When Mr. Sansoucy entered Mr. Ashton's parlor that
evening, the first person whom he saw was Mr. Heartsease
talking confidentially with Aurelia.

If there had been any doubt upon the subject of his
feelings for Aurelia before, the sensation experienced upon
seeing Mr. Heartsease might have enlightened him fully in
the matter.

He stood for a moment completely silent, with a face
filled with profoundest mortification; then greeting Aurelia
with much more courtesy and softness than usual, took
his seat, returning sadly the friendly words of Mr. and
Mrs. Ashton.

As for Heartsease, he held out his hand with that languid
grace which characterized him; and then gently
arranging one of his cravat bows, which had become
rumpled, and did not reach entirely to his shoulder, continued
his conversation with Miss Aurelia.

For a moment, it is true, Mr. Sansoucy had lost his
presence of mind, and had scarcely been able to suppress
the exhibition of his pain and displeasure on perceiving
the nature of the obstacle preventing Aurelia's visit to the
opera. But he had too often observed how much

[figure description] Page 475.[end figure description]

awkward feeling and real unhappiness a man may crowd into
a single evening, by giving way to ill-humor: and so in
a few minutes, its customary expression of good-humored
carelessness had returned to his face; and with his back
turned to Miss Aurelia, he saluted smiling Misses Bel
and Lizzie, and began to converse pleasantly with the
elderly and cheerful Mrs. Ashton.

There are times when even the most good humored
young ladies are observed to pout—when they show
plainly that their stoutest armor is pierced—and when
they find it impossible to control the expression of their
feelings.

Aurelia though the look of surprise and mortification
upon the countenance of Mr. Sansoucy, very uncalled for,
and unjust, for she understood it perfectly:—and when he
turned away without taking any further notice of her, determined
to conceive for him the most ardent dislike. It
did not occur to her, for a single moment, that it would
be proper, under the circumstances, to enter into an immediate
flirtation with Mr. Heartsease, for the benefit of
Mr. Sansoucy—Aurelia had not lived sufficiently long
in the accomplished atmosphere of “society,” to be able
to enact, at a moment's warning, this harmless, and frequently,
very useful little dramatic part: all that she did,
was to color slightly, suppress two tears of mortification
and feeling which rose to her eyes, and say to herself that
it was very unjust and cruel in Ernest to meet her so.
Now, as injustice and cruelty were legitimate reasons for
dislike, Aurelia determined to dislike Mr. Sansoucy,
immediately.

[figure description] Page 476.[end figure description]

The execution of her project was prevented for the
moment, however, by the conversation of Mr. Heartsease,
who was in unusual spirits, and made himself generally
fascinating.

As we have said, upon a former occasion, no words can
describe the serene effulgence of the Heartsease appearance,
when in full feather, and high spirits. There was
reason for Heartsease's spirits that evening, for just before
coming to see his friend, Miss Ashton, he had secured
a box of kid gloves, from Paris, of a tint long desired,
and looked for unsuccessfully—and had found them fit his
hand marvellously—not even so many as six in a dozen
being defective. This triumph had raised Heartsease's
spirits greatly, and at times his conversation became
almost lively.

The afflatus had, however, somewhat subsided, when
Mr. Sansoucy entered, and the elegant Heartsease was as
languid and smiling as ever.

When he asked Miss Ashton to favor him with a song,
it really did seem as if he should have associated with him
some more athletic gentleman to turn over the leaves of
the lady's music.

Aurelia, still pouting and absent, said that she really
could not sing.

“Not a simple aria, my dear Miss Ashton,” said
Heartsease, smoothing the fringed edge of his cravat, and
adjusting his collar with a gentle hand, “not some simple
morceau!”

“Indeed, Mr. Heartsease,” was Aurelia's reply, “I do

[figure description] Page 477.[end figure description]

not think I could execute anything to please such a connoisesur
as yourself.”

“Connoisseur, Miss Ashton? No, no,” said Heartsease,
with a languid and agreeable smile, “I am only a
poor amateur. If you could only try my favorite Casta
Diva che inargenti—from Norma, you know—I should
really be exceedingly obliged. Going to the opera, you
know, and cramping one's self in those terrible stalls, is
really trying—it's a decided bore. And then the singers
open their mouths so abominably! I really feel sometimes
as if I were going to faint—I feel overcome—it
puts me in mind, my dear Miss Ashton, of those terrible
legends of my youth, in which the hero is swallowed by
cows, or dragous, or such monsters—and I fear for my
safety—I do, indeed.”

Aurelia smiles, with a bad grace, at Mr. Heartsease's
complaint, and says:

“But, indeed, sir, Casta Diva is so difficult.”

“Then, something else.”

“I am afraid—”

“Some simple aria, my dear Miss Ashton, from the
`Bohemian girl,' the `Fille du regiment,' or `Favorita'—
really I have set my heart upon hearing you. You
haven't the music? What a pity, and I suppose I am
doomed to disappointment.”

And Mr. Heartsease turns over some music, with a
languid grace.

“Ah,” he says, stopping at a piece, “here is the
duette—arranged for one voice. My old friend, `Mira
O Norma a'tuoi ginocchi.' But for the manifest

[figure description] Page 478.[end figure description]

impropriety of the request, Miss Ashton, I would fain ask for
that most delicious air.”

Aurelia, whose patience is worn out by the smiling persistence
of the amiable Heartsease, and who really does
feel as if music would dissipate the unpleasant feeling in
her bosom, rises to comply with his request: and taking
her seat at the piano, commences the air from Norma.

It was then that the grace of Heartsease—his serene
amiability and elegant devotion—shone in all their native
and acquired splendor. Standing by the lady in a position
of profound attention—with his extended hand ready
to turn over the leaves—Heartsease seemed to yield himself
up a captive to the flood of harmony. His head
inclined gently upon his right shoulder—his enraptured
eyes sought the ceiling—and with languid-smiling lips
he kept time to the music, and appeared to soar away
from earth, and visit the land of magical kid gloves, and
unimagined “ties.”

His feelings rose and fell, so to speak, with the music.
When Norma was obdurate to her friends' prayer to
take again to her bosom her kneeling children, Heartsease
assumed an expression of affecting grief, but not as
one who expected nothing better coming. He seemed
to comfort himself, even in the depths of his affliction,
with the thought that things would not continue so bad
between the parties. Then, as the song proceeded, and
Norma gradually relented, an expression of triumph diffused
itself over the countenance of Heartsease, and his
enraptured chin kept time to the music more and more
enthusiastically. But when the final burst came, and the

[figure description] Page 479.[end figure description]

friends declared their intention of living always together,
and only dying clasped in each other's embrace—then it
was that Heartsease was overwhelmed with the dulcet
harmony, carried away by the magical strain. His head
went from side to side, rapturously—his closed eyes
seemed to behold Normas and Adelgisas of surpassing
beauty—his whole being appeared to thrill, from the topmost
lock upon his head to the bottom of his shining
boots, with delicious, entrancing pleasure. With the final
crash he seemed carried away; he could not repress his
feelings:—beat, gently, the forefinger of his left kid with
the forefinger of his right, and murmured in an ecstacy,
“Bravo! charming! exquisite! divine!”

“I am glad it pleases you, sir,” said Aurelia, rising,
with a vague impression that she had done wrong in
singing a song from Norma, under the peculiar circumstances.
“I find my voice too weak to sing any more,”
she added, as Mr. Heartsease extended another piece of
music toward her, with a languidly-graceful air; “you
really must excuse me, Mr. Heartsease.”

And Aurelia turned round, and played with her sash,
and glanced furtively at Mr. Sansoucy.

If that gentleman had been annoyed by her singing,
he did not show his annoyance. His countenance was
full of its habitual frank good humor; and he was replying
to a remark made by little Miss Bel, who shone on
that evening in a magnificent head-dress, consisting of a
bow of red ribbon fixed to the extremity of her not lengthy
locks behind. Bel's face was as rosy as a ripe peach, and

[figure description] Page 480.[end figure description]

she seemed to have found in Mr. Sansoucy a companion
perfectly to her taste.

As Aurelia's eyes returned from the survey, they meet
those of Mr. Heartsease fixed upon her with languid
admiration.

“What a divine language the Italian is,” said Heartsease,
gently passing his hand through his hair.

“Do you like it?” was Aurelia's absent reply.

“Oh, I adore it—our own is a perfect bore after it.
It's so liquid, my dear Miss Ashton, and seems to be
made for the language of lovers.”

“Oh, indeed!”

“Yes: and I think when I contemplate matrimony, I
will apply myself to the task of acquiring it—to pay my
addresses in.”

“Then you must find an Italian lady.”

“Or one who knows Italian.”

“Yes, that will do.”

“And as many ladies,” continued Heartsease, with a
look of admiration: “sing it very sweetly, I do not
despair of finding one who will speak it as pleasingly.”

Heartsease was evidently going to flirt, but Aurelia,
with a mischievous little toss of the head, said:

“I don't believe young ladies, generally, know a bit
about Italian—they sing what is written upon their music,
and that's all. I can say for myself, at least, Mr. Heartsease,
that I am perfectly innocent of any knowledge of
the language, and am a mere parrot—I repeat it.”

“The country of such parrots is yet undiscovered,”

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[figure description] Page 481.[end figure description]

said the gallant Heartsease: “or I would take up my
abode there.”

“Would you?”

“I would, upon my soul.”

And Heartsease ogled Miss Aurelia.

“I would dedicate my life to the pursuit of one of
them—I would catch the beautiful bird—and I know
very well what it would resemble.”

“Indeed—what?” said Aurelia, smiling at the languid
admiration of Mr. Heartsease; “one with a plumage of
green, and yellow and gold, and with violet eyes?”

“Oh, no,” sighed Heartsease: “one with pink plumage,
and deep azure eyes, and far lovelier than the rest!”

And Mr. Heartsease cast an accidental glance at Miss
Ashton's pink dress, and then plunged his soft sweet eyes
into the blue depths of the lady's.

“Really, Mr. Heartsease!” said Aurelia, laughing with
her frank mirth, “I do not know how to reply to your
views upon animated nature! How could I? I am only
a country girl, you know, and have studied nothing more
uncommon than hens and chickens. How could we have
glided thus from Norma to the barn-yard?”

And enjoying Mr. Heartsease's discomfiture, Aurelia
played again with her sash.

But Heartsease was an accomplished fencer, and replied
with his best and most graceful smile that the hens and
chickens had arisen originally from the discussion of the
question whether the Italian was not the language of love
and music.

[figure description] Page 482.[end figure description]

“And as such it suits the divine invention of the opera,”
he said, smiling.

“Does it?”

“Oh, yes, Miss Ashton.”

“I am afraid it does not for me. I would much rather
have English words to the airs.”

And as she uttered these words, Aurelia moved toward
her former seat.

Bel had heard them; and now said, with a mery laugh:

“Oh, cousin! why don't you ask Mr. Sansoucy to write
you some words?”

“Ask me?” said Mr. Sansoucy, smiling.

“Yes, sir,” said Bel.

“I am afraid I should fail—especially in anything connected
with the opera of Norma,” said Mr. Sansoucy,
with an air of good humored reproach.

And gliding into the seat formerly occupied by Heartsease,
who was again about to resume it, Sansoucy bestowed
upon Miss Aurelia one of his most friendly smiles.

Heartsease stood for a moment, almost stunned by his
defeat—then he heaved a deep sigh, and smoothed his
waistcoat. Thereafter, during the rest of the evening, he
wandered about the room with a melancholy air, turning
over volumes of engravings, levelling his eye-glass at the
pictures on the wall, and exchanging sad remarks with
Mr. or Mrs. Ashton. To see a star of fashion, like
Heartsease, thus beneath an obscuring cloud, was a spectacle
piteous in the extreme, and full of warning to the
rest of the world.

p506-494

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