XVI。
Westovermettheladiescomingoutofthedining—roomashewentinratherlatetobreakfast;hehadbeenmakingastudyofLion’sHeadinthemorninglightafterthecloudliftedfromit。HewasalwaysdoingLion’sHeads,itseemedtohim;buthelovedthemountain,andhewasalwaysfindingsomethingnewinit。
Hewasnowseeingitinwardlywithsoexclusiveavisionthathehadnoeyesfortheseextremelyprettywomentilltheywereoutofsight。Thenherememberednoticingthem,andstartedwithasenseofrecognition,whichheverifiedbythehotelregisterwhenhehadfinishedhismeal。
Itwas,infact,Mrs。JamesW。Vostrand,anditwasMissVostrand,whomWestoverhadknowtenyearsbeforeinItaly。Mrs。Vostrandhadthenlatelycomeabroadfortheeducationofherchildren,andwaspausingindoubtatFlorencewhethersheshouldeducatetheminGermanyorSwitzerland。Herhusbandhadapparentlyabandonedthisquestiontoher,andhedidnotcontributehispresencetohermoralsupportduringherstrugglewithaproblemwhichWestoverrememberedashavingatendencytosolutioninthedirectionofapermanentstayinFlorence。
InthosedayshelikedMrs。Vostrandverymuch,andattwentyheconsideredheratthirtydistinctlymiddle—aged。Foronewintershehadafriendlylittlesalon,whichwasthemostattractiveplaceinFlorencetohim,thenacubpaintersufficientlyunlicked。Hewasawareofherchildrenbeingagooddealinthesalon:agirlofeight,whowaslikehermother,andquiteasavagelittleboyoffive,whomayhavebeenlikehisfather。Ifhewas,andtheabsentMr。Vostrandhadthesamehabitofsulkingandkickingatpeople’sshins,WestovercouldpartlyunderstandwhyMrs。VostrandhadcometoEuropefortheeducationofherchildren。
Itallcamevividlybacktohim,whilehewentaboutlookingforMrs。
Vostrandandherdaughterontheverandasandintheparlors。Buthedidnotfindthem,andhewasgoingtosendhisnametotheirroomswhenhecameuponJeffDurginfiguringabouttheofficeinafreshLondonconceptionofanoutingcostume。
\"You’reveryswell,\"saidWestover,haltinghimtotakefullnoteofit。
\"Likeit?Well,Iknewyou’dunderstandwhatitmeant。Motherthinksit’salittletoorowdy—looking。Herideaisblackbroadclothfrock—coatanddoeskintrousersforagentleman,youknow。\"Helaughedwithayoungjoyousness,andthenbecameserious。\"Coupleofladieshere,somewhere,I’dliketointroduceyouto。Cameoverwithmefromthedepotlastnight。Verynicepeople,andI’dliketomakeitpleasantforthem——getupsomething——gosomewhere——andwhenyouseetheirstyleyoucanjudgewhatithadbetterbe。Mrs。Vostrandandherdaughter。\"
\"Thankyou,\"saidWestover。\"IthinkIknowthemalreadyatleastoneofthem。IusedtogotoMrs。Vostrand’shouseinFlorence。\"
\"Thatso?Well,factis,Icrossedwiththem;butIcamesecond—cabin,becauseI’dspentallmymoney,andIdidn’tgetacquaintedwiththemontheship,butwemetinthetraincominguplastnight。SaidtheyhadheardofLion’sHeadontheothersidefromfriends。Butitwasquiteacoincidence,don’tyouthink?I’dliketohavethemseewhatthisneighborhoodreallyis;andIwish,Mr。Westover,you’dfindout,ifyoucan,whatthey’dlike。Ifthey’reforwalking,wecouldgetWhitwelltopersonallyconductaparty,andifthey’refordriving,I’dliketoshowthemalittlemountain—coachingmyself。\"
\"Idon’tknowwhetherI’dbetternotleavethewholethingtoyou,Jeff,\"
Westoversaid,afteramoment’sreflection。\"Idon’tseeexactlyhowI
couldbringthequestionintoafirstinterview。\"
\"Well,perhapsitwouldberatherrushingit。But,ifIgetupsomething,you’llcome,Mr。Westover?\"
\"Iwill,withgreatpleasure,\"saidWestover,andhewenttomakehiscall。
Ahalf—hourlaterhewaspassingthedooroftheoldparlorwhichMrs。
Durginstillkeptforhers,onhiswayuptohisroom,whenasoundofangryvoicescameouttohim。ThenthevoiceofMrs。Durgindefineditselfinthewords:\"I’mnotgoin’tohavetoaskanymorefolksfortheirroomsonyouraccount,JeffDurgin——Mr。Westover!Mr。Westover,isthatyou?\"hervoicebrokeofftocallafterhimashehurriedby,\"Won’tyoucomeinhereaminute?\"
Hehesitated,andthenJeffcalled,\"Yes,comein,Mr。Westover。\"
Thepainterfoundhimsittingontheoldhair—clothsofa,withhisstickbetweenhishandsandknees,confrontinghismother,whowasrockingexcitedlytoandfrointheoldhair—clotheasy—chair。
\"YouknowthesefolksthatJeff’ssocrazyabout?\"shedemanded。
\"Crazy!\"criedJeff,laughingandfrowningatthesametime。\"What’scrazyinwantingtogooffonadriveandchooseyourownparty?\"
\"Doyouknowthem?\"Mrs。DurginrepeatedtoWestover。
\"TheVostrands?Why,yes。IknewMrs。VostrandinItalyagoodmanyyearsago,andI’vejustbeencallingonherandherdaughter,whowasalittlegirlthen。\"
\"Whatkindoffolksarethey?\"
\"Whatkind?Really!Why,they’reverycharmingpeople——\"
\"SoJeffseemstothink。Anycalltoshowthemanyparticularattention?\"
\"Idon’tknowifIquiteunderstand——\"
\"Why,it’sjustthis。Jeff,here,wantstomakeapicnicforthem,orsomething,andIcan’tseethesenseofit。Yourememberwhathappenedatthatotherpicnic,withthatMrs。Marven\"——Jefftappedthefloorwithhisstickimpatiently,andWestoverfeltsorryforhim——\"andIdon’twantittohappenagain,andI’vetoldJeffso。Ipresumehethinksit’llsethimrightwiththem,ifthey’rethinkin’demeaningofhimbecausehecameoversecond—cabinontheirship。\"
Jeffsethisteethandcompressedhislipstobearasbesthecould,thegive—awaywhichhismothercouldnotappreciateinitsimportancetohim:
\"They’renotthekindofpeopletotakesuchathingshabbily,\"saidWestover。\"Theydidn’thappentomentionit,butMrs。Vostrandmusthavegotusedtoseeingyoungfellowsinstraitsofallkindsduringherlifeabroad。IknowthatIsometimesmadethecupofteaandbiscuitsheusedtogivemeinFlorencedodutyforadinner,andIbelievesheknewit。\"
JefflookedupatWestoverwithagrateful,sidelongglance。
Hismothersaid:\"Well,then,that’sallright,andJeffneedn’tdoanythingforthemonthataccount。AndI’vemadeupmymindaboutonething:whateverthehoteldoeshasgottobedoneforthewholehotel。
Itcan’tpickandchooseamongsttheguests。\"Westoverlikedsolittlethepartofoldfamilyfriendwhichheseemed,whetherhelikeditornot,tobearwiththeDurgins,thathewouldgladlyhavegotawaynow,butMrs。Durgindetainedhimwithadirectappeal。\"Don’tyouthinkso,Mr。Westover?\"
Jeffsparedhimthepainofaresponse。\"Verywell,\"hesaidtohismother;\"I’mnotthehotel,andyouneverwantmetobe。Icandothisonmyownaccount。\"
\"Notwithmycoachandnotwithmyhosses,\"saidhismother。
Jeffrose。\"ImightaswellgoondowntoCambridge,andgettoworkonmyconditions。\"
\"Justasyoupleaseaboutthat,\"saidMrs。Durgin,withthesameimpassionedquietthatshowedinherson’shandsomefaceandmadeitoneangryredtohisyellowhair。\"We’vegotalongwithoutyousofar,thissummer,andIguesswecantherestofthetime。Andthesooneryouworkoffyourconditionsthebetter,Ipresume。\"
ThenextmorningJeffcametotakeleaveofhim,whereWestoverhadpitchedhiseaselandcamp—stoolontheslopebehindthehotel。
\"Why,areyoureallygoing?\"heasked。\"Iwasinhopesitmighthaveblownover。\"
\"No,thingsdon’tblowoversoeasywithmother,\"saidJeff,withanembarrassedlaugh,butnoresentment。\"Shegenerallymeanswhatshesays。\"
\"Well,inthiscase,Jeff,Ithinkshewasright。\"
\"Oh,Iguessso,\"saidJeff,pullingupalongbladeofgrassandtakingitbetweenhisteeth。\"Anyway,itcomestothesamethingasfarasI’mconcerned。It’sforhertosaywhatshallbedoneandwhatsha’n’tbedoneinherownhouse,evenifitisahotel。That’swhatIshalldoinmine。We’reusedtotheselittledifferences;butwetalkitout,andthat’stheendofit。Ishouldn’treallygo,though,ifIdidn’tthinkIoughttogetinsomeworkonthoseconditionsbeforethethingbeginsregularly。Ishouldhavelikedtohelpherealittle,forI’vehadagoodtimeandIoughttobewillingtopayforit。Butshe’singoodhands。Jackson’swell——forhim——andshe’sgotCynthia。\"
TheeasysecurityoftonewithwhichJeffpronouncedthenamevexedWestover。\"Isupposeyourmotherwouldhardlyknowhowtodowithouther,evenifyouwereathome,\"hesaid,dryly。
\"Well,that’safact,\"Jeffassented,withalaughforthehit。\"AndJacksonthinkstheworldofher。Ibelievehetrustsherjudgmentmorethanhedoesmother’saboutthehotel。Well,Imustbegoing。Youdon’tknowwhereMrs。Vostrandisgoingtobethiswinter,Isuppose?\"
\"No,Idon’t,\"saidWestover。Hecouldnothelpasortofblindresentmentinthesituation。IfhecouldnotfeelthatJeffwasthebestthatcouldbeforCynthia,hehadcertainlynoreasontoregretthathisthoughtscouldbesolightlyturnedfromher。Butthefactanomalouslyincensedhimasaslighttothegirl,whomighthavebeenstillmoresacrificedbyJeff’sconstancy。Heforcedhimselftoadd:\"IfancyMrs。
Vostranddoesn’tknowherself。\"
\"IwishIdidn’tknowwhereIwasgoingtobe,\"saidJeff。\"Well,good—
bye,Mr。Westover。I’llseeyouinBoston。\"
\"Oh,good—bye。\"Thepainterfreedhimselffromhisbrushandpaletteforapartinghandshake,reluctantly。
Jeffplungeddownthehill,wavingafinaladieufromthecornerofthehotelbeforehevanishedroundit。
Mrs。VostrandandherdaughterwereatbreakfastwhenWestovercameinaftertheearlylighthadbeengonesometime。Theyentreatedhimtojointhemattheirtable,andthemothersaid:\"IsupposeyouwereupsoonenoughtoseeyoungMr。Durginoff。Isn’tittoobadhehastogobacktocollegewhenit’ssopleasantinthecountry?\"
\"Notbadforhim,\"saidWestover。\"He’sayoungmanwhocanstandagreatdealofhardwork。\"PartlybecausehewasalittletiredofJeff,andpartlybecausehewasembarrassedintheirpresencebythereasonofhisgoing,heturnedthetalkuponthedaystheyhadknowntogether。
Mrs。Vostrandwasverywillingtotalkofherpast,evenapartfromhis,andshetoldhimofhersojourninEuropesinceherdaughterhadleftschool。TheyspenttheirwintersinItalyandtheirsummersinSwitzerland,whereitseemedhersonwasstillathisstudiesinLausanne。ShewishedhimtogotoHarvard,shesaid,andshesupposedhewouldhavetofinishhispreparationatoneoftheAmericanschools;butshehadleftthechoiceentirelytoMr。Vostrand。
Thisseemedastrangeeventaftertwelveyears’stayinEuropefortheeducationofherchildren,butWestoverdidnotfeelauthorizedtomakeanycommentuponit。Hefellrathertothinkinghowverypleasantbothmotheranddaughterwere,andtowonderinghowmuchwisdomtheyhadbetweenthem。Hereflectedthatmenhadverylittlewisdom,asfarasheknewthem,andhequestionedwhether,afterall,themaindifferencebetweenmenandwomenmightnotbethatwomentalkedtheirfolliesandmenactedtheirs。ProbablyMrs。Vostrand,withallherbabble,haddonefewerfoolishthingsthanherhusband,buthereWestoverfelthisjudgmentdisabledbythefactthathehadnevermetherhusband;andhismindbegantowandertoaquestionofherdaughter,whomhehadtherebeforehim。Hefoundhimselfbentuponknowingmoreofthegirl,andtryingtoeliminatehermotherfromthetalk,or,atleast,tomakeGenevieveleadinit。Butapparentlyshewasnotoneofthenaturesthatliketolead;atanyrate,sheremaineddiscreetlyinabeyance,andWestoverfanciedsheevenrespectedhermother’sopinionsandideas。
Hethoughtthisverywellforbothofthem,whetheritwastheeffectofMrs。Vostrand’smeritorMissVostrand’straining。Theyseemedbothofoneexquisitegentleness,andofonesweetmanner,whichwasratherelaborateandformalinexpression。Theydeferredtoeachotheraspolitelyastheydeferredtohim,but,ifanything,thedaughterdeferredmost。
XVII。
TheVostrandsdidnotstaylongatLion’sHead。BeforetheweekwasoutMrs。VostrandhadalettersummoningthemtomeetherhusbandatMontreal,wherethatmysteriousman,whonevercameintotherangeofWestover’svision,somehow,waskeptbybusinessfromjoiningtheminthemountains。
EarlyinOctoberthepainterreceivedMrs。Vostrand’scardathisstudioinBoston,andlearnedfromthescribblewhichcovereditthatshewaswithherdaughterattheHotelVendome。Hewentatoncetoseethemthere,andwasmet,almostbeforethegreetingswerepast,withaprayerforhisopinion。
\"Favorableopinion?\"heasked。
\"Favorable?Ohyes;ofcourse。It’ssimplythis。WhenIsentyoumycard,weweremerelybirdsofpassage,andnowIdon’tknowbutweare——
Whatistheoppositeofbirdsofpassage?\"
Westovercouldnotthink,andsaidso。
\"Well,itdoesn’tmatter。Wewerewalkingdownthestreet,here,thismorning,andwesawthesignofanapartmenttolet,inawindow,andwethought,justforamusement,wewouldgoinandlookatit。\"
\"Andyoutookit?\"
\"No,notquitesorapidasthat。Butitwaslovely;insuchapretty’hotelgarni’,andsoexquisitelyfurnished!Wedidn’treallythinkofstayinginBoston;we’dquitemadeupourmindsonNewYork;butthisapartmentisatemptation。\"
\"Whynotyield,then?\"saidWestover。\"That’stheeasiestwaywithatemptation。Confess,now,thatyou’vetakentheapartmentalready!\"
\"No,no,Ihaven’tyet,\"saidMrs。Vostrand。
\"AndifIadvisednot,youwouldn’t?\"
\"Ah,that’sanotherthing!\"
\"Whenareyougoingtotakepossession,Mrs。Vostrand?\"
\"Oh,atonce,Isuppose——ifwedo!\"
\"AndmayIcomeinwhenI’mhungry,justasIusedtodoinFlorence,andwillyoustaymewithflagonsintheoldway?\"
\"Thereneverwasanythingbuttea,youknowwellenough。\"
\"Theteahadruminit。\"
\"Well,perhapsitwillhaveruminithere,ifyou’reverygood。\"
\"Iwilltrymybest,onconditionthatyou’llmakeanyandeverypossibleuseofme。Mrs。Vostrand,Ican’ttellyouhowverygladIamyou’regoingtostay,\"saidthepainter,withafervorthatmadeherimpulsivelyputoutherhandtohim。Hekeptitwhilehecouldadd,\"Idon’tforget——Icanneverforget——howgoodyouweretomeinthosedays,\"andatthatshegavehishandaquickpressure。\"IfIcandoanythingatallforyou,youwillletme,won’tyou。I’mafraidyou’llbesowellprovidedforthattherewon’tbeanything。Askthemtoslightyou,tomisuseyouinsomething,sothatIcancometoyourrescue。\"
\"Yes,Iwill,\"Mrs。Vostrandpromised。\"Andmaywecometoyourstudiotoimploreyourprotection?\"
\"Thesoonerthebetter。\"Westovergothimselfawaywithaverysweetfriendshipinhisheartforthisratheranomalouslady,who,morethanhalfherdaughter’slife,hadlivedawayfromherdaughter’sfather,uponapparentlyperfectlygoodtermswithhim,andsodiscreetlyandself—respectfullythatnobreathofreproachhadtouchedher。Untilnow,however,herpositionhadnotreallyconcernedWestover,anditwouldnothaveconcernedhimnow,ifithadnotbeenforadesignthatformeditselfinhismindassoonasheknewthatMrs。VostrandmeanttopassthewinterinBoston。Hefeltatoncethathecouldnotdothingsbyhalvesforawomanwhohadoncedonethemforhimbywholesandsomethingover,andhehadinstantlydecidedthathemustnotonlybeverypleasanttoherhimself,buthemustgethisfriendstobepleasant,too。HisfriendsweresomeofthenicestpeopleinBoston;niceinboththepersonalandthesocialsense;heknewtheywouldnothesitatetosacrificethemselvesforhiminagoodcause,andthatmadehimallthemoreanxiousthatthecauseshouldbegoodbeyondquestion。
SincehislastreturnfromParishehadbeenratherafadasateacher,andhisclasshadbeenkeptquitestrictlytotheladieswhogotitupandtosuchastheychosetoletenterit。Thesewerenotallchosenforwealthorfamily;thereweresomewhosegiftsgavetheclassdistinction,andtheladiesweregladtohavethem。ItwouldbeeasytoexplainMrs。
Vostrandtothese,buttheothersmightbemoredifficult;theymighthavetheiranxieties,andWestovermeanttoasktheleaderoftheclasstohelphimreceiveatthestudioteahehadatonceimaginedfortheVostrands,andthatwouldmakeherdoublyresponsible。
Hefoundhimselfdrawingaverydeepandlongbreathbeforehebegantomountthemanystairstohisstudio,andwishingeitherthatMrs。
VostrandhadnotdecidedtospendthewinterinBoston,orelsethathewereofaslackerconscienceandcouldwearhisgratitudemorelightly。
Buttherewassomereliefinthinkingthathecoulddonothingforamonthyet。Hegainedadegreeofcouragebytellingtheladies,whenhewenttofindthemintheirnewapartment,thatheshouldwantthemtomeetafewofhisfriendsatteaassoonaspeoplebegantogetbacktotown;andhemadethemostoftheirinstantjoyinacceptinghisinvitation。
Hispleasurewassomehowdashedalittle,beforeheleftthem,bytheannouncementofJeffDurgin’sname。
\"Ifeltboundtosendhimmycard,\"saidMrs。Vostrand,whileJeffwasfollowinghisupintheelevator。\"HewassoverykindtousthedaywearrivedatZion’sHead;andIdidn’tknowbuthemightbefeelingalittlesensitiveaboutcomingoversecond—cabininourship;and——\"
\"Howlikeyou,Mrs。Vostrand!\"criedWestover,andhewasnowdistinctlygladhehadnottriedtosneakoutofdoingsomethingforher。\"Yourkindnesswon’tbeworsewastedonDurginthanitwasonme,intheolddays,whenIsupposedIhadtakenasecond—cabinpassageforthevoyageoflife。There’sagreatdealofgoodinhim;Idon’tmeantosayhegotthroughhisFreshmanyearwithouttroublewiththecollegeauthorities,buttheSophomoreyeargenerallybringswisdom。\"
\"Oh,\"saidMrs。Vostrand,\"they’realwaysalittlewildatfirst,I
suppose。\"
Later,theladiesbroughtJeffwiththemwhentheycametoWestover’sstudio,andthepainterperceivedthattheywereverygoodfriends,asiftheymusthavemetseveraltimessincehehadseenthemtogether。
HeinterestedhimselfinthegrowingcorrectnessofJeff’spersonaleffect。DuringhisFreshmanyear,whiletherigoroftheunwrittenHarvardlawyetforbadehimasilkhatoracane,hehadkeptsomethingoftheboy,ifnotthecountryboy。Westoverhadnotedthathehadalwaysratheratasteforclothes,butinthisfirstyearhedidnotgetbeyondaderby—hatandasack—coat,variedtowardtheendbyacutaway。
Intheoutingdressheworeathomehewasalwayseffective,buttherewassomethinginJeff’sfigurewhichdidnotlenditselftomoreformalfashion;somethingofherculeanproportionwhichwouldhavemarkedhimofaclassicbeautyperhapsifhehadnotbeeninclothesatall,orofayeomanlyvigorandforceifhehadbeencladforwork,butwhichseemedtothreatenthemoreworldlyconceptionsofthetailorwithdanger。
Itwasasifhewereabouttoburstoutofhisclothes,notbecauseheworethemtight,butbecausetherewassomehowmoreofthemanthanthecitizeninhim;somethingnative,primitive,somethingthatWestovercouldnotfindquiteawordfor,characterizedhimphysicallyandspiritually。Whenhecameintothestudioafterthesedelicateladies,therobustJeffDurginworealongfrockcoat,withaflowerinhisbutton—hole,andinhislefthandhecarriedasilkhatturnedoverhisforearmashemusthavenoticedpeoplewhomhethoughtstylishcarryingtheirhats。Hehadondark—graytrousersandsharp—pointedenamelled—
leathershoes;andWestovergrotesquelyreflectedthathewasdressed,ashestood,toleadGenevieveVostrandtothealtar。
WestoversawatoncethatwhenhemadehisstudioteafortheVostrandshemustaskJeff;itwouldbecruel,andforseveralreasonsimpossible,nottodoso,andhereallydidnotseewhyheshouldnot。Mrs。Vostrandwastakinghimontherightground,asaHarvardstudent,andnobodyneedtakehimonanyother。Possiblypeoplewouldaskhimtoteasattheirownhouses,fromWestover’sstudio,buthecouldnotfeelthathewasconcernedinthat。Societyisinterestedinaman’sfuture,nothispast,asitisinterestedinawoman’spast,notherfuture。
Butwhenhegavehisteaitwentoffwonderfullywellineveryway,perhapsbecauseitwasoneofthefirstteasofthefall。Itbroughtpeopletogetherintheirautumnalfreshnessbeforethewinterhadbeguntowithertheirresolutionstobeamiabletooneanother,todulltheirwits,tostaletheirstories,ortogivesowideacurrencytotheirsayingsthattheycouldnotfreelyriskthemwitheveryone。
Westoverhadthoughtitbesttobefrankwiththeleadingladyofhisclass,whenshesaidsheshouldbedelightedtoreceiveforhim,andwouldprovidesuitableyoungladiestopour:abrunetteforthetea,andablondeforthechocolate。ShetookhisscrupulosityverylightlywhenhespokeofMrs。Vostrand’seducationalsojourninEurope;shelaughedandsaidsheknewthetype,andthesituationwasoneofthemostobviousphasesoftheAmericanmarriage。
HeprotestedinvainthatMrs。Vostrandwasnotthetype;shelaughedagain,andsaid,Oh,typeswerenevertypical。ButshewashospitablygraciousbothtoherandtoMissGenevieve;shewouldnotallowthatthemotherwasnotthetypewhenWestoverchallengedherexperience,butshesaidtheywerecharming,andmadehastetogetridofthequestionwiththevividdemand:\"Butwhowasyouryoungfriendwhooughttohavewornalion—skinandcarriedaclub?\"
Westoverbythistimedisdainedpalliation。HesaidthatJeffwasthesonofthelandladyatLion’sHeadMountain,whichhehadpaintedsomuch,andhewasnowinhissecondyearatHarvard,wherehewasgoingtomakealawyerofhimself;andthisinterestedthelady。Sheaskedifhehadtalent,andanumberofotherthingsabouthimandabouthismother;
andWestoverpermittedhimselftoberathergraphicintellingofhisacquaintancewithMrs。Durgin。
XVIII。
Afterall,itwasratherasimple—heartedthingofWestovertohaveeitherhopedorfearedverymuchfortheVostrands。Society,inthesenseofgoodsociety,canalwaystakecareofitself,anddoessoperfectly。InthecaseofMrs。VostrandsomeladieswholikedWestoverandwishedtobeciviltohimaskedherandherdaughtertootherafternoonteas,shookhandswiththemattheircoming,andsaid,whentheywent,theyweresorrytheymustbegoingsosoon。Inthecrowdspeoplerecognizedthemnowandthen,bothofthosewhohadmetthematWestover’sstudio,andofthosewhohadmetthematFlorenceandLausanne。Butiftheseweremerelypeopleoffashiontheywerereadily,ridoftheVostrands,whomthedullestamongthemquicklyperceivednottobeoftheirownsort,somehow。ManyoftheladiesofWestover’sclassmadeGenevievepromisetoletthempainther;andherbeautyandhergraceavailedforseverallargedancesatthehousesofmoredaringspirits,wherethedaughtersmadeadutyofgettingpartnersforher,anddischargeditconscientiously。Butthereneverwasanapproachtomoreintimatehospitalities,andtowardtheendofFebruary,whengoodsocietyinBostongoessouthwardtoindulgeaLentengriefatOldPointComfort,GenevievehadsomanyvacantafternoonsandeveningsatherdisposalthatshecouldnothavetruthfullypleadedapreviousengagementtotheinvitationsJeffDurginmadeher。Theywerechieflyforthetheatre,andWestoversawhimwithherandhermotheratdifferentplays;hewonderedhowJeffhadcaughtontothenotionofaskingMrs。Vostrandtocomewiththem。
Jeff’sintroductionsatWestover’steahadnotbeenmany,andtheyhadnotavailedhimatall。HehadbeenaskedtonoBostonhouses,andwhenotherstudents,whomheknew,weregoingintodances,thewholewinterhewassociallyasquiet,butfortheVostrands,asattheMid—yearExaminations。Westovercouldnotresenttheneglectofsocietyinhiscase,andhecouldnotfindthathequiteregrettedit;buthethoughtitcharacteristicallyniceofMrs。Vostrandtomakeasmuchofthefriendlessfellowasshefitlycould。Hehadnodoubtbuthertactwouldbeequaltohismanagementineveryway,andthatshecouldeasilyseetoitthathedidnotbecomeembarrassingtoherdaughterorherself。
Oneday,aftertheeastwindhadceasedtoblowthebreathoftheice—
fieldsofLabradoragainsttheNewEnglandcoast,andthebudsonthetreesalongthemallbetweenthelawnsoftheavenuewereventuringforthinahardyexperimentoftheBostonMay,Mrs。VostrandaskedWestoverifshehadtoldhimthatMr。VostrandwasactuallycomingontoBoston。
Herejoicedwithherinthisprospect,andhereciprocatedthewishwhichshesaidMr。Vostrandhadalwayshadforameetingwithhimself。
Afortnightlater,whentheleaveshadsofarinuredthemselvestotheweatherastohavefullyexpanded,sheannouncedanotherletterfromMr。
Vostrand,sayingthat,afterall,heshouldnotbeabletocometoBoston,buthopedtobeinNewYorkbeforeshesailed。
\"Sailed!\"criedWestover。
\"Why,yes!Didn’tyouknowweweregoingtosailinJune?IthoughtI
hadtoldyou!\"