It should be noted, perhaps, that the magical tale of those gems ran in and out of the mouth of gossip for prior days, and I doubt not a purpose to look on them—for the feminine eye is caught with glitter like a blackbird, which hollow fowl will think of nothing for a week on end save how to steal a bit of broken glass—brought as many to Peg's reception as did the presence of the General.
And here, being now upon the brink, I fairly ask you what should be the use of setting forth how the carriages rolled to the gate; and how Peg stood like some flower beneath the light of a chandelier—for these receptions were in the evening—with her “good little secretary” by her side, welcoming the throngs to press forward in her honor? The Calhouns were not there; and, indeed, the folk from the Vice-President's own state would be obviously absent. The other cabinet folk—that Calhoun trio, the ladies Branch and Berrien and Ingham—did not appear; but then they were upon certain similar receptions of their own.. However, there came scores to have their places. There were the lion Webster, the courtly Vaughn, Krudenerwith red heels to his shoes, red waistcoat, and earrings to his ears, Noah with his black, dangerous eyes, and a high-caste multitude, besides, from Senate and House and Supreme Court and Legations, and those two score other lofty lairs of your utter capital fashion. There arose the never-ceasing gride of carriages as they came and went incessantly upon the frozen gravel; there crawled the endless file of hand-shaking folk, the grave and the gay, the young and the old, the beautiful and the ugly, the good and the bad—this last since there stood no process of elimination to separate the sheep from the goats where all who would might come. And Peg went through it with a sweet, grave grace; and even surly Envy submitted to the verdict of a vast success and one to fix Peg's standing beyond distrust, and mark itself, besides, as the hopeless Waterloo of her every last ill-wisher.
The General, bright of eye and unbending as a bayonet, was there early to remain late.
“I have enlisted for the campaign,” said he, “and I shall stay while I hear of one foe to be in the field.”
Never had I known him to look better, and the old-time deference wherewith he would be about Peg so that all might see his regard for her was like a page from chivalry.
And now I must tell a tale on myself, and show how this was to twist into a happy hour for me and I be harrassed by no sordid hatefulness of those jewels. I had, for my shame be it told, gone to my place in the line of calling folk with a reluctance that bound my breast like a rope. I could scarce breathe for it. The file moved slowly, but I held my head high, and, being a tall man, looked easily over Peg and did not once rest my eyes upon her.
I would escape the canker of those barbarous rubies and diamonds.
It was the tones of a woman, who had Peg by her hand, to rivet my interest.
“Why! where now be those diamonds I heard so much about?” The voice was of the empty tin-pan kind that tells of society and mighty little else. “Where be those diamonds? Or was the story false?”
Then I heard Peg in cold retort to our she-savage and her coarse greed to look on diamonds.