Miss Sarah Jack of Spanish Town | Page 7

of
the Leslies. Soon after his arrival at Spanish Town he had been taken
by Miss Jack to Shandy Hall, for so the residence of the Leslies was
called, and having remained there for three days, had fallen in love with
Marian Leslie. Now in the West Indies all young ladies flirt; it is the
first habit of their nature--and few young ladies in the West Indies were
more given to flirting, or understood the science better than Marian
Leslie.
Maurice Cumming fell violently in love, and during his first visit at
Shandy Hall found that Marian was perfection--for during this first visit
her propensities were exerted altogether in his own favour. That little
circumstance does make such a difference in a young man's judgment
of a girl! He came back fall of admiration, not altogether to Miss Jack's
dissatisfaction; for Miss Jack was willing enough that both her nephew
and her niece should settle down into married life.
But then Maurice met his fair one at a governor's ball--at a ball where
red coats abounded, and aides-de-camp dancing in spurs, and

narrow-waisted lieutenants with sashes or epaulettes! The aides-de-
camp and narrow-waisted lieutenants waltzed better than he did; and as
one after the other whisked round the ball-room with Marian firmly
clasped in his arms, Maurice's feelings were not of the sweetest. Nor
was this the worst of it. Had the whisking been divided equally among
ten, he might have forgiven it; but there was one specially
narrow-waisted lieutenant, who towards the end of the evening kept
Marian nearly wholly to himself. Now to a man in love, who has had
but little experience of either balls or young ladies, this is intolerable.
He only met her twice after that before his return to Mount Pleasant,
and on the first occasion that odious soldier was not there. But a
specially devout young clergyman was present, an unmarried,
evangelical, handsome young curate fresh from England; and Marian's
piety had been so excited that she had cared for no one else. It appeared
moreover that the curate's gifts for conversion were confined, as
regarded that opportunity, to Marion's advantage. "I will have nothing
more to say to her," said Maurice to himself, scowling. But just as he
went away Marian had given him her hand, and called him
Maurice--for she pretended that they were cousins--and had looked into
his eyes and declared that she did hope that the assembly at Spanish
Town would soon be sitting again. Hitherto, she said, she had not cared
one straw about it. Then poor Maurice pressed the little fingers which
lay within his own, and swore that he would be at Shandy Hall on the
day before his return to Mount Pleasant. So he was; and there he found
the narrow-waisted lieutenant, not now bedecked with sash and
epaulettes, but lolling at his ease on Mrs. Leslie's sofa in a white jacket,
while Marian sat at his feet telling his fortune with a book about
flowers.
"Oh, a musk rose, Mr. Ewing; you know what a musk rose means!"
Then she got up and shook hands with Mr. Cumming; but her eyes still
went away to the white jacket and the sofa. Poor Maurice had often
been nearly broken-hearted in his efforts to manage his free black
labourers; but even that was easier than managing such as Marion
Leslie.
Marian Leslie was a Creole--as also were Miss Jack and Maurice
Cumming--a child of the tropics; but by no means such a child as
tropical children are generally thought to be by us in more northern

latitudes. She was black-haired and black-eyed, but her lips were as red
and her cheeks as rosy as though she had been born and bred in regions
where the snow lies in winter. She was a small, pretty, beautifully made
little creature, somewhat idle as regards the work of the world, but
active and strong enough when dancing or riding were required from
her. Her father was a banker, and was fairly prosperous in spite of the
poverty of his country. His house of business was at Kingston, and he
usually slept there twice a week; but he always resided at Shandy Hall,
and Mrs. Leslie and her children knew but very little of the miseries of
Kingston. For be it known to all men, that of all towns Kingston,
Jamaica, is the most miserable.
I fear that I shall have set my readers very much against Marian
Leslie;--much more so than I would wish to do. As a rule they will not
know how thoroughly flirting is an institution in the West
Indies--practised by all young ladies, and laid aside by them when they
marry, exactly as their young-lady names and young-lady habits of
various kinds are laid aside. All I