'em on a string, andboils 'em that way; but I dono. I'm from Vi-enny way myself."
"My gracious! what's that?"
The whole world had turned to livid white for a moment, dazzling andblinding them; but still they had seen something on the road,something like a human form, torn and buffeted by the wind and thefurious rain, but staggering on towards them with uncertain steps.
"My God! it's a woman!" cried Romulus Patten. "Stop your horse, andlet me get out. A woman, alone in this storm!"
He sprang to the ground, and holding his arm before his face to keepoff the blinding rain, made his way towards the forlorn figuresplashing through the water, now ankle deep in the road, stumbling,often on the point of falling.
"Hold up, lady!" he called out, in his cheery voice. "There's friendshere! Hold up just a minute!"
At the sound of his voice the woman stopped and seemed to shudder andclasp her hands. "I never meant it!" she cried out wildly. "I can'tsee you, I'm most blind, but I know your voice. I never meant to lieto you about Rome. I--thought--'twas all true; and when I found out,I--came--to tell you. I never meant to send you there on a lie."
"Narcissa!" cried Romulus Patten. "Oh, Lord! Oh, you poor littlething! and you thought I didn't know? I'd ought to be shot, that'swhat I ought to be. Here, you poor little thing, let me take yourhands! They're like wet ice, and you're shivering all over. Oh, dearme! come with me, and get right into this buggy out of the rain. Oh,Lord! and I let you go on thinking I didn't know!"
Half leading, half carrying her, he made his way to the buggy, andthen fairly lifted her in his strong young arms to lay her on theseat; but here an obstacle was interposed in the shape of another armas strong as his, and a good deal bigger. "Easy, there!" said theowner of the buggy. "Seems to me you're makin' yourself rather toofree, young feller. Do you think I'm goin' to have that gal brought inhere, runnin' all the rivers of Babylon? Who in Jerusalem is she,anyway? Some of your folks?"
Romulus Patten's face was streaming with cold rain, but he flushed asif a flame had swept over him.
"She's the young lady I'm going to marry," he said. "Will you takeher in, or shall I carry her home this way?"
"Now you're talking!" the stranger said, removing his arm and makingway. "Why didn't you speak up before, sonny? Here, give me a holt ofher!" He lifted Narcissa gently into the buggy, and drew her close tohis side, laying her head well up on his shoulder so that she couldbreathe easily. "Family man," he explained. "Gals of my own. Now youreach under the seat there, and bring out a shawl you'll find."
Romulus obeyed, and half angry, half pleased, watched the stranger ashe deftly wrapped the shawl round the fainting girl, and put herdripping hair tenderly off her face.
"Allers take a shawl along," he explained further. "Wife enjoys poorhealth, and have to be ready for a change of wind. Comes in handy,don't it? Now get in, young feller, and tell me where to drive to. Youneedn't look down in the mouth, either, 'cause you don't knoweverything in creation yet. Time enough to learn, and you're likely tolearn easy, I should say.
"And you rest comfortable, my dear," he added, speaking to Narcissa asif she were a small child. "Here's your friend alongside of you, andyou're just as safe as you would be in the best stuffed chair in thesettin'-room at home. Fetch your breath, like a good girl, and try tolook about you."
But Narcissa heard never a word, for she had fainted.
An hour later, Romulus Patten and Mrs. Transom were sitting byNarcissa's bedside, watching her. She had fallen into a deep,childlike sleep, and their low voices did not disturb her.
"The old gentleman was so mad he was all cheesed up," the pedlar wassaying. "There! I was fairly sorry for him, old weasel as he is; so Ilet him go on for a spell, till he was clean tuckered out, and then Ie'en took him up and put him to bed, same as if he was a child. Gladenough he was to get there too, if he was mad. Then I took and madehim some warm drink, and gave him to understand I'd stay by tillNarcissy come back, and here I be. And now, young man," she added,fixing her keen blue eyes on Romulus's face, "I've got a word to sayto you. You let fall something when you was bringin' this child in--Iwon't say that I wasn't mighty glad to see her, and you, too,--but youlet on something about keepin' company with her. Now, I want to knowright here, what you meant, and who you are, and all about it. Oh, youmay look at my pants much as you're a mind to. I come of good folks,and I dress as seems fit to me, and I don't care in any way, shape, ormanner what folks say or think. I've been snoopin' round some, since Iput that old man to bed, and I found the family Bible; and this childis the lawful daughter of my cousin, Narcissy Merrill, that I haven'theard of this twenty years. Bein' so, I'm goin' to stand by her, as isright and proper; so, now I'll hear what you've got to say. I've asgood a right to do for her as that old skimp-jack in there, if he isher father's uncle."
Romulus Patten spoke out frankly. He had "taken to" Narcissa from thefirst moment he saw her. When was that? Well, it wasn't long ago, itwas true. It was only yesterday; but he wasn't one to change, and hehad never seen a girl yet that he would look twice at. And when shecame, in all that awful storm, just to tell him,--here the young manchoked a little, and the woman liked him the better for it,--he madeup his mind then, he went on, all in a minute, that she should be hiswife; and she should, if so be she was willing. He would go back tothe place and see if he could get a job in the garden; he might havehad one now, but he was some tired and had thought it would rest himto travel a spell. He would quit travelling now, and had little doubtthat he could have a good place.
He knew of a pleasant rent--in that part of the country a hiredtenement is known as a "rent"--with four rooms, that belonged to afriend of his, and he could get that, he guessed. In short, the soonerNarcissa got away from Uncle Pinker the better, in his opinion, and hewas ready to take her, the first day she would go. That was all hehad to say for himself; but he presumed Mr. Brown would give him acharacter if he was asked. He had worked for Browns three years, andhad no reason to think they weren't satisfied with him.
When Romulus had finished his little speech, which left him flushedand tremulous, yet with a brave light in his eyes, and a tender lookas he glanced towards his love where she lay sleeping quietly, Mrs.Transom gazed at him for a while in silence; then she held out herhand and grasped his heartily.
"I guess you'll do," she said. "I guess you're the right sort. Now,I'll tell you what. You go along and get your place, and see aboutyour rent. Don't engage it, but get the refusal of it, if it belongsto a friend, as you say. Then you come back here and find your girlall well and peart again, and you say your say, and let her say hers.You don't want to take advantage of her being sick and weaklynow--now, you no need to flare up! I say you don't want to, and I meanit. You'll need a box of my salve, if you're so thin-skinned as allthat comes to.
"You go along, I say, and when you come back, come over to my place,Tupham Corner, third house from the cross-road, white house with ayeller door. Everybody knows Mis' Transom's house. You'll find yourgal there, and you'll marry her there, with her mother's cousin tostand up with her. There, don't be scairt! Pity some gals haven't gotthe trick of blushin' as you have, young man. I've got as good a blacksilk as any in Tupham or Cyrus, and nobody's goin' to say 'BloomerJoe' round where my own folks live, you'd better believe. What say?Like my idee, or have you got a better one yourself?"
"You're real good!" Romulus cried. "Poor little Narcissa! It does seemas if she had found all her friends at once, and she never having anyin her life before, as you may say. I tell you, Mis' Transom, I'lltreat her as well as I know how. If she was a queen, she shouldn'thave any more care than what I'll give her. I--I think a sight ofher!" he added simply. "Seems as if she always belonged to me,somehow."
"That's right!" said Mrs. Transom, who was as romantic as any lady insilk and satin. "That's right, young man. We'll get her away from thisold rathole, and then I guess it'll be a good while before either youor I travels this way again, hey?"
"I don't know as I have anything to
say against the country," saidRomulus Patten, with another loving look at the sleeper. "It isn'texactly the place to sell trees, but yet there's good things to befound on this road,--the road to Rome."
IN VERONA.
IN VERONA.
First of all, let me correct the mistaken
Narcissa, or the Road to Rome; In Verona Page 6