne living together, Rhoda felt that she should lower her patient. She had not the heart to do that.
Rhoda Gale was not of an amorous temperament, and she was all the more open to female attachments. With a little encouragement she would have loved Zoe, but she had now transferred her affection to the Klosking. She replied to Vizard almost like a male lover defending the object of his affection.
"The exact relation is more than I can tell; but I think he has lived upon her, for she was richer than he was; and I feel sure he has promised her marriage. And my great fear now is lest he should get hold of her and keep his promise. He is as poor as a rat or a female physician; and she has a fortune in her voice, and has money besides, Miss Dover tells me.
Pray keep her here till she is quite well, please.""I will."
"And then let me have her up at Hillstoke. She is beginning to love me, and I dote on her.""So do I."
"Ah, but you must not."
"Why not?"
"Because."
"Well, why not?"
"She is not to love any man again who will not marry her. I won't let her. I'll kill her first, I love her so. A rogue she shan't marry, and Ican't let you marry her, because, her connection with that Severne is mysterious. She seems the soul of virtue, but I could not let _you_ marry her until things are clearer.""Make your mind easy. I will not marry her--nor anybody else--till things are a great deal clearer than I have ever found them, where your sex is concerned."Miss Gale approved the resolution.
Next day Vizard posted his keepers, and sent his advertisements to the London and country journals.
Fanny came into his study to tell him there was more trouble--Miss Maitland taken seriously ill, and had written to Zoe.
"Poor old soul!" said Vizard. "I have a great mind to ride over and see her.""Somebody ought to go," said Fanny.
"Well, you go."
"How can I--with Zoe, and Mademoiselle Klosking, and you, to look after?""Instead of one old woman. Not much excitement in that.""No, cousin. To think of your remembering! Why, you must have gone to bed sober.""I often do."
"You were always an eccentric landowner.""Don't you talk. You are a caricature."
This banter was interrupted by Miss Gale, who came to tell Harrington Mademoiselle Klosking desired to see him, at his leisure.
He said he would come directly.
"Before you go," said Miss Gale, "let us come to an understanding. She had only two days' fever; but that fever, and the loss of blood, and the shock to her nerves, brought her to death's door by exhaustion. Now she is slowly recovering her strength, because she has a healthy stomach, and I give her no stimulants to spur and then weaken her, but choice and simple esculents, the effect of which I watch, and vary them accordingly.
But the convalescent period is always one of danger, especially from chills to the body, and excitements to the brain. At no period are more patients thrown away for want of vigilance. Now I can guard against chills and other bodily things, but not against excitements--unless you co-operate. The fact is, we must agree to avoid speaking about Mr.
Severne. We must be on our guard. We must parry; we must evade; we must be deaf, stupid, slippery; but no Severne--for five or six days more, at all events."Thus forewarned, Vizard, in due course, paid his second visit to Ina Klosking.
