Daisy in the Field

Miss Randolph?"

  "I assure you, I mean exactly what I say. Pray take it so."

  "But I do not understand you."

  "Understand this, - that I shall be a penniless woman; orsomething very like it. I am making no jest. I am no heiress -as people think."

  "But you confound me, Miss Randolph," he said, looking bothcurious and incredulous. "May I ask, what can be theexplanation of your words? I know your Magnolia property - andit is, I assure you, a very noble one, and unencumbered.Nothing can hinder you from inheriting it - at some, we hope,of course, very distant day."

  "Nevertheless," I said, "if I live to see that day, I shall bevery poor, Mr. De Saussure."

  "You will condescend to explain so extraordinary a statement?"

  "Is not my word sufficient?"

  "Pardon me, a thousand times; but you must see that I am in adifficulty. Against your word I have the word of two others -your mother and your brother, who both assure me of thecontrary. May it not be, that they know best?"

  "No, Mr. De Saussure; for the fact depends on something out oftheir knowledge."

  "It is out of my knowledge too," he said.

  I hesitated a little, and then said, -

  "I will explain myself, Mr. De Saussure, trusting to yourhonour to keep silence about it. I am a friend of the colouredpeople."

  "Oh! - So are we all," he said.

  "And I will never be rich at their expense."

  "By their means, is not necessarily at their expense," he saidgently.

  "It is at their expense," I repeated. "I do not choose to berich so. And the religion I live by, forbids me to do toothers as I would not like they should do to me."

  "I am sure, by that rule, your dependants at Magnolia wouldimplore you not to give them over to other hands. They willnever have so kind a mistress. Don't you see?" he said withthe same insinuating gentleness.

  "I shall give them over to no other hands. I would make themas free as myself."

  "Make them free!"

  "That is what I would do."

  "You cannot mean it," he said.

  "You see, Mr. De Saussure, that I shall be very poor."

  "You are playing with me."

  "I am very serious."

  "It is rank Northern madness!" he said to himself. "And it isMrs. Randolph's daughter. The thing is impossible."

  "It _is_ Mrs. Randolph's daughter," I said, withdrawing my handfrom his arm. "I pray you not to forget it."

  "Pray, forgive me!" he said eagerly. "I was bewildered, and amyet. I did not know where I was. It seems to me I cannot haveheard you aright."

  "Quite right, Mr. De Saussure."

  "But just reflect!" he said. "These creatures, whose cause youare advocating, they are but half human; they cannot take careof themselves; their very happiness is identified with theirpresent position."

  "It is not the view they take of it."

  "They are incapable of forming any judgment on the matter."

  "At least they know what _they_ mean by happiness," I said; "andin their mouths it is not a synonym with slavery. And if yourwords are true, Mr. De Saussure, in the case of some of thosepoor people, - and I know they are, - it is one of the worstthings that can be said of the system. If some of them arebrought so low as to be content with being slaves, we haverobbed them of their humanity."

  "It is absolutely Northern radicalism!" said Mr. De Saussureto himself.

  "No," I said, - "it is Christian justice and mercy."

  "You will allow me to represent to you, without anypresumption, that there are very many Christians, both at theSouth and North, who do not look at the matter with youreyes."

  "I suppose they have never really seen it," I answered sadly."People that have always lived close to something, often donot know what it is. My father has never seen it - nor, mymother. _I_ have."

  "They would not agree with you; your views would not harmonisewith theirs."

  "And therefore I trust to your honour to keep silencerespecting mine."

  "I am bound," he answered gloomily; and we walked a fewminutes in silence.

  "You will change your manner of thinking, Miss Randolph," hebegan again. "Yours is the vision of inexperienced eyes and ofimpulsive generosity. It will not remain what it is."

  "Inexperienced eyes see the clearest," I answered. "The habitof wrong is no help towards judging of the right."

  "You will think differently by and by."

  "Not while I am a servant of God and He commands me to breakevery yoke, to do as I would be done by, to look not on my ownthings, but also on the things of others. We owe our poorpeople not liberty only, but education, and every advantagefor restored civilisation; - a great long debt."

  "And is this the reason why you will not look favourably on mysuit?" he said after another interval.

  "It is a reason why you will not wish to prosecute it, Mr. DeSaussure."

  "You are very severe!" he said. "Do you really think that?"

  "You know it is true. I do not wish to be severe."

  "Have you then no kindness for me?"

  "Why do you ask?"

  "You are so dreadfully calm and cool!" he said. "One has nochance with you. If this matter were not in the way, would youhave any kindness for me, Daisy? Is this all that separatesus?"

  "It is quite enough, Mr. De Saussure. It is as powerful withyou as with me."

  "I am too late, I suppose!" he said, as it seemed to me,rather spitefully. As he was too late, it was no use to tellhim he could never have been early enough. I was silent; andwe walked on unenjoyingly. Vexation was working in hiscountenance, and a trace of that same spite; I was glad whenwe came to the end of our way and the other members of ourparty closed up and joined us.

  As I cared nothing for the house they had come to see, Iexcused myself from going any nearer, and sat down upon thebank at a little distance while they gratified theircuriosity. The view of the lake and lake shores here was verylovely; enough to satisfy any one for a long while; but now,my thoughts only rested there for a minute, to make a springclear across the Atlantic. Mr. Thorold was very close to me,and I was very far from him; that was the burden of my heart.So close to me he had been, that I had never dreamed any onecould think of taking his place. I saw I had been a simpleton.Up to that day I had no suspicion that Mr. De Saussure likedme more than would be convenient; and indeed I had no fear nowof his heart being broken; but I saw that his unlucky suitmade a complication in my affairs that they certainly did notneed. - Mamma approved it; yes, I had no doubt of that. I knewof a plantation of his, Briery Bank, only a few miles distantfrom Magnolia and reputed to be very rich in its incomings.And, no doubt Mr. De Saussure would have liked theneighbourhood of Magnolia, and to add its harvest to his own.And all the while I belonged to Mr. Thorold, and nobody elsecould have me. My thoughts came back to that refrain with astrong sense of pain and gladness. However, the gladness wasthe strongest. How lovely the lake was, with its sunlit hills!

  In the midst of my musings, Hugh Marshall came and threwhimself on the ground at my side. I welcomed him with a smile;for I liked him; he was a friend; and I thought, - This onedoes not want me at any rate. I was a great simpleton, Isuppose.

  "I was afraid you had deserted me to-day," he said.

  "I am sure, it is I who might rather have thought that ofyou," I answered; and indeed I had wished for his company morethan once.

  "You could not have thought it!" he said.

  "Have you satisfied your curiosity with Eugene Sue's house?"

  "I do not care to look at anything that you don't like," hereplied.

  "Cigars? -" I suggested.

  "No indeed. If you disapprove of them, I shall have no morefellowship with them."

  "That is going quite too far, Mr. Marshall. A man should nevergive up anything that he does not disapprove of himself."

  "Not to please somebody he wishes to please?"

  "Of course," I said, thinking of Mr. Thorold, - "there mightbe such cases. But in general."


  "This is one of the cases. I wish to please you."

  "Thank you," I said earnestly. "But indeed, I should be morepleased to have you follow your own sense of right than anynotion of another, even of myself."

  "You are not like any other woman I ever saw," he saidsmiling. "Do you know, they all have a passion for command?There are De Saussure's mother and sisters, - they do notleave him a moment's peace, because he is not at homefighting."

  I was silent, and hoped that Mr. De Saussure's