Graham's Magazine, Vol. XL, No. 1, January 1852

by Various

Day after day Arthur went through the same routine, the young lady making great progress in German, and he making great progress in love, for could it be expected that he was to sit in earnest conversation for two hours every day, and be at the same table with her at all times, without losing his heart. Whether Grace Gordon loved him in return, was another matter; no one could judge if she did, for her attentions were only those of a lady to a gentleman, and even the haughty old lady, Madam Herman, could find no fault.

What puzzled Arthur more than any thing else was this, Mr. Herman was never seen excepting at dinner, where he went or what he did was a mystery; he certainly never was in the library, for there Arthur went at irregular times, so that he would of course have been seen. He never was about the grounds, and Arthur had no stated times of walking or riding there; he might, however, take an airing with Madam Herman, for she went out regularly, and he sometimes met the carriage. He never questioned the servants, for his honor and pride prevented that, and Grace Gordon never alluded to her family at all. Yet it must be presumed that the young man had curiosity, and if he had not, there were his friends at the inn, they were dying to know what was going on within that wide extent of high stone wall. The old schoolmaster of Berrydale, who had read something of China in a geography book, called it the Celestial City, and ardently longed to enter the gates to take a peep there, he did make one attempt, but the porter at the lodge knew better what his place was worth than to let a stranger enter.

Arthur had now been there two months, and had never left the place, his friends paid their evening visits about once a week, for there had been a wedding to occupy them, and Martha and Garry were now man and wife. The winter was at hand, and not a word was said of the period when his instructions were to cease. Grace Gordon and he were on the most friendly footing imaginable, and could now converse very well in German, but though her progress was astonishing, yet Madam Herman never opened her lips to wonder or praise.

Deep, deeper in love did poor Arthur get every day—a hopeless love he knew it to be, and yet he would not have given up the tormenting pleasure for the world; he wished, and dreamed his wishes over and over again, that Grace Gordon was as poor as himself, for he thought there was a possibility then of winning her affections. For any thing he knew to the contrary, she might be poor, but how was he to find it out, unless the embargo on words was taken off. At every turn he met a domestic, but he knew them not even by name, all his wants were supplied in the most exact and liberal manner, but he asked no questions, and their respect for him prevented any approach toward familiarity.

He had walked and ridden over every part of the estate with the exception of an inclosure, which he was given to understand, in the very beginning, was appropriated to the use of the domestics, and into which visitors never entered. A road from the next market-town reached this inclosure, and every thing wanted for the family was brought here in carts and wagons. A dense hedge of cedar, eight feet in height, which extended to the right and left, prevented any one from seeing what was passing on the other side, and Arthur thought that this was all in good taste and good keeping with the general plan. It was impossible to guess at the extent of this inclosure, for the hedge, or fence made a number of circuitous bends, and thus rendered it deceptive to the eye.

One morning he strolled out as usual, and took the path that led to the cedar-hedge, for the ground there was well-beaten and very pleasant to the feet. He walked leisurely, his mind occupied with the one object of the deepest interest to him—Grace Gordon. Starting from his day-dream he looked at his watch, and found it time to return, that he might prepare for breakfast. He quickened his pace, therefore, and endeavored to retrace his steps, but he made a mistake in one of the turnings and went backward instead of forward. The error was not discovered until he reached an immense iron-bound gate, which at that moment was slowly opened by some one on the other side. He waited until the man who was opening the gate, and whose voice he heard, should make his appearance, for he really was at a loss to know which way to proceed. What was his surprise to find that the gate-opener was Mr. Herman himself, and that following him closely was a troop of young people, all in high spirits, and apparently on the most familiar terms with him. A second glance assured him that it was not the Mr. Herman of yesterday, gray-headed and formal, but the Mr. Herman he formerly knew, with the same merry, clear, ringing laugh which he recollected so well.

The gentleman started on seeing Arthur, but appeared not to know him, he raised his hat however, and then turned to his young companions, who were as much amazed as himself at the rencontre. He could see at a glance that Grace Gordon was not among them, but they evidently must be her friends. They all walked briskly away, and as he turned to look at them, saw that Mr. Herman was running at full speed, and the whole party after him. He stood at the open gate and for the first time saw the inside of the hedge, and to his astonishment found that he was in the rear of the mansion, for there, about a quarter of a mile off, was the back-court, and several of the domestics whom he recognized, passing to and fro.

One of the men who stood near the gate, came forward as Arthur was about entering, and said that Miss Gordon was waiting breakfast for him, and “that the chaise should be brought round in an instant.”

“This is very curious,” thought Arthur, “why not enter the house this way? Here I shall not have to walk more than two or three hundred yards, whereas it will be half an hour’s ride to reach the front.”

However, the chaise was brought to the gate, and after riding fast for twenty or thirty minutes, Arthur was brought to the front of the house, and as quickly as possible he made his toilet, and was ushered to the breakfast table.