The Mistletoe Bough | Page 8

went to
church, and then sat round the fire chatting until the four o'clock dinner
was ready. The Coverdale girls thought it was rather more dull than
former Thwaite Hall festivities, and Frank was seen to yawn. But then
everybody knows that the real fun of Christmas never begins till the
day itself be passed. The beef and pudding are ponderous, and unless
there be absolute children in the party, there is a difficulty in grafting
any special afternoon amusements on the Sunday pursuits of the
morning. In the evening they were to have a dance; that had been
distinctly promised to Patty Coverdale; but the dance would not
commence till eight. The beef and pudding were ponderous, but with
due efforts they were overcome and disappeared. The glass of port was
sipped, the almonds and raisins were nibbled, and then the ladies left
the room. Ten minutes after that Elizabeth found herself seated with
Isabella Holmes over the fire in her father's little book-room. It was not
by her that this meeting was arranged, for she dreaded such a
constrained confidence; but of course it could not be avoided, and
perhaps it might be as well now as hereafter.
"Bessy," said the elder girl, "I am dying to be alone with you for a
moment."
"Well, you shall not die; that is, if being alone with me will save you."
"I have so much to say to you. And if you have any true friendship in
you, you also will have so much to say to me."
Miss Garrow perhaps had no true friendship in her at that moment, for
she would gladly have avoided saying anything, had that been possible.
But in order to prove that she was not deficient in friendship, she gave
her friend her hand.
"And now tell me everything about Godfrey," said Isabella.
"Dear Bella, I have nothing to tell;--literally nothing."

"That is nonsense. Stop a moment, dear, and understand that I do not
mean to offend you. It cannot be that you have nothing to tell, if you
choose to tell it. You are not the girl to have accepted Godfrey without
loving him, nor is he the man to have asked you without loving you.
When you write me word that you have changed your mind, as you
might about a dress, of course I know you have not told me all. Now I
insist upon knowing it,--that is, if we are to be friends. I would not
speak a word to Godfrey till I had seen you, in order that I might hear
your story first."
"Indeed, Bella, there is no story to tell."
"Then I must ask him."
"If you wish to play the part of a true friend to me, you will let the
matter pass by and say nothing. You must understand that,
circumstanced as we are, your brother's visit here,--what I mean is, that
it is very difficult for me to act and speak exactly as I should do, and a
few unfortunate words spoken may make my position unendurable."
"Will you answer me one question?"
"I cannot tell. I think I will."
"Do you love him?" For a moment or two Bessy remained silent,
striving to arrange her words so that they should contain no falsehood,
and yet betray no truth. "Ah, I see you do," continued Miss Holmes.
"But of course you do. Why else did you accept him?"
"I fancied that I did, as young ladies do sometimes fancy."
"And will you say that you do not, now?" Again Bessy was silent, and
then her friend rose from her seat. "I see it all," she said. "What a pity it
was that you both had not some friend like me by you at the time! But
perhaps it may not be too late."
I need not repeat at length all the protestations which upon this were
poured forth with hot energy by poor Bessy. She endeavoured to
explain how great had been the difficulty of her position. This
Christmas visit had been arranged before that unhappy affair at
Liverpool had occurred. Isabella's visit had been partly one of business,
it being necessary that certain money affairs should be arranged
between her, her brother, and the Major. "I determined," said Bessy,
"not to let my feelings stand in the way; and hoped that things might
settle down to their former friendly footing. I already fear that I have
been wrong, but it will be ungenerous in you to punish me." Then she

went on to say that if anybody attempted to interfere with her, she
should at once go away to her mother's sister, who lived at Hexham, in
Northumberland.
Then came the dance, and the hearts of Kate and Patty Coverdale were
at last happy. But