The change was so sudden that those who had stared at her sourly or
scornfully, or with malicious amusement or some stirrings of pity, drew
their breath and gave ground a little. Where was the shrinking,
frightened, unbidden guest of a moment before, with downcast eyes and
burning cheeks? Here was a proud and easy and radiant lady, with witching
eyes and a wonderful smile. "I am only Audrey, your Excellency," she said,
and curtsied as she spoke. "My other name lies buried in a valley amongst
far-off mountains." She slightly turned, and addressed herself to a
portly, velvet-clad gentleman, of a very authoritative air, who, arriving
late, had just shouldered himself into the group about his Excellency. "By
token," she smiled, "of a gold moidore that was paid for a loaf of bread."
The new Governor appealed to his predecessor. "What is this, Colonel
Spotswood, what is this?" he demanded, somewhat testily, of the
open-mouthed gentleman in velvet.
"Odso!" cried the latter. "'Tis the little maid of the
sugar-tree!--Marmaduke Haward's brown elf grown into the queen of all the
fairies!" Crossing to Audrey he took her by the hand. "My dear child," he
said, with a benevolence that sat well upon him, "I always meant to keep
an eye upon thee, to see that Mr. Haward did by thee all that he swore he
would do. But at first there were cares of state, and now for five years I
have lived at Germanna, half way to thy mountains, where echoes from the
world seldom reach me. Permit me, my dear." With a somewhat cumbrous
gallantry, the innocent gentleman, who had just come to town and knew not
the gossip thereof, bent and kissed her upon the cheek.
Audrey curtsied with a bright face to her old acquaintance of the valley
and the long road thence to the settled country. "I have been cared for,
sir," she said. "You see that I am happy."
She turned to Haward, and he drew her hand within his arm. "Ay, child," he
said. "We are keeping others of the company from their duty to his
Excellency. Besides, the minuet invites. I do not think I have heard music
so sweet before to-night. Your Excellency's most obedient servant!
Gentlemen, allow us to pass." The crowd opened before them, and they found
themselves in the centre of the room. Two couples were walking a minuet;
when they were joined by this dazzling third, the ladies bridled, bit
their lips, and shot Parthian glances.
It was very fortunate, thought Audrey, that the Widow Constance had once,
long ago, taught her to dance, and that, when they were sent to gather
nuts or myrtle berries or fagots in the woods, she and Barbara were used
to taking hands beneath the trees and moving with the glancing sunbeams
and the nodding saplings and the swaying grapevine trailers. She that had
danced to the wind in the pine tops could move with ease to the music of
this night. And since it was so that with a sore and frightened and
breaking heart one could yet, in some strange way, become quite another
person,--any person that one chose to be,--these cruel folk should not
laugh at her again! They had not laughed since, before the Governor
yonder, she had suddenly made believe that she was a carefree, great lady.
Well, she would make believe to them still.