“She was beautiful five years ago, but she’s greatly changed since then,” answered Durward, never suspecting the exquisite satisfaction his words afforded Carrie, who replied, “You had better keep that opinion to yourself, and not express it before Captain Atherton or brother John.”
“Who takes my name in vain?” asked John Jr., himself appearing at a side door.
“Oh, John,” said Carrie, “we were just disputing about ’Lena. Durward does not think her handsome.”
“Durward be hanged!” answered John, making a feint of drawing from his pocket a pistol which was not there. “What fault has he to find with ’Lena?”
“A little too rosy, that’s all,” said Durward, laughingly, while John continued, “She did look confounded red and dowdyish, for her. I don’t understand it myself.”
Here the hem of the muslin dress on which Carrie’s eye had all the while been resting, disappeared, and as there was no longer an incentive for ill-natured remarks, the amiable young lady adroitly changed the conversation.
John Jr. also caught a glimpse of the retreating figure, and started in pursuit, in the course of his search passing the kitchen, where he was instantly hailed by Aunt Milly, who, while bemoaning her own aches and pains, did not fail to tell him how “Miss ’Lena, like aborned angel dropped right out of ’tarnity, had been in thar, burning her skin to a fiery red, a-tryin’ to get up a tip-top dinner.”
“So ho!” thought the young man, “that explains it;” and turning on his heel, he walked back to the house just as the last bell was ringing for dinner.
On entering the dining-room, he found all the family assembled, except ’Lena. She had excused herself on the plea of a severe headache, and now in her own room was chiding herself for being so much affected by a remark accidentally overheard. What did she care if Durward did think her plain? He was nothing to her, and never would be—and again she bathed her head, which really was aching sadly.
“And so ’Lena’s got the headache,” said John Jr. “Well, I don’t wonder, cooking all the dinner as she did.”