Carolina Lee

by Lilian Bell

  CHAPTER XXIV.

  THE HOUSE-PARTY ARRIVES

  Ever since the restoration of Guildford had been an assured fact,Carolina had looked forward to gathering the dearest of her friends andrelatives under its roof for a housewarming, and as Thanksgiving Day wasthe first festival to occur after its completion, she issued herinvitations for that day, and anticipated the arrival of her guests witha heart so full of gratitude that she walked with her head in theclouds.

  Beautiful Guildford stood upon its ancient site, more beautiful by farthan it ever had been before, for Carolina had allowed herself a fewliberties, which, after seeing, even Judge Fanshaw Lee approved.

  For example, the great flight of steps, as broad as an ordinary house,was lengthened to raise the house to an even more commanding position,and to allow a better view of the ocean and river from the upper windowsand the flat, railed-in roof. In the midst of this great flight ofsteps was a platform, where twenty persons might have dined at ease,with a collateral flight of steps on each side, leading, as well as thesecond section of the central staircase, to the porch. No one who hasnot seen Guildford can form any idea of the imposing beauty of thissnowy expanse of steps leading to its veranda. And such a veranda!Surely, the observer exclaimed, the whole house could be no larger! sogreat was the idea its size first induced. It ran around all four sidesof the house, and was lived in for fully nine months of the year. Itwas fitted with screens and glass, which could be removed at will, butfor her house-party, so perfect was the weather, even these slightobstructions to the view were dispensed with.

  Inside the house, however, Carolina had carried out the original plan,with only the necessary additions of bathrooms to each suite and plentyof closets, which the old Guildford had never possessed. This did notinterfere with the installation of the great carved wardrobes, withoutwhich no Southern house could look natural to a Southerner.

  These she designed from old cuts and had made to order, preferring newones exactly like those which had been in the family for generations topurchasing old pieces which rightly belonged to other histories thanhers. Guildford was frankly a restoration, so she boldly reproduced thefurniture as well as the house.

  With the papering she had some difficulty. No one could remember theexact patterns, and there was more friction over diverse recollectionsof wallpaper than over any other point. But Carolina waived all advicefinally, deciding that decorations were but temporary at best, andresting upon the absolute word of Judge Fanshaw Lee, of Charleston, thatGuildford had been utterly redecorated in 1859.

  This decision gave Carolina a free hand, and she exercised her taste tosuch good purpose that the new Guildford, in its decorations, maintainedan air of age, yet so skilfully was it done that it was also essentiallymodern. Only patterns were used which had borne the test of time, asone who discarded in cut glass the showier designs for the dignifiedsimpler patterns, considering them more restful to live with than thosemore ornate and modern.

  In her cut glass Carolina had been more fortunate, owing to thepossession of a few precious pieces, preserved among the Lees, fromwhich to design. The largest was a huge epergne, with glitteringpendants, which rose almost to the chandelier, and was designed forpyramids of fruit. It was so delightfully old-fashioned that Carolinaviewed it with clasped hands.

  Although electric light glowed unobtrusively from submerged globes inwalls and ceilings, Carolina used sconces for the wax tapers of herancestors, and the delicate light was so deftly shaded and manipulatedthat it seemed only to aid and abet the candles.

  The central staircase of the house rose from the midst of a square hall,turned on a broad landing, and wound, in two wings, back upon itself toreach the second floor. On this landing was an enormous window,cushioned and comfortable, from which the view of the fallow fields andwinding river was quite as attractive as the front view, which gave uponthe distant ocean.

  The main hall pierced the roof, in the centre of which was a gorgeousskylight of stained glass. Here, too, Carolina had departed from thelines of ancient Guildford, for no less a hand than that of John LaFarge designed that graceful group, whose colours drenched the marblefloor beneath with all the colours of the rainbow.

  A high carved balustrade ran around this space on the second floor, frombehind which, in years gone by, the children and black mammies hadviewed the arrival of distinguished guests, whose visits had helped tomake Guildford famous.

  From this square space, transverse halls ran each way, with suites ofrooms on both sides, ending in doors which led to the upper porch, aslarge and commodious and more beautiful than the lower, because the viewwas finer.

  This gives an idea of the plan of Guildford, but not necessarily ofother Southern houses, unless you go back to old New Orleans, forGuildford partook largely of the beauty of the Creole estates, owing tothe originator of the present design, who had felt the influence of manyforeign countries in his travels. Returning to spend the remainder ofhis life in his native land, he had built Guildford--a mansion in thosedays--in 1703, on the site of the first house, built originally in 1674.Thus, the Guildford which Carolina built was the third actual house tobear that name.

  The morning of Thanksgiving Day dawned clear, cool, and beautiful.Carolina was up at sunrise, full of delightful anticipations, and asbrimming with zeal for the pleasure of her guests as any young bride inher first house.

  Mr. Howard was bringing most of his guests in his car, and onlyyesterday she had received a telegram from him saying: "Am bringing anextra guest, an old friend of yours, as a surprise. Due Enterprise nineA.M. to-morrow. All Lees aboard."

  Just as he had anticipated, this threw her into a fever of curiosity.It must be some one who would be congenial, yet she fancied she hadasked everybody who seemed to belong. Who could the newcomer be? Manor woman? Old or young?

  "All Lees aboard." That meant that Sherman and Addie had decided tocome, after all. She wondered if they had brought the children. AllLees. That _must_ mean the children, because she had invited them. AllLees,--that meant also the Fanshaw Lees, of Charleston, whom he hadpromised to pick up on the way. But who could the other be? Carolinaalmost shook the scrap of yellow paper to make it divulge the secret.How uncommunicative telegrams can be!

  There was plenty of room at Guildford,--that was fortunate. And everyroom was in order. She would give him (?) her (?) the violet room andbath in the south wing. But if she only knew!

  Rosemary and her husband were comfortably ensconced in the cottage, andhad asked to have Mrs. Goddard under their own roof. Colonel Yancey andhis children would, of course, be the guests of Mrs. Pringle atWhitehall, but Carolina expected as her very own, Mr. and Mrs. Howard,Kate, Noel, and Sir Hubert Wemyss, Judge Fanshaw Lee and his wife andchildren, from Charleston, Cousin De Courcey Lee, Aunt Evelyn Lee, AuntIsabel and Uncle Gordon Fitzhugh, with the children, Eppie, Marie,Teddy, and Bob.

  Every neighbour within a radius of twenty miles was anxious to helpCarolina entertain her guests. Moultrie had arranged a hunt, Aunt Angiewas to give an oyster roast on the shore, Colonel Yancey had declaredfor an old-fashioned barbecue, whereat all the negroes promptly losttheir minds. Mrs. Gordon Fitzhugh, after consulting Carolina's plans,advised a fishing-party and picnic, rather an oddity in November, witheverything to be cooked on the ground, including a 'possum with sweetpotatoes. Carolina greeted each of these proposals with tears in hereyes. Never before had she been so loved! Hitherto, she had beensurrounded by courtiers, flattered and admired, always, however, with agenerous appreciation of favours to come.

  But here, she was with her own, and her own had received her with openarms and taken her into their inmost hearts.

  As Carolina walked in her garden, after her morning canter on Araby, shewondered if any one on earth was so fortunate as she.

  A messenger came up the broad avenue, and Carolina went to meet him. Itwas with a note from Mrs. Barnwell, saying that she was sending thecarrya
ll to the station at Enterprise, for fear Carolina, at the lastmoment, might not have room for all her guests.

  The Barnwells' carryall! Carolina gave a laugh that was half a sob, tothink of the part that ancient vehicle had played in her life during thelast year. The neighbours had not seen the glistening carriages andautomobiles which stood as impatiently as inanimate things so beautifuland alert can be,--inanimate things which know that they can go. Sheturned to the messenger.

  "Give my love to Mrs. Barnwell, Sam, and say that I will ride home inthe carryall myself, and that I thank her for her kindness. Can youremember that, or shall I write a note?"

  "I kin 'member it, Miss Calline. Thank you, ma'am!"

  Mrs. Barnwell subsequently got a message from Sam to the effect that"Miss Calline sed she'd 'a' had to walk her own self ef Mrs. Barnwellhadn't 'a' sont de ca'yall." Which is about as accurate as any messagecan be after going through the brain of a negro.

  Finally it was time to go to the train. Carolina had no fear that thetrain carrying the car of a president of a Northern road would be late,so she hurried Rosemary and Lionel and Cousin Lois into her big blueFrench touring-car, and started.

  As they sped down the great avenue, Carolina looked back at Guildford,as a mother looks back at her first-born child. There rose thebeautiful house, just as the strangers would get their first glimpse ofit; for the last time the Howards came South, only a dim idea of itcould have been obtained.

  There was not a hint of frost as yet. Late roses bloomed riotously inthe garden, which Carolina had been tending for the last eight monthswith a view to this very day. She had planned well. She did not intendto have a rebuilt Guildford look down upon patches of brown earth,remains of mortar beds, and broken-down shrubbery. Every day she hadcautioned the workmen against destroying any of her outdoor work, and,as fast as she could, she had made the gardens, the lawns, and thehedges keep pace with the builders, so that everything might becompleted practically at the same time. A dozen black forms werehurrying hither and thither, bent on carrying out "lill mistis's lastorders." The quarters glistened in the sunshine, even the dogs asleepon the steps were just as Carolina had pictured Guildford in herchildish dreams in Paris.

  It was a very excited little group which stood on the tiny platform atEnterprise, waiting for the train.

  Finally, only half an hour late, its warning whistle sounded, andscarcely had the brakes squeaked, when Mr. Howard sprang from theforward end of the rear car, followed by--Doctor Colfax!

  Carolina could scarcely believe her eyes. She did not speak. She onlywent with outstretched hands to meet her friends, and something in theway Doctor Colfax looked at her hinted at some great change. Then Mrs.Goddard followed, and, even in the excitement of placing her people inthe proper vehicles, and in the midst of unanswered questions andunlistened-to replies, Carolina noticed that Doctor Colfax hovered nearMrs. Goddard. She wondered if he remembered the last thing he saidabout her. But, oh, the joy of seeing them friends!

  Addie was wonderfully friendly. She kissed Carolina quiteaffectionately, and told her that Kate Howard had succeeded in curingher neuralgia, to which Carolina knew Addie had been a slave for years.

  Addie's children, Cynthia and Arthur, were wild with delight. It wasthe first time they ever had been South, and to leave snow in New Yorkon one day and see roses blooming the next was more than their youngimaginations could stand.

  They always had been fond of their Aunt Carolina, but now their commentson her beauty were quite embarrassing.

  As Kate sprang from the steps, a close observer might have seen atelegraphic question flash from Carolina's eyes to hers and a quicknegative flash back. No one but a woman would have known what itsignified. Still Carolina seemed satisfied with Kate's radiant aspect.

  Judge Fanshaw Lee was pompous but plainly delighted, and ready to bepleased with everything. Carolina was keen to see what he would think ofher daring, for he had promptly wet-blanketed her every effort to assisthim in any way. But she could see that he was impressed with theappearance of her automobiles, and she fairly ached to have him seeGuildford.

  To achieve this end, she gave personal instructions to each chauffeurand driver to go by roads which would enable her, even in the Barnwells'carryall, to arrive at Guildford first.

  "You aren't going in that thing?" cried Kate. "There's plenty of roomhere."

  "I'm going in it to accept the hospitality of a dear neighbour," saidCarolina.

  Kate and Noel were seated in a little electric runabout. As theystarted ahead, Kate turned to Noel and said:

  "Somehow, I can't listen to anything Carolina says lately withoutknowing that the bridge of my nose is going to ache before she turns meloose."

  "She certainly is the most angelic creature!" said Noel.

  Kate looked at him out of the tail of her eye.

  "Do you like angels?"

  "I do, indeed."

  A pause.

  "But I could never fall in love with one."

  "Oh!" said Kate.

  Noel cleared his throat once or twice, as if trying to say something.Finally he said:

  "Kate, won't you be hurt if I say an indiscreet thing?"

  "Certainly not. You know you can say anything you like to me. I'm nota fool."

  "Well, here goes, then. I've been noticing lately that you don'tstammer any more. Are you being treated for it?"

  "No," cried Kate, plainly delighted. "I am treating myself."

  "Then, don't!" cried Noel. "Kate, I can't bear it. Yours was the mostattractive, the dearest little mannerism--not a bit disagreeable. Yourspeech, so far from being marred by it, was only made distinctive. I--Ifeel as if I had lost my Kate!"

  His voice sank with unmistakable tenderness at the last words, and Katestiffened herself, as if prepared for a plunge into ice-water. Finallyshe caught her breath sufficiently to say, awkwardly:

  "If you care, Noel, of course I w-won't."

  "If I care!" cried St. Quentin. "Do I care about anything or anybodyelse in all this world except Kate Howard? Don't talk as if you didn'tknow it."

  "K-know it!" cried Kate, stammering quite honestly. "Indeed," as shetold Carolina later, "after that, I'd have stammered if I'd been curedof it fifty times over. A proposal is enough to make any womanstammer!"

  "Indeed, and I didn't. I th-thought you were in love with C-Carolina."

  "Carolina!" cried Noel. "Carolina! Well, you are blind! As if shewould ever look at me, in the first place--"

  "Oh, so that was your reason," interrupted Kate.

  "And in the second place," pursued Noel, calmly ignoring theinterruption, "she is in love with--"

  "With whom?" exploded Kate, gripping his arm.

  "Why, with La Grange! Did you never notice them together last spring,and then the way she speaks of him?"

  Kate let her own love-affair slip from her mind, while she thoughtrapidly for a few minutes.

  "I believe you are right," she said, slowly, "but I can tell yousomething more. They are not engaged. Something is separating them."

  "I think so, too. Possibly Carolina is holding off. I've noticed thatgirls have a way of doing that."

  Kate's face crimsoned. She afterward told Carolina that, if Noel hadcaught her laughing, he would have known all.

  But her obstinate silence left it to Noel to continue.

  "Kate," he said, finally, "when you get through playing with me, willyou begin to take me seriously? I'm tired of your game. Now don'tpretend that you haven't been baiting me."

  "Honestly, Carolina," said Kate, afterward, "I'm telling you this j-justso you'll know how d-dog funny the whole thing was. Here I've nearlyhad nervous prostration for a year, wondering if he ever _would_propose, and then he went and accused me of playing a game to hold himoff! Aren't men fools?"

  "I--I thought when you g-got good and ready, y-you'd speak your mind,"said Kate to Noel. "I c-couldn't go down on my knees and b-beg you toname the day, could I?"


  "Do you mean to tell me," said St. Quentin, "that you will acceptme,--that you will marry me, Kate?"

  "T-that's just what my p-poor, feeble speech is t-trying to g-getthrough your th-thick head," said Kate.

  But Noel refused to be amused. He reached for Kate's hand, and, inspite of Kate's impertinence, if he had looked, he would have seen tearsin her eyes.