Say and Seal Volume Ii Part 18

"I dare say _you_ ought," said Faith,--"and I wish you would. _I_ want to work."

He gave her a laugh, by way of reply, and then gave her work as she desired; watching carefully against her tiring herself in any way, and making the lessons more of talk on his part and less of study on hers.

They were none the less good for that, nor any the less pleasant. Till there came a knock at the front door; and then with a little sigh Faith leaned back against the sofa, as if lessons were done.

"There is Dr. Harrison."

"And I shall have to be on my good behaviour," Mr. Linden said, quitting the sofa. "But I suppose he will not stay all the rest of the day." And as Cindy was slow in her movements, he went and opened the door; Faith the while fitting on a glove finger.

"First in one element, and then in another--" Mr. Linden said, as the doctor came in from a sort of simoon of snow.

"This one for me!" said Dr. Harrison shaking herself;--"but I should say you must be out of your element to-day."

"Wherefore, if you please?" said Mr. Linden, as he endeavoured to get the doctor out of his.

"Unless you live in a variety! I thought you were in your element last night." And the doctor went forward into the sitting-room. The first move was to take a seat by Faith and attend to her; and his address and his inquiries, with the manner of them, were perfect in their kind.

Interested, concerned, tender, grateful, to the utmost limit of what might have been in the circ.u.mstances testified by anybody, with equal grace and skill they were limited there. Of special individual interest he allowed no testimony to escape him--none at least that was unequivocal. And Faith gave him answers to all he said, till he touched her gloved finger and inquired if the fire had been at work there too.

Faith rather hastily drew it under cover and said no.

"What is the matter with it?"

"There is nothing bad the matter with it," said Faith, very imprudently letting her cheeks get rosy. The doctor looked at her--told her he could cure her finger if she would let him; and then rose up and a.s.sumed his position before the fire, looking down at Mr. Linden.

"There isn't much of a midge about you, after all," he said.

"I suppose in the matter of wings we are about on a par. What is the extent of the damage?"

"It is nothing worth speaking of--I think now," said the doctor. "But we are under an extent of obligation to you, my dear fellow,--which sits on me as lightly as obligation so generously imposed should;--and yet I should be doubly grateful if you could shew me some way in which I could--for a moment--reverse the terms on which we stand towards each other."

"I don't think of any generous imposition just now," said Mr. Linden smiling. "How are your father and sister?--I was afraid they would suffer from the fright, if nothing else."

"Strong nerves!" said the doctor shrugging his shoulders. "We all eat our breakfast this morning, and wanted the chops done as much as usual.

Sophy _did_ suffer, though; but it was because Miss Faith would do nothing but get hurt in the house and wouldn't stay to be made well."

"I am sure I did something more than _that_," said Faith, to whom the doctor had looked.

"You don't deserve any thanks!" he said sitting down again beside her;--"but there is somebody else that does, and I wish you would give me a hint how to pay them. That young fellow who says he is no friend of yours--he helped us bravely last night. What can I do to please him?"

"Mr. Linden can tell best," said Faith looking to him. The doctor turned in the same direction.

"Thank you!" Mr. Linden said, and the words were warmly spoken, yet not immediately followed up. "Thank you very much, doctor!" he repeated thoughtfully--"I am not sure that Reuben wants anything just now,--next summer, perhaps, he may want books."

"I see _you_ are his friend?"

"Yes--if you give the word its full length and breadth."

"What is that?" said Dr. Harrison. "Don't go off to 'Nought and All.'"

"I suppose in this case I may say, a mutual bond of trust, affection, and active good wishes."

"There's something in that fellow, I judge?"

"You judge right."

"A fisherman's son, I think you said. Well--I share the 'active good wishes,' at least, if I can't a.s.sume the 'affection'--so think about my question, Linden, and I'll promise to back your thoughts. What do you do with yourself such a day? I was overcome with ennui--till I got out into the elements."

"Ennui is not one of my friends," said Mr. Linden smiling--"not even an acquaintance. In fact I never even set a chair for him, as the woman in Elia set a chair for the poor relation, saying, 'perhaps he will step in to-day.' I have been busy, doctor--what shall I do to amuse you?

will you have a foreign newspaper?"

The doctor looked dubious; then took the newspaper and turned it over, but not as if he had got rid of his ennui.

"This smoke in the house will drive us out of Pattaqua.s.set a little sooner than we expected."

"Not this winter?"

"Yes. _That's_ nothing new--but we shall go a few days earlier than we meant. I wish you were going too."

"When to return?" said Mr. Linden. "I mean you--not myself."

"I?--I am a wandering comet," said the doctor. "I have astonished Pattaqua.s.set so long, it is time for me to flare up in some other place. I don't know, Linden. Somebody must be here occasionally, to overlook the refitting of the inside of that library--perhaps that agreeable duty will fall on me. But Linden,"--said the doctor dropping the newspaper and turning half round on his chair, speaking gracefully and comically,--"_you_ astonish Pattaqua.s.set as much as I do; and to tell you the truth you astonish me sometimes a little. This is no place for you. Wouldn't you prefer a tutors.h.i.+p at Quilipeak, or a professor's chair in one of the city colleges? You may step into either berth presently, and at your pleasure,--I know. I do not speak without knowledge."

There was a stir of feeling in Mr. Linden's face--there was even an unwonted tinge of colour, but the firm-set lips gave no indication as to whence it came; and he presently looked up, answering the doctor in tones as graceful and more simple than his own.

"Thank you, doctor, once more! But I have full employment, and am--or am not--ambitious,--whichever way you choose to render it. Not to speak of the pleasure of astonis.h.i.+ng Pattaqua.s.set," he added, with a smile breaking out,--"I could not hope to do that for Quilipeak."

"Please know," said the doctor, both frankly and with much respect in his manner, "that I have been so presumptuous as to concern my mind about this for some time--for which you will punish me as you think I deserve. How to be so much further presumptuous as to speak to you about it, was my trouble;--and I ventured at last," he said smiling, "upon my own certain possession of certain points of that 'friend'

character which you were giving just now to Reuben Taylor--or to yourself, in his regard."

"I am sure you have them!--But about Reuben,--though I know reward is the last thing he thought of or would wish,--yet I, his friend, choose to answer for him, that if you choose to give him any of the books that he will need in college, they will be well bestowed."

"In college!" said the doctor. "Diable! Where is he going?"

"Probably to Quilipeak."

"You said, to college, man. I mean, what is college the road to, in the youngster's mind?"

"I am not sure that I have a right to tell you," said Mr. Linden,--"it is in his mind a road to greater usefulness--so much I may say."

"He'll never be more useful than he was last night. However, I'm willing to help him try.--What is Mignonette going to do with herself this afternoon?"--said the doctor throwing aside his newspaper and standing before her.

"I don't know," said Faith. "Sit here and work, I suppose."

"I'll tell you what she ought to do," the doctor went on impressively.

"She ought to do what the flowers do when the sun goes down,--shut up her sweetness to herself, see and be seen by n.o.body, and cease to be conscious of her own existence."

Faith laughed, in a way that gave doubtful promise of following the directions. The doctor stood looking down at her, took her hand and gallantly kissed it, and finally took himself off.

"There is a good little trial of my patience!" Mr. Linden said. "I don't know but it is well he is going away, for I might forget myself some time, and bid him hands off."