If she had done it on purpose, she could not have better freshly
riveted his chains. That pensive simplicity, with the smile of heartfelt
satisfaction at giving pleasure to anybody, were more and more engaging
as her spirits recovered their tone, and the most unsatisfactory
consideration which Rachel carried away that evening was that Alexander
Keith being really somewhat the senior, if the improvement in Fanny's
spirits were really owing to his presence, the objection on the score
of age would not hold. But, thought Rachel, Colonel Keith being her own,
what united power they should have over Fanny. Pooh! she had by no means
resigned herself to have him, though for Fanny's sake it might be well,
and was there not a foolish prejudice in favour of married women, that
impeded the usefulness of single ones? However, if the stiff, dry old
man approved of her for her fortune's sake, that would be quite reason
enough for repugnance.
The stiff old man was the pink of courtesy, and paid his respects in due
order to his brother's friends the next day, Colin attending in his old
aide-de-camp fashion. It was curious to see them together. The old
peer was not at all ungracious to his brother; indeed, Colin had been
agreeably surprised by an amount of warmth and brotherliness that he
had never experienced from him before, as if old age had brought a
disposition to cling to the remnant of the once inconveniently large
family, and make much of the last survivor, formerly an undesirable
youngest favourite, looked on with jealous eyes and thwarted and
retaliated on for former petting, as soon as the reins of government
fell from the hands of the aged father. Now, the elder brother was kind
almost to patronizing, though evidently persuaded that Colin was a gay
careless youth, with no harm in him, but needing to be looked after; and
as to the Cape, India, and Australia being a larger portion of the world
than Gowanbrae, Edinburgh, and London, his lordship would be incredulous
to the day of his death.
He paid his formal and gracious visits at Myrtlewood and the Homestead,
and then supposed that his brother would wish him to call upon "these
unfortunate ladies." Colin certainly would have been vexed if he had
openly slighted them; but Alison, whom the brothers overtook on their
way into Mackarel Lane, did not think the colonel looked in the most
felicitous frame of mind, and thought the most charitable construction
might be that he shared her wishes that she could be a few minutes in
advance; to secure that neither Rose's sports nor Colinette's toilette
were very prominent.
All was right, however; Ermine's taste for the fitness of things had
trained Rose into keeping the little parlour never in stiff array, but
also never in a state to be ashamed of, and she herself was sitting in
the shade in the garden, whither, after the first introduction, Colin
and Rose brought seats; and the call, on the whole, went off extremely
well. Ermine naver let any one be condescending to her, and conducted
the conversation with her usual graceful good breeding, while the
colonel, with Rose on his knee, half talked to the child, half listened
and watched.