CHAPTER XX
IS HE A GENTLEMAN?
The days and weeks that followed were to Dennis such as only come oncein a lifetime, and not in every lifetime either. A true, pure love wasgrowing up within his heart--growing as the little child develops instrength and pleasurable life, and yet unconsciously to itself. Itseemed as if some strong magician's wand had touched the world or him.Everything was transfigured, and no wonderland was more full of interestthan that in which he existed. His life was a waking dream, in whichnothing was distinct or definite, but all things abounded in hope andhappy suggestion. He compared it afterward to a tropical island of thePacific, a blissful fragment of life by itself, utterly distinct fromthe hard, struggling years that preceded, and the painful awakeningthat followed.
Even the place of his daily toil was pervaded by a beautiful presence.For many days he and Christine worked together, and at last her eyeshad rested on, or her fingers had touched, nearly everything in thestore, and therefore all was associated with her. Throughout theirlabors his quick sympathy and appreciation made him almost hands andfeet to her, and she regarded him as a miracle of helpfulness--oneof those humble, useful creatures who are born to wait upon andinterpret the wishes of the rich and great. His admiring glancesdisturbed her not and raised no suspicion in her mind. She had beenaccustomed to such for years, and took them as a matter of course.
She treated the young men whom she met in society with a courtly easeand freedom, but her smiles and repartee ever seemed like brilliantmoonlight that had no warmth; and, while no restraint appeared, shestill kept all at a distance. There was a marked difference in herintercourse with Dennis. Regarding him as too humble ever to presumeupon her frankness, she daily spoke more freely, and more truly actedout herself before him. She was happy and in her element among thebeautiful works of art they were arranging, and in this atmosphere herwomanly nature, chilled and dwarfed though it was, would often manifestitself in ways sweet and unexpected. Under no other circumstances couldshe have appeared so well. She as often spoke to herself in racy commenton what was before her as to Dennis, and ever and anon would make somepleasant remark to him, as she might throw a dainty morsel to hergreyhound Wolf, looking wistfully at her while she dined. At the sametime it must be confessed that she had a growing respect for him, asshe daily saw some new proof of his intelligence and taste; but botheducation and disposition inclined her instinctively to the old feudalidea that even genius, if poor, must wait a humble servitor on wealthand rank, and where a New England girl would have been saying toherself, "This gifted, educated man is my equal, and, whether I wantto or not, I ought to treat him as such," she was not troubled at all.To her, he was her father's clerk and man-of-all-work, a most useful,trusted, and agreeable servant, and she was kind to him as such. Indeedthe little autocrat was kind to every one that pleased her. She wasa benign queen to obedient subjects, but woe to those who wereotherwise.
To Dennis, however, though he realized it not, she was becoming as thevery apple of his eye. He was learning to regard her with a deeperinterest because of the very defects that he plainly recognized. Whileon the one hand he had the enthusiastic love caused by his admirationfor her, on the other he felt the tenderer and greater love which wasthe result of pity. He tried to account for his feelings toward herby the usual sophistries of unconscious lovers. It was friendship; itwas artistic interest in her beauty; it was the absorbing, unselfishregard of a Christian for one providentially commended to him to beled out of darkness into light. How could he help thinking of one forwhom he prayed night and morning and every hour in the day? It was allthis, but he was soon to learn that it was a great deal more. And sothe days of occupation and companionship passed; the spell worked onwith increasing and bewildering power, and the crisis could not bedelayed much longer.
One morning in the latter part of April she seemed more gracious thanusual. Their labors were drawing to a close, and, as he had proved sotasteful and efficient in the store, she concluded that he might beequally useful in other ways and places. She could command him at thestore, but not in respect to a task that she had in view; so she adopteda little feminine artifice as old as the time when Eve handed Adam theapple, and she looked at him in such a way that he could not refuse.
Blind, honest Dennis, it is needless to say, saw nothing of this littlestrategy of which he was destined to be the happy, willing victim,and his love expanded and bloomed under the genial light of her presenceand kindness, like the flowers of the convolvulus in a bright dawn ofJune. She brought her general graciousness to a definite and blissfulclimax by saying, when about to go home, "Well, Mr. Fleet, you havedone better than usual to-day, and I certainly must give you creditfor possessing more taste than any young man of my acquaintance."
Dennis's heart gave as great a bound as if the laurel crown of all theOlympic games had been placed upon his brow.
"I am now going to ask a favor," she continued.
"You may command me, Miss Ludolph," interrupted Dennis.
"No, not in this case," she replied. "Whatever you do will be regardedas a personal favor to me. At the same time it will afford you scopefor such display of your taste as will secure many compliments."
"If I am able to satisfy _you_ I shall be more than compensated," saidDennis with a bow.
She smiled and thought to herself, "That isn't bad for a porter andman-of-all-work," and explained as follows:
"Some young ladies and gentlemen have decided upon giving anentertainment, consisting of music, tableaux, and statuary. Now, inregard to the two latter parts, we need above all things some personof taste like yourself, whose critical eye and dexterous hand willinsure everything to be just right. You will be a sort of general stagemanager and superintendent, you know. I feel sure you will be all themore willing to enter upon this work when you know that the proceedsare to go toward the Church of the Holy Virgin. This is going to bea very select affair, and the tickets are five dollars each."
"Is it a Protestant church?" asked Dennis, in some trepidation.
"Oh, certainly," she answered, with a peculiar smile, "an Episcopalchurch."
"It seems a strange name for a Protestant church," said Dennis. "Itis enough for me that you wish it; at the same time it certainly isa pleasure to contribute what little I can to aid any Christianorganization."
"Come, Mr. Fleet, you are narrow," she said, with a controversialtwinkle in her eye. "Why not toward a Catholic church?"
"I fear that all people with decided religious opinions are sometimesregarded as narrow," he answered, with a smile.
"That is an inadequate answer to my question," she said; "but I willnot find fault since you have so good-naturedly acceded to my request.Come to No. -- Wabash Avenue at three this afternoon. Papa gives youleave of absence."
She vanished, and figuratively the sun went down to Dennis, and he wasin twilight till he should see her again. He looked forward to theafternoon with almost feverish eagerness, for several reasons. It wouldbe his first introduction to "good society," for as such theunsophisticated youth regarded the prospect. He had the natural longingof a young, healthful nature for the companionship of those of his ownage and culture, and his life in the great city had often been verylonely. He expected, as a matter of course, to be treated as an equalat the artistic entertainment in which he was to participate. In hisbusiness relations at the store he had taken a subordinate positionand made up his mind to the logical consequences. But now that he wasinvited to a private house, and would appear there possessing all thequalities of a gentleman, he surely would be treated as one. "Is notthis Chicago, whose citizens were nearly all poor a few years ago?"he thought; "and surely, if what Miss Ludolph says is true, I haveadvantages in my taste over most poor young men." Moreover, it was hisideal of an entertainment, where art and music should take the placeof the coarser pleasures of eating, drinking, and dancing. Chief ofall, Christine would be there, and even he in his blindness became alittle uneasy and self-conscious as he realized how this
thought toweredabove the others.
She had given him a list of the things he was to bring with him in theafternoon, and he occupied every spare moment in getting them ready.At a quarter past two he summoned the carman of the store, and theyloaded up the miscellaneous cargo needed for the coming mysteries, andby three all were before the large elegant mansion to which he hadbeen directed. Dennis rang the bell and was shown by a servant intothe front parlor, where he found Miss Ludolph, Miss Brown, a tall,haughty brunette, and the young lady of the house, Miss Winthrop, abright, sunny-faced blonde, and two or three other young ladies of nospecial coloring or character, being indebted mainly to their toiletsfor their attractions. Dennis bowed to Miss Ludolph, and then turnedtoward the other ladies, expecting as a matter of course to beintroduced. No introduction came, but his expectant manner was soobvious that Miss Ludolph colored and looked annoyed, and the otheryoung ladies tittered outright.
Advancing a step or two she said, coldly, "Mr. Fleet, you may helpMapes carry the things into the back parlor, and then we will directyou as to the arrangement."
Dennis crimsoned painfully. At first he was too confused to think, andmerely obeyed mechanically. Then came the impulse to say boldly thatthis kind of thing might answer at the store, but not here, and henearly carried it out; but soon followed the sober second thought,that such action would bring a blight over all his prospects, andinvolve the loss of his position at the store. Such giving way topassion would injure only himself. They would laugh, and merely suffera momentary annoyance; to him and his the result would be mostdisastrous. Why should he let those who cared not a jot for him causesuch sad injury?
By the time he had carried his first armful into the back parlor, hehad resolved for his mother and sisters' sakes that he would go throughthe following scenes as well as he could, and then turn his back onsociety till he could enter it a recognized gentleman; and withcompressed lips and flashing eye he mentally vowed that that day shouldsoon come.
As he was unpacking his materials he could not help hearing theconversation in the front parlor.
"Did you ever see such presumption?" exclaimed Miss Brown. "He evidentlyexpected to be introduced, and that we should rise and courtesyall around."
"He must have seen better days, for he certainly appeared like agentleman," said Miss Winthrop.
"I should hardly give that title to a man who swept a store out everymorning" replied Miss Brown.
"No, indeed!" chorused the three colorless young ladies.
"I know nothing about this young man," said Miss Winthrop, rufflingher plumage somewhat for an argument, of which she was fond; "but, asa case in hand, suppose a highly educated and refined man for somereason swept a store out every morning, what would you call him?" andshe looked around as if she had given a poser.
The colorless young ladies looked blank--their natural expression.
"Nonsense!" said the positive Miss Brown; "such men don't sweep stores.He may have passed current in some country village, but that is notour set."
"But the case is certainly supposable," retorted Miss Winthrop, moreintent upon her argument than upon Dennis. "Come, what does the Countesssay?" she asked, turning to Christine; for that was the familiar nameby which she went among her young companions.
"The case is not supposable, but actual," she answered, so distinctlythat it seemed that she meant Dennis to hear. "As far as I have anymeans of judging, he is a refined, educated man, and I have learnedfrom papa that his motive in sweeping the store is the support of hismother and sisters--certainly a very worthy one. To your question,Susie, I answer unhesitatingly that in accordance with your Americanprinciples and professions he is a gentleman, and you ought to treathim as such. But you Americans are sometimes wonderfully inconsistent,and there is often a marvellously wide margin between your boastedequality and the reality. Now in Europe these questions have beensettled for ages, and birth and rank define a person's positionaccurately."
"I do not believe in equality," said Miss Brown, with a toss of herhead. (Her father was a mighty brewer, but he and hers were in characterand antecedents something like the froth on their own beer.)
Miss Winthrop was a little embarrassed at finding her supposed casea real one, for it might involve some practical action on her part.Many an ardent advocate of the people in theory gives them practicallythe cold shoulder, and is content to stay on the summit of Mt. Olympus.She was a girl of good impulses and strong convictions of abstractright, but rarely had either the courage or the opportunity to carrythem out. She was of the old Boston family of Winthrops, and thereforecould meet Miss Ludolph on her own ground in the way of pedigree.
But, however Dennis fared, she felt that she must look after herargument, and, having conquered theoretically as far as America wasconcerned, determined to carry war into Europe, so she said: "Are younot mistaken in saying that birth and rank only settle position abroad?Some of the most honored names there are or were untitled."
"Oh, certainly, but they were persons of great genius, and _genius_ isthe highest patent of nobility. But I leave you republicans to settlethis question to suit yourselves. I am going to look after thepreparations for this evening, as I have set my heart on a successthat shall ring through the city."
But they all flocked after her into the back parlor, now doublyinteresting as it contained an object of curiosity in Dennis Fleet--averitable gentleman who swept a store.