Beulah - Page 276/348

One afternoon in the following week Mrs. Williams sat wrapped up in

the hall, watching Beulah's movements in the yard at the rear of the

house. The whitewashed paling was covered with luxuriant raspberry

vines, and in one corner of the garden was a bed of strawberry

plants. Over this bed Beulah was bending with a basket nearly filled

with the ripe scarlet berries. Stooping close to the plants she saw

only the fruit she was engaged in picking; and when the basket was

quite full she was suddenly startled by a merry laugh and a pair of

hands clasped over her eyes.

"Who blindfolds me?" said she.

"Guess, you solemn witch!"

"Why, Georgia, of course."

The hands were removed, and Georgia Asbury's merry face greeted her.

"I am glad to see you, Georgia. Where is Helen?"

"Oh, gone to ride with one of her adorers; but I have brought

somebody to see you who is worth the whole Asbury family. No less a

personage than my famous cousin Reginald Lindsay, whom you have

heard us speak of so often. Oh, how tempting those luscious berries

are! Reginald and I intend to stay to tea, and father will perhaps

come out in the carriage for us. Come, yonder is my cousin on the

gallery looking at you, and pretending to talk to Mrs. Williams. He

has read your magazine sketches and is very anxious to see you. How

nice you look; only a little too statuish. Can't you get up a smile?

That is better. Here, let me twine this cluster of wistaria in your

hair; I stole it as I ran up the steps."

Beulah was clad in a pure white mull muslin, and wore a short black

silk apron, confined at the waist by a heavy cord and tassel.

Georgia fastened the purple blossoms in her silky hair, and they

entered the house. Mr. Lindsay met them, and, as his cousin

introduced him, Beulah looked at him, and met the earnest gaze of a

pair of deep blue eyes which seemed to index a nature singularly

tranquil. She greeted him quietly, and would have led the way to the

front of the house; but Georgia threw herself down on the steps, and

exclaimed eagerly: "Do let us stay here; the air is so deliciously sweet and cool.

Cousin, there is a chair. Beulah, you and I will stem these berries

at once, so that they may be ready for tea."

She took the basket, and soon their fingers were stained with the

rosy juice of the fragrant fruit. All restraint vanished; the

conversation was gay, and spiced now and then with repartees which

elicited Georgia's birdish laugh and banished for a time the weary,

joyless expression of Beulah's countenance. The berries were finally

arranged to suit Georgia's taste, and the party returned to the

little parlor. Here Beulah was soon engaged by Mr. Lindsay in the

discussion of some of the leading literary questions of the day. She

forgot the great sorrow that brooded over her heart, a faint, pearly

glow crept into her cheeks, and the mouth lost its expression of

resolute endurance. She found Mr. Lindsay highly cultivated in his

tastes, polished in his manners, and possessed of rare intellectual

attainments, while the utter absence of egotism and pedantry

impressed her with involuntary admiration. Extensive travel and long

study had familiarized him with almost every branch of science and

department of literature, and the ease and grace with which he

imparted some information she desired respecting the European

schools of art contrasted favorably with the confused account Eugene

had rendered of the same subject. She remarked a singular composure

of countenance, voice, and even position, which seemed

idiosyncratic, and was directly opposed to the stern rigidity and

cynicism of her guardian. She shrank from the calm, steadfast gaze

of his eyes, which looked into hers with a deep yet gentle scrutiny,

and resolved ere the close of the evening to sound him concerning

some of the philosophic phases of the age. Had he escaped the upas

taint of skepticism? An opportunity soon occurred to favor her

wishes, for, chancing to allude to his visit to Rydal Mount, while

in the lake region of England, the transition to a discussion of the

metaphysical tone of the "Excursion" was quite easy.