the village of bleighton contained as many affectionate young people as any other place of its size, and was not without young ladies, for the possession of whose hearts two or more young men strove against each other. when, however, allusion was ever made to "the rivals" no one doubted to whom the reference applied: it was always understood that the young men mentioned were those two of miss florence elserly's admirers for whom miss elserly herself seemed to have more regard than she manifested toward any one else.
there has always been some disagreement among the young ladies of bleighton as to miss elserly's exact rank among beauties, but there was no possibility of doubt that miss elserly attracted more attention than any other lady in the town, and that among her admirers had been every young man among whom other bleighton ladies of taste would have chosen their life-partners had the power of choosing pertained to their own sex.
the good young men of the village, the successful business men who were bachelors, and the stylish young fellows who came from the neighboring city in the summer, bowed before miss elserly as naturally as if fate, embodied in the person of the lady herself, commanded them.
how many proposals miss elserly had received no one knew; for two or three years no one was able to substantiate an opinion, from the young lady's walk and conversation, that she specially preferred any one of her personal acquaintances; but at length it became evident that she evinced more than the interest of mere acquaintanceship in hubert brown, the best of the native-born young men of the village.
mr. brown was a theological student, but the march of civilization had been such at bleighton that a prospective shepherd of souls might listen to one of beethoven's symphonies in a city opera-house without having any sin imputed unto him! such music-loving inhabitants of bleighton as listened to one of these symphonies, which was also heard by mr. brown and miss elserly, noticed that when the young couple exchanged words and glances, miss elserly's well-trained features were not so carefully guarded as they usually were in society. such ladies as had nothing to do, and even a few who were not without pressing demands upon their time, canvassed the probabilities of the match quite exhaustively, and made some prophecies, but were soon confused by the undoubted fact that miss elserly drove out a great deal with major mailing, the dashing ex-soldier, and successful broker from the city.
the charm of uncertainty being thus added to the ordinary features of interest which pertain to all persons suspected of being in love, made miss elserly's affairs of unusual importance to every one who knew the young lady even by sight, and for three whole months "the rivals" were a subject of conversation next in order to the weather. at length there came a day when the case seemed decided. for three days hubert brown's face was very seldom seen on the street, and when seen it was longer and more solemn than was required even by that order of sanctity in which theological students desire to live.
then it was noticed that while miss elserly's beauty grew no less in degree, it changed in kind; that she was more than ever seen in the society of the handsome broker, and that the broker's attentions were assiduous. then it was suspected that mr. brown had proposed and been rejected. ladies who owed calls to mr. brown's mother, made haste to pay them, and, as rewards of merit, brought away confirmation of the report. then, before the gossips had reported the probable engagement of miss elserly to major mailing, the lady and major made the announcement themselves to their intimate friends, and the news quickly reached every one who cared to hear it.
a few weeks later, however, there circulated very rapidly a story whose foreshadowing could not have been justly expected of the village gossips. the major absented himself for a day or two from his boarding-house, and at a time, too, when numerous gentlemen from the city came to call upon him.
some of these callers returned hurriedly to the city, evincing by words and looks the liveliest disappointment, while two of them, after considerable private conversation with the proprietress of the house, and after displaying some papers, in the presence of a local justice of the peace, to whom the good old lady sent in her perplexity, took possession of the major's room and made quite free with the ex-warrior's cigars, liquors, and private papers.
then the city newspapers told how mr. malling, a broker of excellent ability and reputation, as well as one of the most gallant of his country's defenders in her hour of need, had been unable to meet his engagements, and had also failed to restore on demand fifteen thousand dollars in united states bonds which had been intrusted to him for safe-keeping. a warrant had been issued for mr. malling's arrest; but at last accounts the officers had been unable to find him.
miss elserly immediately went into the closest retirement, and even girls whom she had robbed of prospective beaus felt sorry for her. people began to suggest that there might have been a chance for brown, after all, if he had staid at home, instead of rushing off to the west to play missionary. he owned more property in his own right than the major had misplaced for other people; and though some doubts were expressed as to miss elserly's fitness for the position of a minister's wife, the matter was no less interesting as a subject for conversation. the excellence of the chance which both brown and miss elserly had lost seemed even greater when it became noised abroad that brown had written to some real estate agents in the village that, as he might want to go into business in the west, to sell for him, for cash, a valuable farm which his father had left him. as for the business which mr. brown proposed entering, the reader may form his own opinions from a little conversation hereinafter recorded.
as hubert brown, trying to drown thought and do good, was wandering through a colorado town one evening, he found himself face to face with major mailing. the major looked seedy, and some years older than he did a month before, but his pluck was unchanged. seeing that an interview could not be avoided, he assumed an independent air, and exclaimed:
"why, brown, what did you do that you had to come west?"
"nothing," said the student, flushing a little—"except be useless."
"i thought," said the major, quickly, with a desperate but sickly attempt at pleasantry, "that you had gone in for florence again; she's worth all your 'lost sheep of the house of israel.'"
"i don't make love to women who love other men," replied brown.
"don't, please, brown," said the major, turning manly in a moment. "i feel worse about her than about all my creditors or those infernal bonds. i got into the snarl before i knew her; that's the only way i can quiet my conscience. of course the—matter is all up now. i wrote her as good an apology as i could, and a release; she'd have taken the latter without my giving it, but—"
"no she wouldn't," interrupted the student.
"how do you know?" demanded the major, with a suspicious glance, which did not escape brown. "did you torment her by proposing again upon the top of her other troubles?"
"no," said brown; "don't be insulting. but i know that she keeps herself secluded, and that her looks and spirits are dreadfully changed. if she cared nothing for you, she knows society would cheerfully forgive her if she were to show it."
"i wish to satan that i hadn't met you, then," said the major. "i've taken solid comfort in the thought that most likely she was again the adored of all adorers, and was forgetting me, as she has so good a right to do."
"major," said brown, bringing his hand down on the major's shoulder in a manner suggestive of a deputy sheriff, "you ought to go back to that girl!"
"and fail," suggested the major. "thank you; and allow me to say you're a devilish queer fellow for suggesting it. is it part of your religion to forgive a successful rival?"
"it's part of my religion, when i love, to love the woman more than i love myself," said brown, with a face in which pain and earnestness strove for the mastery. "she loves you. i loved her, and want to see her happy."
the defaulter grasped the student's hand.
"brown," said he, "you're one of god's noblemen; she told me so once, but i didn't imagine then that i'd ever own up to it myself. it can't be done, though; she can't marry a man in disgrace—i can't ask a woman to marry me on nothing; and, besides, there's the matter of those infernal bonds. i can't clear that up, and keep out of the sheriff's fingers."
"i can," said brown.
"how?" asked the ex-broker, with staring eyes.
"i'll lend the money."
the major dropped brown's hand.
"you heavenly lunatic!" said he. "i always did think religion made fools of men when they got too much of it. then i could go back on the street again; the boys would be glad to see me clear myself—not meeting my engagements wouldn't be remembered against me. but, say—borrow money from an old rival to make myself right with the girl he loved! no, excuse me. i've got some sense of honor left!"
"you mean you love yourself more than you do her," suggested brown. "i'll telegraph about the money, and you write her in the meantime. don't ruin her happiness for life by delay or trifling."
the major became a business man again.
"brown," said he, "i'll take your offer; and, whatever comes of it, you'll have one friend you can swear to as long as i live. you haven't the money with you?"
"no," said brown; "but you shall have it in a fortnight. i'll telegraph about it, and go east and settle the business for you, so you can come back without fear."
"you're a trump; but—don't think hard of me—money's never certain till you have it in hand. i'll write and send my letter east by you; when the matter's absolutely settled, you can telegraph me, and mail her my letter. i'd expect to be shot if i made such a proposal to any other rival, but you're not a man—you're a saint. confound you, all the sermons i ever heard hadn't as much real goodness in them as i've heard the last ten minutes! but 'twould be awful for me to write and then have the thing slip up!"
brown admitted the justice of the major's plan, and took the major to his own hotel to keep him from bad company.
during the whole evening the major talked about business: but when, after a night of sound sleep, the student awoke, he found the major pacing his room with a very pale face, and heard him declare that he had not slept a wink.
brown pitied the major in his nervous condition and did what he could to alleviate it. he talked to him of florence elserly, of whom he seemed never to tire of talking; he spoke to him of his own work and hopes. he tried to picture to the major the happy future which was awaiting him but still the major was unquiet and absent-minded. brown called in a physician, to whom he said his friend was suffering from severe mental depression, brought on by causes now removed; but the doctor's prescriptions failed to have any effect. finally, when brown was to start for the east the major, paler and thinner than ever, handed him a letter addressed to miss elserly.
"brown," said the major, "i believe you won't lose any money by your goodness. i can make money when i am not reckless, and i'll make it my duty to be careful until you are paid. the rest i can't pay, but i'm going to try to be as good a man as you are. that's the sort of compensation that'll please such an unearthly fellow best, i guess."
when hubert brown reached bleighton, he closed with the best offer that had been made for his farm, though the offer itself was one which made the natives declare that hubert brown had taken leave of his senses. then he settled with the loser of the bonds, saw one or two of the major's business acquaintances, and prepared the way for the major's return; then he telegraphed the major himself. lastly, he dressed himself with care and called upon miss elserly. before sending up his card, he penciled upon it "avec nouvelles a lire," which words the servant scanned with burning curiosity, but of which she could remember but one, when she tried to repeat them to the grocer's young man, and this one she pronounced "arick," as was natural enough in a lady of her nationality. this much of the message was speedily circulated through the town, and caused at least one curious person to journey to a great library in the city in quest of a celtic dictionary. as for the recipient of the card, she met her old lover with a face made more than beautiful by the conflicting emotions which manifested themselves in it. the interview was short. mr. brown said he had accidentally met the major and had successfully acted as his agent in relieving him from his embarrassments. he had the pleasure of delivering a letter from the major, and hoped it might make miss elserly as happy to receive it as it made him to present it. miss elserly expressed her thanks, and then mr. brown said:
he stammered, 'i came to plead for the major.'
he took miss elserly's hand in his own, and
stammered, "i came to plead for the major."
"pardon a bit of egotism and reference to an unpleasant subject, miss elserly, once i told you that i loved you; in this matter of the major's, i have been prompted solely by a sincere desire for your happiness; and by acting in this spirit i have entirely taken the pain out of my old wound. mayn't i, therefore, as the major's most sincere well-wisher, enjoy once more your friendship?"
miss elserly smiled sweetly, and extended her hand, and hubert brown went home a very happy man. yet, when he called again, several evenings later, he was not as happy as he had hoped to be in miss elserly's society, for the lady herself, though courteous and cordial, seemed somewhat embarrassed and distrait, and interrupted the young man on several occasions when he spoke in commendation of some good quality of the major's. again he called, and again the same strange embarrassment, though less in degree, manifested itself. finally, it disappeared altogether, and miss elserly began to recover her health and spirits. even then she did not exhibit as tender an interest in the major as the student had hoped she would do; but, as the major's truest friend, he continued to sound his praises, and to pay miss elserly, in the major's stead, every kind of attention he could devise.
finally he learned that the major was in the city, and he hastened to inform miss elserly, lest, perhaps, she had not heard so soon. the lady received the announcement with an exquisite blush and downcast eyes, though she admitted that the major had himself apprised her of his safe arrival. on this particular evening the lady seemed to mr. brown to be personally more charming than ever; yet, on the other hand, the old embarrassment was so painfully evident that mr. brown made an early departure. arrived at home he found a letter from the major which read as follows:
my dear old fellow.—from the day on which i met you in colorado i've been trying to live after your pattern; how i succeeded on the third day, you may guess from inclosed, which is a copy of a letter i sent to florence by you. i've only just got her permission to send it to you, though i've teased her once a week on the subject. god bless you, old fellow. don't worry on my account, for i'm really happy. yours truly,
malling.
with wondering eyes hubert brown read the inclosure, which read as follows:
miss elserly—three days ago, while a fugitive from justice, yet honestly loving you more than i ever loved any other being, i met hubert brown. he has cared for me as if i was his dearest friend; he is going to make good my financial deficiencies, and restore me to respectability. he cannot have done this out of love for me, for he knows nothing of me but that which should make him hate me, on both personal and moral grounds. he says he did it because he loved you, and because he wants to see you happy. miss elserly, such love cannot be a thing of the past only, and it is so great that in comparison with it the best love that i have ever given you seems beneath your notice. he is begging me to go back for your sake; he is constantly talking to me about you in a tone and with a look that shows how strong is the feeling he is sacrificing, out of sincere regard for you. miss elserly, i never imagined the angels loving as purely and strongly as he does. he tells me you still retain some regard for me; the mere thought is so great a comfort that i cannot bear to reason seriously about it; yet, if any such feelings exist, i must earnestly beg of you, out of the sincere and faithful affection i have had for you, to give up all thought of me for ever, and give yourself entirely to that most incomparable lover, hubert brown.
forgive my intrusion and advice. i give it because the remembrance of our late relations will assure you of the honesty and earnestness of my meaning. i excuse myself by the thought that to try to put into such noble keeping the dearest treasure that i ever possessed, is a duty which justifies my departure from any conventional rule. i am, miss elserly, as ever, your worshiper. more than this i cannot dare to think of being, after my own fall and the overpowering sense i have of the superior worth of another. god bless you.
andrew malling.
mr. brown hastily laid the letter aside, and again called upon miss elserly.
again she met him with many signs of the embarrassment whose cause he now understood so well; yet as he was about to deliver an awkward apology a single look from under miss elserly's eyebrows—only a glance, but as searching and eloquent as it was swift—stopped his tongue. he took miss elserly's hand in his own and stammered:
"i came to plead for the major."
"and i shan't listen to you," said she, raising her eyes with so tender a light in them that hubert brown immediately hid the eyes themselves in his heart, lest the light should be lost.
