University of Virginia Library

2. CHAPTER II.

It was not without reluctance that the family of Mr.
Fitzhurst, senior, consented to remain on his estate
during the winter. That family consisted of the son
whom we have already introduced to our readers,
whose Christian name was Sidney, a daughter Frances,
or, as she was generally called, Fanny Fitzhurst, and
a maiden lady, the aunt of these two last-named individuals;
a sister of Mr. Fitzhurst, senior, named
Rachellina Fitzhurst.

Paul was the Christian name of the old gentleman.
He had lately been suffering severely under an attack
of the gout, and it was not without several mental
struggles, in anticipating those of speech which he
feared to hold with his sister on the subject, that he
made up his mind, if the contest alluded to should not
be too severe, that he would remain in the country.
He determined if he could not hold out, however, to
capitulate upon what terms he might—perhaps yield
himself a prisoner, and be taken into town.

“In the country,” thought he, in turning over the
advantages of the project in his own mind—“in the
country I shall have my children's society more. I
shall escape such an eternal round of company, for,
though I like company when I am well, what good
does it do me when I have the gout? In town if I
go into the parlour I must be fixed off into something
like what becomes a gentleman of the old school; yes,
from self-respect—for company will be constantly
coming. It's not so delightful a matter to deprive
myself of the comforts of a morning-gown and squeeze
my limbs into the tight circumference of a coat. If
I go into the parlour I feel I ought to do it, for I am

not comfortable if I don't; and if I do, the gout takes
possession of every limb;—and then if I remain in
my room I have no company at all. Fanny's willing
to stay with me, I know, but when her friends call, she
must see them—and parties—parties—she must go to
parties; and if I send for Joe Hartley to come and
take a game of chess with me up in my chamber for
company's sake, the fellow only irritates me. He
must make, he does make, a sly move when a twitch
seizes me, for I know I am the better player. He
never beat me in his life when I was well, if I was in
the humour for playing; and there's Sidney, he
must be out and about, I don't like to confine him to
the game, and what's the use of playing with him.
I can always beat him, and he never cares if I do; he
pays no attention to the game whatever; it's throwing
time away. No, no; I must stay in the country; then
Fanny will be with me, and not so much company to
take her off. When she goes, Sister Rachellina can't
attend me, and I'm left to that black jade, Beck. She
tosses my bandages about and around my poor limbs
as though she were playing with Rachellina's pet
puppy. It don't signify: old maids are a crabbed set. I
have no doubt before I can accomplish this arrangement
the excitement and worry of mind will increase
greatly my gout. But I must remain here—I must
settle it the first favourable opportunity.”

It was some time, however, before this favourable
opportunity occurred. Miss Rachellina had suggested
several alterations in the furniture, and was somewhat
surprised to hear her brother instantly consent to them.
On the next morning the order was given, and Pompey
was despatched to the city, twenty miles off, to
hear it fulfilled. On Pompey's return, he brought with
him a package which he said Colonel Bentley had
told him to give to his master. It proved to be a
splendid set of jewellery, which, without informing his

daughter of his intention, Mr. Fitzhurst had ordered
from Paris for her.

With perhaps less of parental ostentation than he
would under other circumstances have exhibited, Mr.
Fitzhurst presented them to Fanny. While she was
looking at and admiring them, her father, after two or
three premonitory coughs, and after twisting in his
huge arm-chair as if his gout was more than usually
severe, said:

“Fanny, my dear daughter—ah, ah! oh, my Fanny,
my dear, fix this bandage a little looser. Be very
careful, my dear child, do not in mercy touch my
great toe. I feel as if it were a pincushion—as if ten
thousand pins and needles were running into it.
Daughter, do draw the centre table a little nearer to
me, and spread the map of the county on it. Ah, our
county road has been so well mended, the supervisor
tells me, as he was here for the tax yesterday, that it
will be almost as good as if it were M`Adamised.”

“As if it were M`Adamised, brother!” ejaculated
Miss Rachellina Fitzhurst in some heat.

“Upon my honour, sister,” rejoined the old gentleman
with considerable emphasis, “you said that like
the report of a pistol. Yes, as good, almost as good as
if it were M`Adamised—so the supervisor tells me. I
don't know the fact of my own knowledge—I have
not, as you know, travelled the road for a month. I
don't believe I shall see a foot of it for the whole winter.
Sister and daughter (in a subdued voice as
though his regret was great), I don't believe but what—
that is, I fear we shall have to spend this winter in
the country.”

“In the country!” exclaimed Miss Rachellina in
the tone of one who had heard some awful calamity.
“Why, brother, twenty miles from the city—the
Hartleys gone to town, and the Bentleys going—with
no neighbours but the farmers about here and the

people of the village; and the road to the city so bad
that it will be impossible—it's worse than imprisonment.
I would not myself, nor would I have Fanny, travel
that road in winter. Twenty miles! and such'a road—
no. I would not travel it, brother, for your estate. The
consequence is, we shall be here all winter without
once seeing the city.”

Mr. Fitzhurst, who claimed some honour himself
for the locality of the road, which he was often heard
to assert would be an excellent one when it come to
be M`Adamised, felt somewhat offended by what his
sister had said against it. He, therefore, replied—a
twitch of the gout seizing him at the same time—with
more than his usual asperity:

“Upon my honour, Miss Fitzhurst—you do not,
upon my honour, madam, deserve the safety, and
convenience, and pleasure, of a direct road. Show me
a straighter road? There are five miles of it M`Adamised
now—and as soon as the spring will allow, it
will be finished to the city. It has been thoroughly
repaired—the supervisor told me so yesterday,—you
saw him here yourself. Why, yes; now I remember,
you spoke in praise of the road.”

“In praise of the road,” replied Miss Rachellina,
feeling that at this point it was necessary for her to
make some defence; “so I did speak in praise of the
road, such as it was in the summer—but summer is
not winter, brother.”

“Sister, I am certainly aware of the fact,” said Mr.
Fitzhurst with a solemn inclination of the head; “I am
certainly aware of that fact—but the supervisor, Mr.
Lenson, tells me that arrangements are made to have
hands on the road all the winter;—that thereby all
the mud-holes will be filled up, and that rails will be
laid across the soft places.”

“Rails! such travelling, I suppose, you call riding
on a rail-road. Do you, brother?”

“Yes, sister, it's a rail-road, I suppose, if it's composed
of rails, but”—

“Yes, brother, but the jolting, the jolting—it will
be enough to shake one to pieces.”

“I know it, sister; upon my honour, I know it;
and how do you think that I, with my gout, my infirmities,
am to get into town over it?”

During this discussion Fanny said not a word.
She received the announcement of her father's intention
of staying in the country with a face that was
quite solemn at first, but which soon relaxed into an
arch expression as the debate waxed warm. These
discussions between her father and aunt never had
anything serious in them; they generally ended in a
miff of the moment, which was soon forgotten. There
is no telling how far, however, this solemn subject
might have carried them, for it was one of the gravest
controversies they had ever held, when the servant
entered—Miss Rachellina's especial servant, a little
black girl, named Thisbe by the lady herself—and
announced that there was a carriage coming up the
lane, and that she believed it was Miss Bentley's.
Miss Bentley and Miss Rachellina were especial
friends. The latter rose, therefore, to proceed to the
door, receive her friend, and herald her in; but as a
parting shot, ere she closed the door after her, she
said:

“Well, brother, I suppose, as usual, you will have
your own way; but I don't see how you can reconcile
it to your conscience, to your duty as a parent, to
keep your daughter out here all winter without any
society, except such plebeian people as we shall have
visiting us from the village. I don't see, for my part,
how you can reconcile it to your notions of family
respect and regard for your daughter.”

So speaking, Miss Rachellina, with her highest
touch of dignity, threw back her head till the bow

of ribbon on the top of her cap bobbed as if it would
snap off like a hollyhock in a high wind, and closed
the door.

“Ahem! ahem!” commenced Mr. Fitzhurst, clearing
his throat, on being left alone with his daughter.
“Fanny, my dear, how do you like your present?”

“Very much indeed, father; they are set so chastely,
and are indeed beautiful, exceedingly beautiful; but,
father, indeed I wish you were well of your gout, for
you suffer so much with it; and if you were, I would
lean on your arm at the parties this winter, and wear
my present, and say that my dear father gave it to
me.”

“Well, daughter, I tell you, you shall have the
carriage whenever you choose, and no doubt my gout
will be better with your good nursing; and then you
shall go in town and stay as long as you wish, and
go to all the parties.”

“Heigh, ho! father, it is for your gout I care, not
for myself; but last winter was such a delightful one,
and I don't see why you should have the gout this
winter. No matter; I will stay at home and read, and
improve myself, for indeed I felt a great many self-reproaches
last winter after I had returned from a
party and sat over my solitary fire in my room. I
used to think so often that I had wasted time, or
been giddy, or something always arose to worry me.
Recollect now, father, whenever I want a book,
no matter what Pompey or the servants are
doing, they must go to town for it. I don't believe
Mr. Pinckney's brother's friend will stay very long
with us if he has to spend his time in the country.”

“My daughter, I hope that”—

Mr. Fitzhurst was interrupted in his remark by the
entrance of his sister and her friend.

“Niece,” said Miss Rachellina, with a much
brighter look than that which sat upon her brow when

she left the room, “we have one consolation and comfort
in remaining in the country at any rate: Miss
Bentley has just come over to tell me that she thought
of remaining; and when I told her that brother had
made up his mind to stay in consequence of his gout,
she at once decided upon it.”

“Yes,” said Miss Bentley, after saluting Mr. Fitzhurst
and his daughter, “I have repeatedly thought
to myself that I should like to spend this winter in
the country, and now I am resolved.”

Both Mr. Fitzhurst and his daughter expressed
themselves delighted at the news. As it was growing
dark, lights were now brought in by the servants; and
as Mr. Fitzhurst could not move, without pain, to the
parlour, the evening meal was handed round in the
room in which they were assembled.