For Inez, the Spaniard,
Is o'er the sea,
And the heart thou wouldst win
Is not destined for thee.
As we have before said, Julia was delighted at having Dr. Lacey thus to
herself, and she resolved to increase the favorable impression she knew
she had already made upon him. Most admirably was her part played. Fanny
herself could not have been more gentle and agreeable than was Julia, as,
together with Dr. Lacey, she traversed the broad walks of the garden.
Sweet and soothing were the words she poured into his ear, occasionally
administering a little well-timed flattery, and wishing, as she had once
done before to another individual in similar circumstances, that Dr. Lacey
had been her brother. He did not, like Mr. Wilmot, follow up this wish by
a proposition that as he was not her brother she would accept him for a
husband, but he pressed the hand, which, with seeming unconsciousness, had
been placed on his, and said, "God knows how ardently I once hoped to be
your brother, Julia."
"And would you then have loved me?" asked Julia, "me whom few have ever
loved, because they did not know me; say, would you have loved me as a
sister?"
The face of her who awaited Dr. Lacey's answer was very beautiful, while
tears moistened the long eyelashes, which veiled the large, bright eyes,
and the tones of her voice, now more like Fanny's than ever, thrilled his
every nerve. What wonder, then, that his lips for the first time touched
the polished brow of the tempter, as he said, "It would be no hard task,
Julia, to love you with more than a brother's love."
"One more well-aimed blow," thought Julia, "and I shall have him at my
feet"; but she was mistaken. Between herself and Dr. Lacey there arose the
image of one, the remembrance of whom had a power to prevent the utterance
of words which otherwise might have been spoken.
Abruptly changing the conversation, he drew her rather reluctantly toward
the house, which they reached just in time to hear Florence exclaim, as
she scattered the chessmen over the floor, "Why, Uncle Billy Middleton,
what do you mean? Put yourself up to be played for, and then beat me;
shame, shame."
"What is this all about?" asked Dr. Lacey, having some inkling of the
truth.
"Why," answered Florence, "you see, Mr. Middleton has conceived a fatherly
affection for me, and as he is rather rusty in such matters, he could
think of no better way of proposing than to put himself up as a prize, and
tell me if I beat him in playing chess, he would be mine, or in other
words, make me Mrs. Billy Middleton."