"She"s a Papist, Miss, isn"t she?"
"I believe--oh yes, certainly!" said Margaret, a little damped for aninstant at this recollection.
"And they live in a Popish country?"
"Yes."
"Then I"m afraid I must say, that my soul is dearer to me than evenMaster Frederick, his own dear self. I should be in a perpetual terror,Miss, lest I should be converted."
"Oh" said Margaret, "I do not know that I am going; and if I go, I am notsuch a fine lady as to be unable to travel without you. No! dear oldDixon, you shall have a long holiday, if we go. But I"m afraid it is along "if.""
Now Dixon did not like this speech. In the first place, she did not likeMargaret"s trick of calling her "dear old Dixon" whenever she wasparticularly demonstrative. She knew that Miss Hale was apt to call allpeople that she liked "old," as a sort of term of endearment; but Dixonalways winced away from the application of the word to herself, who,being not much past fifty, was, she thought, in the very prime of life.
Secondly, she did not like being so easily taken at her word; she had,with all her terror, a lurking curiosity about Spain, the Inquisition, andPopish mysteries. So, after clearing her throat, as if to show herwillingness to do away with difficulties, she asked Miss Hale, whethershe thought if she took care never to see a priest, or enter into one oftheir churches, there would be so very much danger of her beingconverted? Master Frederick, to be sure, had gone over unaccountable.
"I fancy it was love that first predisposed him to conversion," saidMargaret, sighing.
"Indeed, Miss!" said Dixon; "well! I can preserve myself from priests,and from churches; but love steals in unawares! I think it"s as well Ishould not go."
Margaret was afraid of letting her mind run too much upon this Spanishplan. But it took off her thoughts from too impatiently dwelling uponher desire to have all explained to Mr. Thornton. Mr. Bell appeared forthe present to be stationary at Oxford, and to have no immediatepurpose of going to Milton, and some secret restraint seemed to hangover Margaret, and prevent her from even asking, or alluding again toany probability of such a visit on his part. Nor did she feel at liberty toname what Edith had told her of the idea he had entertained,--it mightbe but for five minutes,--of going to Spain. He had never named it atHelstone, during all that sunny day of leisure; it was very probably butthe fancy of a moment,--but if it were true, what a bright outlet it wouldbe from the monotony of her present life, which was beginning to fallupon her.
One of the great pleasures of Margaret"s life at this time, was in Edith"sboy. He was the pride and plaything of both father and mother, as longas he was good; but he had a strong will of his own, and as soon as heburst out into one of his stormy passions, Edith would throw herselfback in despair and fatigue, and sigh out, "Oh dear, what shall I do withhim! Do, Margaret, please ring the bell for Hanley."
But Margaret almost liked him better in these manifestations ofcharacter than in his good blue-sashed moods. She would carry him offinto a room, where they two alone battled it out; she with a firm powerwhich subdued him into peace, while every sudden charm and wile shepossessed, was exerted on the side of right, until he would rub his littlehot and tear-smeared face all over hers, kissing and caressing till heoften fell asleep in her arms or on her shoulder. Those were Margaret"ssweetest moments. They gave her a taste of the feeling that she believedwould be denied to her for ever.
Mr. Henry Lennox added a new and not disagreeable element to thecourse of the household life by his frequent presence. Margaret thoughthim colder, if more brilliant than formerly; but there were strongintellectual tastes, and much and varied knowledge, which gave flavourto the otherwise rather insipid conversation. Margaret saw glimpses inhim of a slight contempt for his brother and sister-in-law, and for theirmode of life, which he seemed to consider as frivolous and purposeless.
He once or twice spoke to his brother, in Margaret"s presence, in apretty sharp tone of enquiry, as to whether he meant entirely torelinquish his profession; and on Captain Lennox"s reply, that he hadquite enough to live upon, she had seen Mr. Lennox"s curl of the lip ashe said, "And is that all you live for?"
But the brothers were much attached to each other, in the way that anytwo persons are, when the one is cleverer and always leads the other,and this last is patiently content to be led. Mr. Lennox was pushing onin his profession; cultivating, with profound calculation, all thoseconnections that might eventually be of service to him; keen-sighted,far-seeing, intelligent, sarcastic, and proud. Since the one longconversation relating to Frederick"s affairs, which she had with him thefirst evening in Mr. Bell"s presence, she had had no great intercoursewith him, further than that which arose out of their close relations withthe same household. But this was enough to wear off the shyness on herside, and any symptoms of mortified pride and vanity on his. They metcontinually, of course, but she thought that he rather avoided beingalone with her; she fancied that he, as well as she, perceived that theyhad drifted strangely apart from their former anchorage, side by side, inmany of their opinions, and all their tastes.
And yet, when he had spoken unusually well, or with remarkableepigrammatic point, she felt that his eye sought the expression of hercountenance first of all, if but for an instant; and that, in the familyintercourse which constantly threw them together, her opinion was theone to which he listened with a deference,--the more complete, becauseit was reluctantly paid, and concealed as much as possible.
