The Blithedale Romance - Page 18/170

To my surprise, Zenobia--of whose haughty spirit I had been told so

many examples--absolutely changed color, and seemed mortified and

confused.

"You do not quite do me justice, Mr. Hollingsworth," said she almost

humbly. "I am willing to be kind to the poor girl. Is she a protegee

of yours? What can I do for her?"

"Have you anything to ask of this lady?" said Hollingsworth kindly to

the girl. "I remember you mentioned her name before we left town."

"Only that she will shelter me," replied the girl tremulously. "Only

that she will let me be always near her."

"Well, indeed," exclaimed Zenobia, recovering herself and laughing,

"this is an adventure, and well-worthy to be the first incident in our

life of love and free-heartedness! But I accept it, for the present,

without further question, only," added she, "it would be a convenience

if we knew your name."

"Priscilla," said the girl; and it appeared to me that she hesitated

whether to add anything more, and decided in the negative. "Pray do

not ask me my other name,--at least not yet,--if you will be so kind to

a forlorn creature."

Priscilla!--Priscilla! I repeated the name to myself three or four

times; and in that little space, this quaint and prim cognomen had so

amalgamated itself with my idea of the girl, that it seemed as if no

other name could have adhered to her for a moment. Heretofore the poor

thing had not shed any tears; but now that she found herself received,

and at least temporarily established, the big drops began to ooze out

from beneath her eyelids as if she were full of them. Perhaps it showed

the iron substance of my heart, that I could not help smiling at this

odd scene of unknown and unaccountable calamity, into which our

cheerful party had been entrapped without the liberty of choosing

whether to sympathize or no. Hollingsworth's behavior was certainly a

great deal more creditable than mine.

"Let us not pry further into her secrets," he said to Zenobia and the

rest of us, apart; and his dark, shaggy face looked really beautiful

with its expression of thoughtful benevolence. "Let us conclude that

Providence has sent her to us, as the first-fruits of the world, which

we have undertaken to make happier than we find it. Let us warm her

poor, shivering body with this good fire, and her poor, shivering heart

with our best kindness. Let us feed her, and make her one of us. As

we do by this friendless girl, so shall we prosper. And, in good time,

whatever is desirable for us to know will be melted out of her, as

inevitably as those tears which we see now."