Agathas Husband | Page 8

only to prove myself descended from a Pawnee Indian."
So, once more, the heavy nut-brown curls were netted up into the crown of her black bonnet, and her shawl pinned on carelessly--rather too carelessly for a young woman; since that gracious adornment, neatness, rarely increases with years. Agatha was quickly ready. In the ten minutes she had to wait for Mrs. Thornycroft, she felt, more than once, how much merrier they would have been with the elder than the younger brother. Also--for Agatha was a conscientious girl--she thought, seriously, what a pity it was that so pleasant and kind a man as Major Harper had such an unfortunate habit of forgetting his promises.
Yet she regretted him--regretted his flow of witty sayings that attracted the humorous half of her temperament, and his touches of seriousness or sentiment which hovered like pleasant music round the yet-closed portals of her girlish heart. Until suddenly--conscientiousness again!--she began to be aware she was thinking a deal too much of Major Harper; so, with a strong effort, turned her attention to his brother and the bears.
She had leant on Mr. Harper's offered arm all the way to the Regent's Park, yet he had scarcely spoken to her. No wonder, therefore, that she had had time for meditation, or that her comparison between the two brothers should be rather to Nathanael's disadvantage. The balance of favour, however, began to right itself a little when she saw how kind he was to Emma Thornycroft, who alternately screamed at the beasts, and made foolish remarks concerning them; also, how carefully he watched over little Missy and James, the latter of whom, with infantile pertinacity, would poke his small self into every possible danger.
At the sunken den, where the big brown bear performs gymnastic exercises on a centre tree, Master Jemmie was quite in his glory. He emulated Bruin by climbing from his feet into nurse's arms--thence into mamma's, and lastly, much to her discomfiture, into Miss Bowen's. The attraction being that she happened to stand close to the railing and next to Mr. Harper, who, with a bun stuck on the end of his long stick, had coaxed Bruin up to the very top of the tree.
There the creature swayed awkwardly, his four unwieldy paws planted together, and his great mouth silently snapping at the cakes. Agatha could hardly help laughing; she, as well as the children, was so much amused at the monster.
"Mr. Harper, give Missy your cane. Missy would like to feed bear," cried the mamma, now very bold, going with her eldest pet to the other side of the den, and attracting the animal thither.
At which little James, who could not yet speak, setting up a scream of vexation, tried to stretch after the creature; and whether from his own impetuosity or her careless hold, sprang--oh, horror!--right out of Agatha's arms. A moment the little muslin frock caught on the railing--caught--ripped; then the sash, with its long knotted ends, which some one snatched at--nothing but the sash held up the shrieking child, who hung suspended half way over the pit, in reach of the beast's very jaws.
The bear did not at once see it, till startled by the mother's frightful cries. Then he opened his teeth--it looked almost like a grin--and began slowly to descend his tree, while, as slowly, the poor child's sash was unloosing with its weight.
A murmur of horror ran through the people near; but not a man among them offered help. They all slid back, except Nathanael Harper.
Agatha felt his sudden gripe. "Hold my hand firm. Keep me in my balance," he whispered, and throwing himself over to the whole extent of his body, and long right arm, managed to catch hold of James, who struggled violently.
"Hold me tight--tighter still, or we are lost," said he, trying to writhe back again; his hand--such a little delicate hand it seemed for a man--quivering with the weight of the child.
She grasped him frantically--his wrist--his shoulder--nay,--stretching over, linked her arms round his neck. Something in her touch seemed to impart strength to him. He whispered, half gasping,--
"Hold me firm, and I'll do it yet, Agatha." She did not then notice, or recollect till long afterwards, how he had called her by her Christian name, nor the tone in which he had said it.
The moment afterwards, he had lifted the child out of the den, and poor Jemmie was screaming out his now harmless terror safe in the maternal arms.
Then, and not till then, Agatha burst into tears. Tears which no one saw, for the mother, hugging her baby, was the very centre of a sympathising crowd. Mr. Harper, paler than ordinary, leaned against the stone-work of the den.
"Oh, from what have you saved me?" cried Agatha, as after her thankfulness for the rescued life, came another