The Europeans

er to the great house to tea. She had let the proposal that she should regularly dine there fall to the ground; she was in the enjoyment

Wentworth was a certain emotion of disappointment at finding that, in spite of these irregular conditions, the domestic arrangements at the small house were apparently not-from Eugenia's peculiar point of view-strikingly offensive. The Baroness found it amusing to go to tea; she dressed as if for dinner. The tea-table offered an anomalous and picturesqu

s this young lady, was to think it well to forget her, and to abstain from conjecture as to the extent to which her aberrations were reproduced in her descendants. Over these young people-a vague report of their existence had come to his ears-Mr. Wentworth had not, in the course of years, allowed his imagination to hover. It had plenty of occupation nearer home, and though he had many cares upon his conscience the idea that he had been an unnatural uncle was, very properly, never among the number. Now that his nephew and niece had come before him, he perceived that they were the fruit of influences and circumstances very different from those under which his own familiar progeny had reached a vaguely-qualified maturity. He felt no provocation to say that these influences had been exerted for evil; but he was sometimes afraid that he should not be able to like his distinguished, delicate, lady-like niece. He was paralyzed and b

his nephew was admiring him unrestrictedly. He thought him a most delicate, generous, high-toned old gentleman, with a very handsome head, of the ascetic type, which he promised himself the profit of sketching. Felix was far from having made a secret of the fact that he wielded the paint-brush, and it was not his own fault if it failed to be generally understood that he was prepared to execute the most striking likenesses on the most reasonable terms. "He is an artist-my cousin is an artist," said Gertrude; and she offered this information to everyone who would receive it. She offered it to herself, as it were, by way of admonition and re

worth used it freely; for though he had not been exactly familiar with it, he found it convenient as a help toward classifying Felix, who, as a young man extremely clever and active and apparently respectable and yet not engaged i

s classmate at Harvard College in the year 1809, and who came into his office in Devonshire Street. (Mr. Wentworth, in his later ye

tisfaction in being able to say it. And Mr. Broderip had gone back to Salem with a fe

fore them all-Mr. Brand and Robert Acton being also present. "I think I shoul

ad come in and found him standing before the looking-glass. "The Lord

f head. It's delightfully wasted and emaciated. The complexion is wonderfully bleached." And Felix looked round at the circle, as if to call their attent

d Mr. Wentworth. "Do you refer t

it that has been the case with you, sir; one sees it in your face," Felix proceeded. "Yo

han I should think of looking f

his conscience." Mr. Wentworth looked at her, painfully at a loss; and in so far as the signs of a pure and abstinent life were visible in hi

ying me a complimen

rst woman that ever did

elix he added, in the same tone, "Please don't take my likeness

Felix, "not to work yo

then at all the others; then h

silence that followed, "I wis

did or said, Charlotte always looked at Mr. Brand. It was a standing pretext for looking at Mr. Brand-always, as Charlotte thought, in the interest of

ve your portrait, Miss G

to paint so charming a

ked Lizzie Acton, with her little inoffensive

She spoke with a sort of conscious deliberateness; and it seemed very strange to Charlotte to hear her discussing th

etter things to think about, m

iful, cousin Gertru

ive into a little money-jug that has a slit in the side. I shake them u

ot to give it the form of a compliment. I didn't think you were b

ur jug doesn't burs

y one of the various forms of idleness," s

u can't be said to be idle when

s asleep," suggested Mr. Brand, a

she closed her eyes a little. It had by this time become a matter of alm

n the north side of the piazza. "I wish you would tell me what you think

best people in the

d, "because it saves you the tr

nvas. "What else should I say? It would certainly b

ave seen people before that y

have, than

very different from

"that there are a thousand diffe

s good company?

y for a

be a thousand different ways of being dreary," she s

uld only keep that look on your face for half an hour-w

n hour-that is a great deal

taken some vow, some pledge, that she repents of,"

," said Gertrude, very gravely;

speech. I am very sure that no one in your

d. "That is what I mean by our being dreary. You kno

oing on, and yet you are handsomer than ever.

ertrude, "you c

artist might, and painted

r father and sister-from most of the pe

ation, at least-that one is better. I am not better; I am much worse.

sions, I may admit that I think the tendency-amon

ell that to my fath

ore unhappy!" Felix

don't believe you have

know what I have seen?" Felix

You have seen people like yourself-people who are bright an

to me to get all the pleasure out of life that you might. You don't s

," said the g

money and liberty and what is called in Europe a 'positi

ght and charming and delig

n. It is true it all depen

at deal of misery in the

joined. "But it was all over there-beyond the

shes in the garden, while Felix went on with his work. "To 'enjoy,'" she

is reason, among others: you strike me as very capable of enjoying, if the

in telling a person that she is incapable of that. We

han ever," observed

citement in it as at first. "What ought one to do?" she continued. "To

do that promotes enjoyment," her companion answ

ine-that's what they do here.

s another way," added Felix, smiling

d Gertrude. "One would ge

saying much!" Felix had laid down his palette and brushes; he was leaning back, with his arms

t deal of talent

will never hear of me." Gertrude looked at him with a strange feeling. She was thinking of the great world which he knew and which she did not, and how full of brilliant talents it must be, since it could afford

-head?" sh

pecies of

hical denomination; and she quite failed to understand the figurative mean

feet; he slowly came toward her, smiling. "I am a

adventurer?" she repeated. "I sho

shouldn't," he said. "I have been an adventurer, but my adventures have been very innocent. They have all been happy ones; I don't think there are any I shouldn't tell. Th

he optimism it expressed had not been much more a hope than a prejudice. It is beside the matter to say that he had a good conscience; for the best conscience is a sort of self-reproach, and this young man's brilliantly healthy nature spent itself in objective good intentions which were ignorant of any test save exactness in hitting their mark. He told Gertrude how he had walked over France and Italy with a painter's knapsack on his ba

upon some of his friends, old gentlemen who remembered his mother-remembered her, but said nothing about her-and several of whom, with the gentle ladies their wives, had driven out from town to pay their respects at the little house among the apple trees, in vehicles which reminded the Baroness, who received her visitors with discriminating civility, of the large, light, rattling barouche in which she herself had made her journey to this neighborhood. The afternoon was waning; in the western sky the great picture of a New Engl

ad said that he might if he wanted, he observed that

very good eyes,

he had almost got used to it. She felt, however, that what he meant had now a renewed power to disturb her, to perplex and agitate her. He walked beside her in silence for

ou," said Gertrude, w

ou were avoiding me," Mr. Brand replied.

nd!" said Gertrude, with a littl

resently they came to another gate, which was closed. Mr. Brand laid his hand upon it, but he made no movemen

ssive, almost painful. "Absorbed in what?" she asked. Then she looked away at the illuminated sky. She felt guilty and uncomfortable, and yet she was vexed with herself for feeling so. But Mr.

on. "I don't know that I can say that you have new

ly and petulant. But he opened the gate, and allowed her to pass; then he closed it behind him

something to

he was on the point of adding, "And I know just ho

said. "I love you very much

had said to herself before that it was very strange. It was supposed to be delightful for a woman to liste

why should

u no pledge," she said, looking at h

ave an influence over you. You

you, Mr. Brand!" Gertrude

o frank as I thought

one else had to do wi

ter. You know it makes them happ

ake them happy," she said. "Nothing ma

py-Mr. Young," rejoined Mr. Bran

him!" And Gertrude gav

er a moment. "You are ver

hear it," Gert

ou a long time, and I hav

you," said Gertrude. "

de, gave a l

ly do avoid

then," sa

will leave you, for the present, to yourself. I think you will remember-after a while-some of

nd looking at the beautiful sunset. Gertrude left him and took her way home again; but when she reached the middle of the next field she suddenly burst into tears. Her tears seemed to her to ha