University of Virginia Library

19. CHAPTER XIX.
THE LOVERS.

The young seaman remained standing
where the beautiful stranger had left him,
transfixed with surprise and delight. He had
never before beheld such grace, such beauty
and fascination. It seemed to him for a
moment that he must have seen a vision;
but her voice still echoed in his heart like
the memories of pleasant music.

`Young man!' said a person near him,
who carried a baton and wore a badge.

`Sir!' answered Ringold with a start.

`You do not see that they are leaving this
gallery. The hour of closing the doors has
struck.

`I beg your pardon,' answered Ringold,
following the distant crowd, and hastening his
steps that he might once more get sight of
that heavenly face. Eagerly he thrust his
way among the people, to reach the street in
advance, hoping to catch a glimpse of her
as she passed out. He was rewarded by
seeing her in the act of entering an elegant
carriage. As he continued to gaze upon her,
her eyes met his through the glass, when
again she repeated the smile which had before
so entranced his soul. The next moment
the splendid equipage, with its livered
coachman and footman, rolled off and disappeared
round the next corner.

Every day while his ship remained in London,
when he could be relieved from duty,
did the ardent young man visit the Royal
Academy, in the hope of seeing again the
lovely stranger who had enkindled in his bosom
the hope of fame. But he saw her no
more; yet his visits were not without benefit
to himself; for instead of gazing in mute
despair upon the Claudes and Rembrants,
the Rahaels and the Wests, he began to study
them, and try to discover what their beauties
were, and wherein their superior merit
lay, that he might copy their excellencies
when he returned to America, which he now
resolved to do in order to devote himself
sacredly to an art to eminence, in which the
fair stranger had promised he might one day
attain.

At length the ship left London, and Ringold
departed in her, leaving behind him in
London his heart. Who the maiden was,
who had so sweetly and boldly bidden him
take heart and hope, he had not the remotest
idea. He had made inquiries of the keepers
and ushers at the doors of the Royal Gallery,
and described the carriage; but no one
could tell him who they were. So he left England
ignorant even of the name of her whom
he felt he should look upon as the star of his
destiny, so long as he lived. On the voyage,
stealing time, when the sea was smooth,
he transferred to canvass from memory, the
features of the beautiful stranger, and with

such devotion did he regard it, that he was
asked by an Italian sailor on board, if it
were the Madonna he so often worshipped.

Arrived once more in his native valley, he
resolved to devote all his leisure, as we have
seen, to perfecting himself in his art; and
he applied his pencil with an assiduity that
only the inspiration of love could achieve.

We now return to Ringold in his mother's
cottage, waiting for the appearance of Whitlock,
who had been longer on his visit to
Kate Boyd, than he had promised to be.
But Kate was too attractive, and Ned to susceptible
to her fascinations; to get easily
away.

`Now, master Edward Whitlock,' said the
rural beauty, `you seem to be in a very great
hurry to leave me. Here you have been
three long winter months absent, and by
your own confession got into the valley yesterday
noon, and here you have come at last
to spend a poor one hour with me, and want
to shorten that. Well, go sir, and good bye
and stay bye;' and Kate pouted and looked,
or tried to look vexed.

`Dear Kate,' began Whitlock turning
back to the door,' you know I love you better
than I do myself —'

`Dear me! I should hope you did. I
wonder what there is about you, pray, sir
vanity, that it worth loving! as well as you
do yourself.'

`I mean better. Don't let us part so,
Kate,' he added deprecatingly.

`How?' she asked archly and mischievously.

`Kind o' out o' sorts. You used to be
sweet tempered.'

`Till I knew you. You've spoiled it,
Ned.'

`Dear, bless us! well I am glad you can
call me “Ned.” This shows me you an't
angry. Now let's say good bye.'

`When are you coming back?'

`To-morrow, certainly.'

`Now if you don't, I won't speak to you
again.'

`I'll be sure to be back. I've got a compliment
for you, Kate.'

`Have you? Oh, of all things, Ned. Let
me hear it. Who is it from?'

`Ringold!'

`He is so handsome!'

`Do you think so?'

`He has the finest eyes!'

`Then I won't tell the compliment; for if
you begin this way I don't know what 'll
come of it, when you hear how he said you
were the handsomest girl in all the valley,
and had the whitest-teeth; (Kate smiled and
displayed her pearly teeth,) had the prettiest
foot, (Kate glanced at her foot) and were
the best tempered person in the world.'

`I knew Ringold was a young gentleman
of taste.'

`You did, hey!'

`Yes, he always smiles when he sees me!'

`He does, hey?'

`Yes, sir jealousy!'

`I am not jealous, Kate. But you would
make me so if you could.'

`Would I? how charitable you are. Bless
me, I think there is nothing so disagreeable
looking, as a jealous lover.'

`Well, I won't look disagreeable, Kate;
but to tell you the truth —'

`Well what is it? Don't stammer and
look for all the world as if you were going
to tell a lie.'

`I believe you have a sort of —'

`Now you are going to say something foolish,
and you had best think better of it, Ned.'

`No, I was only going to say that I think
you like Ringold; and to tell you the truth
I am not surprised at it. He has a good
education and can write. Yes, he can write
you love-letters, which I, poor devil, can't do,
and —'

`Ned, what is the matter?' she asked him
with a look of comical surprise.

`I—I—I—'

`There now! Tears in your eyes Why
my dear Edward, what has got into you?'
she said at once abandoning her tantalizing

manner, and taking him by the hand, while
she looked into his tearful eyes with deep
womanly affection and sympathy.

`I am a fool!'

`No one else would dare to call you so.'

`I ought to know better than to expect to
keep the love of such a beautiful, intelligent,
sensible girl, as you are. You deserve a better
fate. I despise myself, when I sometimes
think how ignorant I am.'

`Well, I don't despise you, Ned. I
wouldn't have a husband that knew one jot
more than I did.'

`But I don't know any thing you do.'

`But I am going to teach you, just as soon
as you get married and the honey moon is
over. You shall read all I have read, and
know just all I know. I have my plan all
made out on my fingers' ends. The morning
before breakfast, I'll teach you to read,
and when you can read, we'll have the morning
for geography, which you know is a description
of the earth.'

`No, I didn't know any such thing.'

`Well, it is. Dear me how ignorant he
is to be sure!' she said sotto voce. `At
noon I'll give you a lesson in grammar,
which is the art of reading and writing
with — no, not reading and writing, reading
and speaking with propriety. That you
must learn because you don't always speak
the best grammar, Ned.'

`I'll try to talk as near like you do, as I
can, and I know I'll be as right as I want to
be.'

`At noon, grammar, and in the evening!
let me see, what shall we have for the evening?
Oh, writing!'

`Yes, writing of all things!'

`Of all things!'

`Then when you go away I can write to
you!'

`And I can write to you!'

`How charming.'

`Wont it?'

`Well, there is reading, writing and grammar.'

`That's all!'

`No, there's one more!'

`Oh, dear!'

`There is a long sigh, now. Just as it
used to be when your father sent you to
school. You sighed and played marbles and
tossed coppers, Ned, when you ought to have
been at your book. Dear me! It ain't every
maiden would love you and take you in
hand as I have done; and if you —'

`Don't say another word! Bless my soul!
what a little rattle your tongue is, Kate!
But then it is as musical as sleigh-bells. I'll
agree to learn 'Rithmetic! That 'll be the
three R's!'

`What 'll be the three R's?'

`Readin', Ritin', and Rithmetic!'

`Oh, oh! Was ever! Really Edward
you are so —'

`Ignorant!'

`Yes, that is the very word!'

`Well, I know it, Kate!'

`Now don't go to looking black again.
I'll have you as learned as I am in a year after
we are married. I'll show the school-master
that a wife can do what he couldn't!'

`I shall be the happiest dog in the world,
dear Kate, in having such a teacher. But
—'

`But what?'

`When —'

`When what? —'

`You look at me so innocent like, that
—'

`I hope I am innocent, Ned! What did
you hesitate at? What were you going to
ask?'

`That important question!'

`How you blush. You make me blush
to see you blush so. What, what question?'
she added in a faltering voice, looking as if
she very well knew what he asked to know.

`The day—we—are—to—be—hap—happy,
Kate.'

`Well, upon my word, one would think
you were trying to swallow a camel. Aint
you happy enough now?'

`No, Kate! How you do perplex one!'

`You said not ten minutes ago that you
were the happiest man on earth in being my
lover!'

`So I did—so I am—but—'

`You want to be happier do you?'

`Yes, dearest Kate!'

`That is to be less happy than you are
now!'

`Why is it so?'

`This question shows how you want grammar,
Ned. Happy is happy ain't it?'

`Yes!'

`Happier, is happier!'

`Yes!'

`And happiest, is more than happier!'

`True as the grammar itself!'

`Now then you see if you are the happiest
man on earth, and want to be happier, it is
going back one step, for happier is under happiest.
This comes of learning grammar, Ned!'

`Well, then!' answered Ned rubbing his
ruddy cheek! `I don't exactly see how that
tree falls, but I suppose it is all right, as you
say it is. Then I don't want to be made any
happier, I mean grammar happier.'

`Then you are content to be as we are!'

`No, no' I want to—to—to be ha—
not happier, but —

`Married! out with it at once, Ned.'

`You've said it, Kate. When shall we set
the happy day?'

`The first of next month!'

`Why that is April fool's day.'

`Then if you are afraid you 'll be made
a fool of,' said the vexatious little beauty
with a pout, `I'll —'

Let it be April fool's day then, Kate!'

`You take it so good-naturedly, Ned, I'll
name an honest good day. It shall be the
tenth of April, which is my birth day. I
shall be just twenty three.'

`The tenth of April then it is, dearest
Kate,' answered Whitlock with a joyful air.
`Now Kate, a kiss.'

`What for?' asked she demurely.

`To seal it!'

`Oh, no. Nobody 'll get at the secret, if
you don't tell it.'

`You are enough to tempt and vex a
saint. But I must not stay another moment.
Ringold will be impatient.'

`Tell him I think he is the handsomest
young fellow in the valley.'

`No I wont.'

`Oh, you are so afraid of Ringold. Be
sure he thinks there is no body like that
beautiful English lady whose picture he has.
Wouldn't you like to have him paint my
portrait, Ned.'

`No!'

`Oh, what a jealous pate you are. Well,
I'll make you believe yourself when we get
married and I get to teaching you the three
R's, as you call them.'

`And what are they, Kate?'

`I'll teach you one of these days. Good
bye if you must go; and be sure and be here
to-morrow night. I wonder what Ringold
Griffitt can want with you to go with to the
Elk?'

`I'll tell you when I return, all about it,'
answered Whitlock; so now dear Kate, good
bye.' And like a bold lover, and true as he
was, in spite of grammar and the three R's,
he caught her in his arms, left a kiss on
either cheek, and a third upon her lips, and
bounded away like a victor.

In another hour, he and the party, composed
of Red Beard, Ringold and the recluse,
were wending their way through the valley
in the direction of the Elk Fork Inn.