Percival Keene | Page 2

attendants, towards whom she had a sort of old
maidish aversion. However this position might be found useful to her
mistress, it must be admitted that it was a most unfortunate position for
a young, thoughtless, and very pretty girl, moreover, who was naturally
very lively, very smart in repartee, and very fond of being admired.
As the Honourable Captain Delmar was very constant in his visits to
his aunt, it was but natural that he should pay some little attention to
her humble companion. By degrees the intimacy increased, and at last
there were reports in the servants' hall, that the captain and Miss Bella
Mason had been seen together in the evergreen walk; and as the
captain's visits were continually repeated during the space of two years
so did the scandal increase, and people became more ill-natured. It was
now seen that Miss Bella had been very often found in tears, and the

old butler and the older housekeeper shook their heads at each other
like responsive mandarins; the only person who was ignorant of the
scandal afloat was the old lady spinster herself.
I must now introduce another personage. The Honourable Captain
Delmar did not, of course, travel without his valet, and this important
personage had been selected out of the marine corps which had been
drafted into the frigate. Benjamin Keene, for such was his name, was
certainly endowed with several qualities which were indispensable in a
valet; he was very clean in his person, very respectful in his deportment,
and, after the sovereign of Great Britain, looked upon the Honourable
Captain Delmar as the greatest person in the world. Moreover,
Benjamin Keene, although only a private marine was, without
exception, one of the handsomest men that ever was seen and being
equally as well made and well drilled as he was handsome in person, he
was the admiration of all the young women. But Nature, who delights
in a drawback, had contrived to leave him almost without brains; and
further, he was wholly uneducated--for he was too stupid to learn--his
faculties were just sufficient to enable him, by constant drilling, to be
perfect in the manual exercise, and mechanically to perform his duties
as a valet.
Ben always accompanied his master to the hall, where the former was
at one and the same time the admiration and laughter of all the servants.
It hardly need be observed, that the clever and sprightly Miss Arabella
Mason considered Ben as one much beneath her, that is, she said so on
his first arrival at Madeline hall; but, strange to say, that two years
afterwards, just at the time that reports had been raised that she had
been frequently discovered in tears, there was a change in her manner
towards him; indeed some people insinuated that she was setting her
cap at the handsome marine: this idea, it is true, was ridiculed by the
majority; but still the intimacy appeared rapidly to increase. It was
afterwards asserted by those who find out everything after it has taken
place, that Ben would never have ventured to look up to such an
unequal match had he not been prompted to it by his master, who
actually proposed that he should marry the girl. That such was the fact
is undoubted, although they knew it not; and Ben, who considered the

wish of his captain as tantamount to an order, as soon as he could
comprehend what his captain required of him, stood up erect and raised
his hand with a flourish to his head, in token of his obedience. Shortly
afterwards, Captain Delmar again came over to Madeline Hall,
accompanied as usual, by Ben, and the second day after their arrival it
was made known to all whom it might concern, that Miss Arabella
Mason had actually contracted a secret marriage with the handsome
Benjamin Keene.
Of course, the last person made acquainted with this interesting
intelligence was the Honourable Miss Delmar, and her nephew took
upon himself to make the communication. At first the honourable
spinster bridled up with indignation, wondered at the girl's indelicacy,
and much more at her demeaning herself by marrying a private marine.
Captain Delmar replied, that it was true that Ben was only a private, but
that every common soldier was a gentleman by profession. It was true
that Bella Mason might have done better--but she was his aunt's servant,
and Keene was his valet, so that the disparity was not so very great. He
then intimated that he had long perceived the growing attachment;
talked of the danger of young people being left so much together;
hinted about opportunity, and descanted upon morals and propriety.
The Honourable Miss Delmar was softened down by the dexterous
reasoning of her nephew; she was delighted to find so