Elinor Wyllys, vol 2 | Page 6

yet beautiful, as inanimate nature, sinless nature,
must ever be under all her varieties: he casts a glance upward at the sky,
bright and blue as that of Italy; how often has he studied the heavens
from that very spot! The trees are rich in their summer verdure, the
meadows are fragrant with clover, and through Mr. Wyllys's woods
there is a glimpse of the broad river, gilded by the evening sun. It is a
pleasing scene, a happy moment; it is the first landscape he ever
painted, and it is home.
Then Charlie returns to his mother; he sits by her side, she takes his
hand in her withered fingers, she rests her feeble sight on his bright
face; while Miss Patsey is preparing all the dainties in the house for
supper.
"Well, little one, what is your name?" said Charlie, as the black child
passed him with a load of good things.
"Judy, sir," said the little girl, with a curtsey, and a half-frightened look
at Charlie's face, for the young artist had chosen to return with
moustaches; whether he thought it professional or becoming, we cannot

say.
"We shall be good friends I hope, Judy; if you mind my sister better
than you ever did anybody else in your life, perhaps I shall find some
sugar-plums for you," said Charlie, pleased to see a black face again.
Mrs. Hubbard remarked that, upon the whole, Judy was a pretty good
girl; and the child grinned, until two deep dimples were to be seen in
her shining dark cheeks, and the dozen little non-descript braids which
projected from her head in different directions, seemed to stand on end
with delight.
"And so Mr. Wyllys and the ladies are not at home. I wish I had known
of their being in New-York; I might at least have seen them for a
moment, yesterday."
"I wonder Mrs. Hilson did not mention their being in town."
"Julianna never knows what she is talking about. But I am glad to hear
good accounts of them all."
"Yes; Miss Wyllys has come home from the West-Indies, much better."
"Is it really true that Miss Elinor is going to be married shortly?"
"Well, I can't say whether the story is true or not. She seems to have
many admirers now she has become an heiress."
"But I don't understand how she comes to be such a fortune."
{"a fortune" = short for a woman of fortune, an heiress}
"I don't understand it myself; Mr. Clapp can tell you all about it. You
know most people are a great deal richer now than they were a few
years ago. I heard some one say the other day, that my old pupil's
property in Longbridge, is worth three times as much now, as it was a
short time since."
"Is it possible Longbridge has improved so much?"
"And then your old play-fellow has had two legacies from relations of
her mother's; everybody in the neighbourhood is talking of her
good-luck, and saying what a fortune she will turn out. I only hope she
will be happy, and not be thrown away upon some one unworthy of her,
like her poor cousin; for it seems young Mr. Taylor is very dissipated."
Charlie probably sympathized with this remark, though he made no
reply.
"Mr. and Mrs. Tallman Taylor are in New-York now, I hear, just come
from New-Orleans. The family from Wyllys-Roof have gone over to
see them," added Miss Patsey.

"Yes, so I understand. They will be here before long, I suppose."
"Not immediately; for they are all going to Saratoga together. Dr. Van
Horne thought Miss Wyllys had better pass two or three weeks at the
Springs."
"That is fortunate for me--I shall see them the sooner; for I must be at
Lake George before the first of July. I have an order for three views of
the Lake, which I have promised to send to England early in the fall."
Here Charlie entered into some details of his affairs, very interesting to
his mother and sister; and they seemed to be in a very satisfactory
condition, according to his own modest views. After a while the
conversation again returned to their Longbridge friends.
"Did you know that Mr. Hazlehurst is coming home too, this summer?"
asked Miss Patsey.
"Yes; he wrote me word he hoped we should meet before long. How
did that affair with Mrs. Creighton turn out?"
"We did bear they were engaged; but it could not have been true, for
the lady has been in Philadelphia, and he in Brazil, for some time, you
know. I used to ask about such matters once in a while, on purpose to
write you word. But I had no great opportunity of hearing much about
Mr. Hazlehurst; for