Alma sat looking at her piquant head,black,unconsciously outlined against the lamp,as she sat working by the table."Just keep still a moment!"She got her sketch-block and pencils,and began to draw;Fulkerson tilted himself forward and looked over her shoulder;he smiled outwardly;inwardly he was divided between admiration of Miss Woodburn's arch beauty and appreciation of the skill which reproduced it;at the same time he was trying to remember whether March had authorized him to go so far as to ask for a sight of Colonel Woodburn's manu.He felt that he had trenched upon March's province,and he framed one apology to the editor for bringing him the manu,and another to the author for bringing it back.
"Most Ah hold raght still like it was a photograph?"asked Miss Woodburn."Can Ah toak?""Talk all you want,"said Alma,squinting her eyes."And you needn't be either adamantine,nor yet--wooden.""Oh,ho'very good of you!Well,if Ah can toak--go on,Mr.Fulkerson!""Me talk?I can't breathe till this thing is done!"sighed Fulkerson;at that point of his mental drama the Colonel was behaving rustily about the return of his manu,and he felt that he was looking his last on Miss Woodburn's profile.
"Is she getting it raght?"asked the girl.
"I don't know which is which,"said Fulkerson.
"Oh,Ah hope Ah shall!Ah don't want to go round feelin'like a sheet of papah half the time.""You could rattle on,just the same,"suggested Alma.
"Oh,now!Jost listen to that,Mr.Fulkerson.Do you call that any way to toak to people?""You might know which you were by the color,"Fulkerson began,and then be broke off from the personal consideration with a business inspiration,and smacked himself on the knee,"We could print it in color!"Mrs.Leighton gathered up her sewing and held it with both hands in her lap,while she came round,and looked critically at the sketch and the model over her glasses."It's very good,Alma,"she said.
Colonel Woodburn remained restively on his side of the table."Of course,Mr.Fulkerson,you were jesting,sir,when you spoke of printing a sketch of my daughter.""Why,I don't know--If you object--?
"I do,sir--decidedly,"said the Colonel.
"Then that settles it,of course,"said "I only meant--""Indeed it doesn't!"cried the girl."Who's to know who it's from?
Ah'm jost set on havin'it printed!Ah'm going to appear as the head of Slavery--in opposition to the head of Liberty.""There'll be a revolution inside of forty-eight hours,and we'll have the Colonel's system going wherever a copy of 'Every Other Week'circulates,"said Fulkerson.
"This sketch belongs to me,"Alma interposed."I'm not going to let it be printed.""Oh,mah goodness!"said Miss Woodburn,laughing good-humoredly.
"That's becose you were brought up to hate slavery.""I should like Mr.Beaton to see it,"said Mrs.Leighton,in a sort of absent tone.She added,to Fulkerson:"I rather expected he might be in to-night.""Well,if he comes we'll leave it to Beaton,"Fulkerson said,with relief in the solution,and an anxious glance at the Colonel,across the table,to see how he took that form of the joke.Miss Woodburn intercepted his glance and laughed,and Fulkerson laughed,too,but rather forlornly.
Alma set her lips primly and turned her head first on one side and then on the other to look at the sketch."I don't think we'll leave it to Mr.
Beaton,even if he comes."
"We left the other design for the cover to Beaton,"Fulkerson insinuated.
"I guess you needn't be afraid of him."
"Is it a question of my being afraid?"Alma asked;she seemed coolly intent on her drawing.
"Miss Leighton thinks he ought to be afraid of her,"Miss Woodburn explained.
"It's a question of his courage,then?"said Alma.
"Well,I don't think there are many young ladies that Beaton's afraid of,"said Fulkerson,giving himself the respite of this purely random remark,while he interrogated the faces of Mrs.Leighton and Colonel Woodburn for some light upon the tendency of their daughters'words.
He was not helped by Mrs.Leighton's saying,with a certain anxiety,"I don't know what you mean,Mr.Fulkerson.""Well,you're as much in the dark as I am myself,then,"said Fulkerson.
"I suppose I meant that Beaton is rather--a--favorite,you know.The women like him."Mrs.Leighton sighed,and Colonel Woodburn rose and left the room.
In the silence that followed,Fulkerson looked from one lady to the other with dismay."I seem to have put my foot in it,somehow,"he suggested,and Miss Woodburn gave a cry of laughter.
"Poo'Mr.Fulkerson!Poo'Mr.Fulkerson!Papa thoat you wanted him to go.""Wanted him to go?"repeated Fulkerson.
"We always mention Mr.Beaton when we want to get rid of papa.""Well,it seems to me that I have noticed that he didn't take much interest in Beaton,as a general topic.But I don't know that I ever saw it drive him out of the room before!""Well,he isn't always so bad,"said Miss Woodburn."But it was a case of hate at first sight,and it seems to be growin'on papa.""Well,I can understand that,"said Fulkerson."The impulse to destroy Beaton is something that everybody has to struggle against at the start.""I must say,Mr.Fulkerson,"said Mrs.Leighton,in the tremor through which she nerved herself to differ openly with any one she liked,"I never had to struggle with anything of the kind,in regard to Mr.Beaton.He has always been most respectful and--and--considerate,with me,whatever he has been with others.""Well,of course,Mrs.Leighton!"Fulkerson came back in a soothing tone.
"But you see you're the rule that proves the exception.I was speaking of the way men felt about Beaton.It's different with ladies;I just said so.""Is it always different?"Alma asked,lifting her head and her hand from her drawing,and staring at it absently.
