A few days after this trifling adventure, I went, by invitation, to pass a day with my friend the ex-governor, at his beautiful residence a little out of the city.
Standing near one of the drawing-room windows, just before dinner, I observed a gentleman alighting from a carriage, at the entrance of the mansion. I was struck with his elegant air, as he kissed his hand to some one who was, like myself, an observer on the occasion.
"There is H—— B——!" exclaimed the joyous voice of pretty Kitty, the niece of my host, and a little scrutiny, while he was paying his compliments to the several members of the family, enabled me to recognize in this graceful stranger the rough-looking youth I had previously seen at the dépôt. But what a metamorphosis! He now wore an entirely modish dinner-dress, exquisitely tasteful in all its appointments; his coat of the most faultless fit, and boots that displayed a very small and handsome foot to admirable advantage. I afterwards noticed, too, that "camping out" in the "swamps" had not, apparently, impaired the smoothness of the slender fingers and carefully-cut nails that came under my observation while listening, in the course of the evening, to the rich voice and guitar accompaniment of Mr. B——.
"Did Mr. B—— come out in a carriage?" inquired one of the ladies of the family, in a low tone, of my host, near whom I was standing, when arrangements were to be made for the return of the guests to town.
"Certainly he did," answered the governor, "Mr. B—— is too much of a sybarite to heat himself by walking out here to dinner, on such a day as this."
"And too economical, I have no doubt, judging from his good sense in other respects," I added, "to spoil a pair of costly dress boots in such service."
"Mrs. M——, one moment, if you please," said a voice behind us, and Mrs. M—— (who is the acting mistress of the mansion) took the arm politely proffered her, and stepped out upon the portico. Presently she returned—
"Uncle T——," whispered she ("excuse me, Col. Lunettes), John need not get up our carriage; Mr. B—— has been so polite as to insist upon our sending the girls home in his, saying that he really prefers to sit outside, and that the carriage in which he drove out is to be here in a few minutes."
"He happened to know that John has to be up with the lark, about another matter," remarked the host, "and"——
"How kind!" returned the lady; "but Mr. B—— does everything so agreeably that one does not know which to admire most—the charm of his manner, or"——