Book: Elinor Wyllys

S >> Susan Fenimore Cooper >> Elinor Wyllys




"I was sure you would be out this morning, Mr. Wyllys," cried the
Doctor, as they met, "your sleigh is always the first and the
last on the road."

"You generally keep me company, I find, doctor. I am going for
the mail. How far have you been, this morning?"

"To Longbridge, sir; but, with this sun, the snow will hardly
carry you there and home again; and yet, I dare say, you will
find something worth having, in the mail, for I saw letters in
your box; and there is a French packet in."

"Indeed! We'll make the best of our way, then, at once;" and,
wishing the doctor good morning, Mr. Wyllys drove off. "We shall
have letters from Paris, I hope, Nelly," said her grandfather.

"Certainly, I hope so," replied Elinor; "Jane's last letter was
shamefully short. I had half a mind not to answer it; and so I
told her; but my scolding has not had time to reach her yet."

"Jenny is no great letter-writer; and she is very busy enjoying
her year in Paris, I suppose. But I shall be glad to have a sight
of Harry's handwriting again. Where was it he wrote from last, in
December?"

"From Beyroot {sic}, sir. He was to be in Paris early in the
spring."

"Well, I hope we shall hear something from him to-day. Before
long, I suppose, we shall have the young gentleman at
Wyllys-Roof, trying to persuade you that he wants your help in
reading Blackstone. But, don't believe him, Nelly; I shan't give
you up for a year to come."

{"Blackstone" = Sir William Blackstone (1723-1780), British
jurist whose "Commentaries on the Laws of England" was the
principal text for aspiring young lawyers}

"There is time enough to think of all that," said Elinor,
blushing a little.

"Yes, time enough! and we can judge what sort of a lawyer he will
make, by the way in which he handles the subject. As it is a bad
cause, he ought to find a great deal to say on the occasion.
Suppose he manages the matter so well, as to bring your aunt and
myself over to his side, what would you say?"

"I can only say now, grandpapa, that I cannot bear to think of
the time when I shall have to leave Aunt Agnes and yourself,"
replied Elinor, with feeling. "Pray, don't let us talk about it
yet; I shall be very well satisfied with things as they are, for
a long time to come."

"Well, you may be satisfied to have Harry in Egypt; but I should
like to see him here, once in a while. When is it they are to be
home?"

"The last of the summer, sir. They sail in August, that Louisa
may see Mrs. Graham before she goes south."

"You have had a different sort of a winter, my child, from Harry
and Jane."

"It has been a pleasant winter to me, and to all three, I hope."

"Yes; Jenny has had all the gaiety--Harry all the adventure--and
you, all the sobriety. But it was your own wish, my dear, that
has kept us in the country, this winter."

The last six months had, indeed, passed very differently to the
young people. Jane had been dancing away her evenings on the
parquets of Paris; and dividing her mornings between walks to the
Tuileries, drives to the Bois de Boulogne, and visits to the
shops. As for the lessons which had, at one time, entered into
the plan, they had never been even commenced. Jane was too
indolent to take pleasure in anything of the kind; and her
companions, the daughters of Mrs. Howard, led her into so much
gaiety, that she really seemed to have little time for anything
else. Mrs. Robert Hazlehurst thought, indeed, that her sister was
quite too dissipated; still, Jane seemed to enjoy it so much, she
looked so well and happy, and Mrs. Howard was such an obliging
chaperon, that the same course was pursued, week after week;
although Mrs. Hazlehurst, herself, who had an infant a few weeks
old, seldom accompanied her.

Elinor, in the mean time, was passing the quietest of country
lives at Wyllys-Roof, where the family remained all winter. Even
the letters, which the previous year had given her so much
pleasure, had been wanting during the past season. Jane never
wrote oftener than was absolutely necessary; and only two of
Hurry's letters reached their destination. There was a package
from Europe, however, in the Longbridge Post-Office, on the
morning of the sleigh-drive we have alluded to. It contained a
long letter from Harry, written at Smyrna, announcing that he
hoped to be in Paris some time in March; and one from Mrs.
Hazlehurst, informing her friends of their plans for the
summer--including an excursion to Switzerland--after which they
were to return home late in August.

The very day Elinor received these letters, Harry returned to
Paris. After pitching his tent among Grecian ruins, and riding on
camels over the sands of Egypt and Syria, he had returned to
France through Turkey and Austria; thinking himself a very lucky
fellow to have seen so much of what the world contains, worth
seeing.

He found his brother entirely recovered, as well as he had been
before the accident which had injured him. He was called upon to
admire the little niece born during his absence; she was a sweet
little baby, and Mrs. Hazlehurst had named her Elinor, after her
future sister-in-law--a kind attention for which Harry was much
obliged to her, and which, he declared, would make the child a
favourite with him.

Jane was there, of course, and glad to see Harry, of course.
Hazlehurst had scarcely taken possession of a comfortable
fauteuil in his brother's drawing-room, before the thought
occurred to him, that all the party looked much as usual,
excepting Jane. During the first evening, he became convinced
that she was certainly altered by the air of Paris. How very much
she had improved in appearance and manner! He had never before
thought her so very beautiful as many others had done--but he
must now retract all he had ever said on the subject. He supposed
the good taste with which she was dressed must have some effect;
but it seemed as if her beauty were now in its perfection. When
he last saw her, there was something almost childish in her
appearance and expression, which she had now lost entirely. He
was struck with the air of finish about her whole person, from
the rich glossy lustre on her dark hair, to the pearly tint of
her complexion. She was, indeed, a beautiful creature. What a
sensation such a face must create among the enthusiastic
Parisians! Then, she must have more feeling than he had given her
credit for; she had received him quite kindly, and seemed really
glad to see him again.

{"fauteuil" = armchair (French)}

Daily observation, while living under the same roof, only
confirmed Harry in this new opinion of Jane. He began to admire
the languid grace of her movements; and he discovered that it is
very possible to have too much warmth of manner, and that some
women certainly fatigue one by their animation. He must tell the
family at Wyllys-Roof how much Jane had improved. He found he was
not mistaken in supposing that she must produce an impression
wherever she was seen. Whether they were walking in the Tuileries
of a morning, or went into society in the evening, the effect was
always the same; he saw her everywhere followed by very evident
and open admiration. And no wonder; her beauty threw a charm over
all her actions: it was even a pleasure to accompany her in
shopping excursions--which he used to look upon as the greatest
tax that a lady could impose upon his gallantry; but then, few
persons looked so beautiful as Jane, when selecting a muslin, or
trying on a hat. He soon became proud of a place at her side, and
much more vain of her beauty than she was herself.

"I must let them know at Longbridge," he thought, "what a
sensation Jane is making. She is, indeed, a beauty to be proud
of. I saw nothing like her in Greece. She does credit to the
country." Harry thought it patriotic to admire her, and to lose
no opportunity of enjoying the effect of her beauties among the
gay world of Paris. American patriotism, as we all know, often
takes singular shapes.

Jane and himself became more intimate, and on more friendly terms
than they had ever yet been. She seemed, indeed, to prefer him,
as a cavaliere servente, to any of her other admirers, American
or European. But that might easily be accounted for, on the score
of connexion. Of course, Harry was grateful for this preference,
and after a while he even began to look upon the excessive
devotion of one or two of her admirers, as impertinence on their
part.

{"cavaliere servente" = male escort (Italian)}

About this time--some weeks after his return--Hazlehurst gave
himself very much to the study of aesthetics. The beautiful, the
harmonious, alone attracted him; he could not endure anything
approaching to coarseness. He wandered up and down the galleries
of the Louvre, delighting more in the beautiful faces of the
Italian masters, in the Nymphs and Muses of the old Greeks, than
he had ever done before. He became quite a connoisseur. He had no
taste for the merely pretty; perfect beauty he admired with his
whole soul, but anything short of it was only to be tolerated. He
felt the fact, if he did not reason on the discovery, that beauty
in the very highest degree, carries with it--we do not say the
expression--but the stamp of dignity, and even of intelligence.
Such was the impression produced by Jane's perfectly classical
head and features. It was impossible, as you gazed upon her
smooth polished forehead, and noble dark eyes, to believe her
wanting in character, or intellect. Then, Harry remembered that
talent of the highest order bears a calm aspect; not frothy,
sparkling cleverness, which takes so well with the vulgar; not
wit, exactly; but that result of a well-balanced mind, in which
all the faculties harmonize so well, that they leave no one
particularly prominent. He had been much struck, lately, with
several remarks of Jane's--they showed a depth of observation, a
fund of good sense, which he had not formerly supposed her to
possess; but then, of old, he used to be unpardonably unjust to
Jane. She was certainly improved, too; her friends at Longbridge
would be gratified by the change.

This course of aesthetics gradually carried Harry so far, that
after a profound study of the subject in general, and of Jane's
features in particular, he became a convert to the opinion of the
German philosopher, who affirms that "The Beautiful is greater
than the Good." There have been disputes, we believe, on the
subject of this axiom, some critics giving it a deep mystical
sense, others, again, attempting to explain it in different ways.
Our friend Hazlehurst, though a pretty good German scholar,
seemed disposed to adopt the idea in its simplest interpretation.

{"German philosopher" = I have been unable to identify with
certainty the quotation, though the sentiment suggests Friedrich
Wilhelm Joseph von Schelling (1775-1854)}

Things were in this train, when the family set out for
Switzerland.



CHAPTER VI {sic}

{should be Chapter VIII}

"Her dress, and novels, visits, and success."
CRABBE.

{George Crabbe (English poet, 1754-1832), "Posthumous Tales: XV
Belinda Waters" line II.31}

LONGBRIDGE was quite a pleasant village, and surrounded by a
pretty country. Like most other American rural towns, it
received, in the warmest months, a large accession to its
population; for it seems to be a matter of course, that everybody
who is able to do so, runs away from brick walls in the months of
July and August, and selects some village in which to rusticate,
and set the fashions, enjoy the dust and the fire-flies, fresh
peaches, and home-made ice-cream.--Longbridge, in addition to the
usual advantages of pure air, and brown fields, in the month of
August, had something of a reputation as a place for bathing; and
its three taverns, and various boarding-houses, were generally
well filled with families from New York and Philadelphia, during
the very warm weather.

Among others, during the season to which we allude, the Grahams
were there, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Hazlehurst
party from Europe; for letters had been received, informing their
friends that they might be expected at any moment. The Wyllys
carriage was now seen at Longbridge every day, either at the
house where their relatives, the Grahams, had taken lodgings for
the season, or before the door of a neat little cottage, recently
purchased by Mr. Wyllys for the widow of his youngest son, Mrs.
George Wyllys. This lady, to whom the reader has been already
introduced, had been left, with four children, almost entirely
dependent on her father-in-law. Her character was somewhat of a
medley. She was a good-hearted woman, attached to her husband's
family, and always asking advice of her friends, particularly Mr.
Wyllys, and Miss Agnes, for whom she had a sincere respect. She
was pretty, lady-like, rather clever, and a pleasant companion to
persons not particularly interested in her welfare. On
indifferent topics she could converse with as much good sense as
the rest of the world; but her own affairs she mismanaged
terribly. All her other good qualities seemed unsettled by a
certain infusion of caprice, and jealousy of influence; and yet
she really meant well, and fancied herself a very prudent woman.
She thought she was capable of making any sacrifice for those she
loved, and therefore believed herself a model in all the
relations of life. As a mother, she had a system of education,
the theory of which was excellent; but there was little
consistency in its practice. As regards money-matters, she talked
and thought so much about economy, that she took it for granted
that she practised it. After having passed the first years of her
widowhood with her own family in Baltimore, she had lately become
convinced that her income was not sufficient to allow her living
in a large town, without running in debt. Mr. Wyllys was
unfortunately too well aware that his daughter-in-law's
difficulties were not the result of Baltimore prices, but of her
own mismanagement. Franklin advises his friends to "take care of
the pence, and the pounds will take care of themselves:" but this
rule is by no means infallible. Perhaps there is no species of
extravagance more common, than that often practised by
well-disposed people, which consists of being "penny-wise,
pound-foolish;" they will save a hundred cents on as many
different occasions, and throw away twenty dollars on one object.
It happens that such persons often succeed in persuading
themselves that they are models of prudence, and self-denial.
Such was Mrs. George Wyllys's plan; and, unfortunately, she not
only brought trouble on herself, but was a constant source of
anxiety to her father-in-law, who endeavoured, in vain, to
counteract the evil; but every succeeding year brought a
repetition of the difficulties of the former.

{"Franklin" = Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), but the expression
is usually attributed to Lord Chesterfield (1674-1773); "penny
wise, pound foolish" = phrase originated by Robert Burton
(1577-1640)}

At present, Mrs. Wyllys was bent upon economy in a cottage, with
new furniture, purchased at a high price, at New York auctions;
and it was in vain to oppose her plan, so convinced was she, that
duty alone could have induced her to leave her own family and old
friends in Baltimore.

"We must make the best of it, Agnes," said Mr. Wyllys, "it will
be pleasant, at least, to have Harriet and her little people near
us--and we may be of use to the children."

Miss Agnes agreed to the first part of her father's remark, but
was far from feeling sanguine as to their being of any advantage
to the children. It was a part of Mrs. Wyllys's system, to
consult her friends far more frequently than was necessary, upon
the education of her family, at the same time that it also
entered into her plan to follow their advice very seldom indeed.

As for Elinor, she was very well pleased with her aunt's arrival
in the neighbourhood; of course, she was too young and
inexperienced to know the exact state of matters, and she was
attached to Mrs. Wyllys, and fond of her little cousins.

One afternoon, Mrs. Wyllys had persuaded Miss Agnes and Elinor to
drink tea with her, and not return home until the evening. The
ladies were sitting together, in Mrs. Wyllys's pleasant little
parlour, engaged with their needles, while the children were
playing under the windows, in the shady door-yard.

"Shall I put the bow on the right or left side, Elinor?" asked
Mrs. Wyllys, who was re-trimming a hat for one of her little
girls.

"It looks very well as you have it now, Aunt;" replied her niece.

"Perhaps it does; there is a stain, however, on the other side,
which must be covered," replied the lady, changing the bow. "This
riband was very cheap, Agnes," she added, showing it to her
sister-in-law. "Only twenty cents a yard. I bought the whole
piece, although I shall not want it until next spring."

"Quite cheap," said Miss Agnes, looking at the riband; "but I
don't know what you will do with so much of it."

"Oh, I shall find some use for it; in a large family, nothing
comes amiss."

A pretty, little girl, about eight years old, ran into the room,
and, skipping up to her mother, whispered, "Here comes a
carriage, mamma, and some ladies."

"Who is it, Elinor?" asked Mrs. Wyllys, of her niece, who was
sitting near the window.

"The Hubbards," she replied.

"What, Patsey Hubbard?"

"Oh, no; her cousins--very different persons. The Longbridge
Hubbards, whose acquaintance you have not yet made."

Two ladies, radiant with elegance, entered the room, and were
introduced, by Miss Agnes, to her sister-in-law, as Mrs. Hilson,
and Miss Emmeline Hubbard. They were both young; quite pretty;
very fashionably dressed; very silly in their expressions, and
much alike, in every respect.

After a few preliminary speeches, Mrs. Hilson remarked, that she
was very glad Mrs. Wyllys had come to join their rustic circle.

"Thank you," replied the lady; "Longbridge is a favourite place
of mine; but I have not yet seen many traces of rusticity, here."

"Why, no, Julianna," observed Miss Emmeline, "I don't think our
village is at all a rustic place. We have too many advantages of
communication with the city for that."

"It is true," said Mrs. Hilson, "Longbridge has always been a
very aristocratic place. You know, Miss Wyllys," turning to Miss
Agnes, "we have our 'West-End,' and our 'exclusives.'"

{"West End" = from the fashionable West End of London}

"I was not aware of it; but then I am really a rustic," Miss
Wyllys added, smiling.

"Yes, it is unfortunate, you should be so far from the village.
Emmeline and I often pity you, Miss Elinor, for being so far from
genteel society."

"That is scarcely worth while, I assure you, for we have several
pleasant families, within a short distance."

"But only a very small circle, however. Now we have quite a large
set of aristocratic people, in the village. Some of our
inhabitants are very refined, I assure you, Mrs. Wyllys."

The lady bowed.

"You will find your two next neighbours, Mrs. Bibbs and Mrs.
Tibbs, very fascinating ladies," observed Miss Emmeline. "Mrs.
Bibbs is one of our beauties; and Mrs. Tibbs, our most elegant
dresser."

"Emmeline is going over the Court Calendar, for you, already,"
said Mrs. Hilson, laughing fashionably.

{"Court Calendar" = from the section of British newspapers
devoted to the schedule and appearances of the Royal Family}

"Are these ladies the wives of judges?" inquired Mrs. Wyllys.

"Oh, no; Mrs. Tibbs is the lady of our physician, and Mrs. Bibbs
is a 'marchande,'--she is a very fascinating lady, and has a fine
flow of conversation. She was a great belle, at Saratoga, a year
or two since; you may, perhaps, have met her there?" inquired
Mrs. Hilson.

"Not that I know of; but I have not been at Saratoga for years."

"Is it possible? I cannot live without three weeks at Saratoga,
and a fortnight at Rockaway, every year. Before I ordered my
wedding-dress, I made Mr. Hilson promise I should have my own way
about that. I said to him, one day, 'Alonzo, before the
settlements are drawn up, I shall require you to pledge yourself
to six weeks, every year, between Saratoga and Rockaway.'"

{"settlements" = marriage settlements or pre-nuptial agreements;
"Rockaway" = a fashionable sea-side resort on Long Island, near
New York City}

"You are fond of a gay life, I suppose."

"Very naturally; having lived in the world of fashion from my
cradle, I do not think I could breathe any other atmosphere. It
must be a great change for you, Mrs. Wyllys, from all the
pleasures of a city-life to a small circle like ours."

"A change, certainly; but a pleasant one, I hope."

"It will be a relief to you, to find so much aristocracy among
us. We have a certain clique, that, I think, must satisfy the
most refined taste, and will console you, I hope, for the loss of
genteel society in Baltimore."

"Thank you. I shall scarcely miss any but my friends. I go out
very little."

"I regret to hear that.--We must try to persuade you to change
your determination, and mingle more with society. I feel
confident, that our West-End clique must satisfy the most refined
taste. We expect to have a great deal of gaiety, this fall; but,
just at present, we have a scarcity of beaux."

"What has become of young Mr. Taylor; he was to have been home by
this time. Do you hear anything of him, Miss Wyllys?" inquired
Miss Emmeline.

"His family expect him soon, I believe."

"I hope he will arrive before our summer parties are over. Mr.
and Mrs. Hazlehurst, too, and Miss Graham, when shall we have the
pleasure of seeing them?"

"We expect them every day."

"I hope," said Mrs. Hilson, "they will arrive while I am here,
which will be longer than usual, this season, for they are
painting our suit {sic} of apartments in the city. When I came,
Alonzo told Emmeline to keep me until October, and she has
promised me a round of entertainments, while I am with her; so
that I feel particularly interested in the arrival of your
friends."

"Miss Graham will dash a great deal, no doubt, when she comes
back," said Miss Emmeline; "I quite long to see her. Miss Taylor
must be expecting her impatiently. By-the-bye, I understand, Mr.
Taylor's new furniture is now all arrived. His villa, as well as
his city-house, will be very stylish."

"Mr. Taylor is a very tasty gentleman," observed Mrs. Hilson. "He
seems to be very talented, in every way; formed to figure in
fashionable life, as well as in business. His new house is a
magnificent edifice."

"Your father tells me, he has quite finished his own house, Mrs.
Hilson; you must be glad to get rid of the workmen," remarked
Miss Wyllys.

"Yes--they have been long enough about it; but Pa has
old-fashioned notions about having everything substantial, and
well done; he said Emmeline and I might choose the plan, and have
everything as we liked; but he must have his own time to do it
in. However, it is a delightful mansion, now. It has every
convenience of the most fashionable houses in the city;
plate-glass, and folding-doors, and marble chimneys to the
garret. Just such a house as I should like in New York; though,
to tell the truth, I would not keep house for the world."

"Julianna is so delightfully situated, in her boarding-house,
Mrs. Wyllys, that she has nothing to wish for."

{"boarding-house" = at this period in American history, many
respectable and reasonably well-off people and even families
lived permanently in boarding-houses, rather than maintain a
houseful of servants}

"Yes, we have every luxury of fashionable life, united to a very
aristocratic set of boarders; and Mrs. Stone, herself, is an
extremely fascinating lady. Indeed, I have been spoilt; I don't
think I could endure the drudgery of housekeeping, now; though I
once told Alonzo, if he would give me a four-story house, up
town, with a marble front, I would try."

"You must find the situation of your father's new house
pleasanter than that he has left," observed Miss Agnes.

"By no means.--That is a serious objection to our new mansion.
Standing surrounded by the park, on three sides, removes us so
far from the street."

"I should have thought you would find it pleasant to be removed
farther from the noise and dust. What is your cousin Charles
doing? I suppose you see him often, in town."

"I really do not know what has become of him," said Mrs. Hilson,
languidly; for she always felt rather mortified by any allusion
to her unfashionable relations. "Though Charles is in the city
now, studying painting, yet I never see him. He told Mr. Hilson
that he called sometimes, but I have never seen his card; in a
large boarding-house like ours, with a family of forty or fifty
people, there is often great confusion about visits. But,
Emmeline, we are making a very unfashionable call. I am quite
ashamed, Mrs. Wyllys: but we will relieve you now--I see our
carriage has returned." And after an exchange of curtsies, the
ladies glided out of the room. Miss Emmeline, as she passed,
touched the curly head of one of the children, exclaiming as she
did so, "fascinating cherub!" and then both vanished.

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