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keep the Ten Commandments and darn their stockings。〃 

     Meantime the   children   were   aiming at   Emilia;  whose butterfly  looks 

amazed   and   charmed   them;   but   who   evidently  did not   know   what   to   do 

with their eager affection。 

     〃I know about you;〃 said little Helen; 〃I know what you said when you 

were little。〃 



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                           MALBONE:      AN    OLDPORT ROMANCE。 



     〃Did I say anything?〃 asked Emilia; carelessly。 

     〃Yes;〃   replied   the   child;   and   began   to   repeat   the   oft…told   domestic 

tradition in an accurate way; as if it were a school lesson。 〃Once you had 

been naughty; and your papa thought it his duty to slap you; and you cried; 

and he told you in French; because he always spoke French with you; that 

he did not punish you for his own pleasure。 Then you stopped crying; and 

asked; 'Pour le plaisir de qui alors?' That means 'For whose pleasure then?' 

Hope said it was a droll question for a little girl to ask。〃 

     〃I do not think it was Emilia who asked that remarkable question; little 

girl;〃 said Kate。 

     〃I dare say it was;〃 said Emilia; 〃I have been asking it all my life。〃 Her 

eyes grew very moist; what with fatigue and excitement。 But just then; as 

is apt to happen in this world; they were all suddenly recalled from tears to 

tea; and the children smothered their curiosity in strawberries and cream。 

     They sat again beside the western door; after tea。               The young moon 

came   from   a   cloud   and   dropped   a   broad   path   of   glory   upon   the   bay;   a 

black yacht glided noiselessly in; and anchored amid this tract of splendor。 

The     shadow     of  its  masts    was    on  the   luminous     surface;    while   their 

reflection lay at a different angle; and seemed to penetrate far below。 Then 

the departing steamer went flashing across this bright realm with gorgeous 

lustre; its red   and green lights   were doubled in the paler   waves; its  four 

reflected   chimneys   chased   each   other   among   the   reflected   masts。   This 

jewelled wonder passing; a single fishing…boat drifted silently by; with its 

one dark sail; and then the moon and the anchored yacht were left alone。 

     Presently some of the luggage came from the wharf。 Malbone brought 

out    presents    for  everybody;      then   all  the   family    went   to   Europe    in 

photographs; and with some reluctance came back to America for bed。 



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                           MALBONE:      AN   OLDPORT ROMANCE。 



                                CHAPTER II。 



                                   PLACE AUX DAMES! 

     IN every town there is one young maiden who is the universal favorite; 

who belongs to all sets and is made an exception to all family feuds; who 

is the confidante of all girls and the adopted sister of all young men; up to 

the time   when   they  respectively  offer themselves to   her;  and   again   after 

they are rejected。       This post was filled in Oldport; in those days; by my 

cousin Kate。 

     Born into the world with many other gifts; this last and least definable 

gift of popularity was added to complete them all。 Nobody criticised her; 

nobody was   jealous   of her; her very  rivals   lent her their new  music   and 

their   lovers;   and   her   own   discarded   wooers   always   sought   her   to   be   a 

bridesmaid when they married somebody else。 

     She was one of those persons who seem to have come into the world 

well…dressed。   There   was   an   atmosphere   of   elegance   around   her;   like   a 

costume; every  attitude implied a   presence…chamber   or a ball…room。 The 

girls   complained   that   in   private   theatricals   no   combination   of   disguises 

could reduce Kate to the ranks; nor give her the 〃make…up〃 of a waiting… 

maid。   Yet   as   her   father   was   a   New   York   merchant   of   the   precarious   or 

spasmodic description;  she had been used   from childhood   to the  wildest 

fluctuations of wardrobe;a year of Paris dresses;then another year spent 

in   making     over   ancient   finery;  that   never   looked   like   either   finery   or 

antiquity when it came from her magic hands。 Without a particle of vanity 

or   fear;   secure   in   health   and   good…nature   and   invariable   prettiness;   she 

cared   little   whether   the   appointed   means   of   grace   were   ancient   silk   or 

modern   muslin。   In   her   periods   of   poverty;   she     made   no   secret   of   the 

necessary devices; the other girls; of course; guessed them; but her lovers 

never did; because she always told them。 There was one particular tarlatan 

dress of hers which was a sort of local institution。               It was known to all 

her companions; like the State House。              There was a report that she had 

first   worn   it   at   her   christening;   the   report   originated   with   herself。   The 



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                           MALBONE:       AN   OLDPORT ROMANCE。 



young men knew that she was going to the party if she could turn that pink 

tarlatan   once   more;   but   they   had   only   the   vaguest   impression   what       a 

tarlatan was; and cared little on which side it was worn; so long as Kate 

was inside。 

     During   these   epochs   of   privation   her   life;   in   respect   to   dress;   was   a 

perpetual Christmas…tree of second…hand gifts。 Wealthy aunts supplied her 

with   cast…off shoes   of   all   sizes;  from  two   and a   half up to   five;  and  she 

used them all。 She was reported to have worn one straw hat through five 

changes   of   fashion。     It   was   averred   that;   when   square   crowns   were   in 

vogue;     she   flattened   it  over   a  tin  pan;   and   that;  when    round    crowns 

returned; she bent it on the bedpost。           There was such a charm in her way 

of adapting these treasures; that the other girls liked to test her with new 

problems in the way of   millinery and dress…making; millionnaire friends 

implored her to trim their hats; and lent her their own things in order to 

learn   how   to   wear   them。 This   applied   especially  to   certain   rich   cousins; 

shy and studious girls; who adored her; and to whom society only ceased 

to   be   alarming   when   the   brilliant   Kate   took   them   under   her   wing;   and 

graciously      accepted    a  few    of  their   newest    feathers。   Well    might    they 

acquiesce; for she stood by them superbly; and her most favored partners 

found no way to her hand so sure as to dance systematically through that 

staid sisterhood。 Dear; sunshiny; gracious; generous Kate!who has ever 

done justice to the charm given to this grave old world by the presence of 

one free…hearted and joyous girl? 

     At the time now to be described; however; Kate's purse was well filled; 

and if she wore only second…best finery; it was because she had lent her 

very best to somebody else。           All that her doting father asked was to pay 

for her dresses; and to see her wear them; and if her friends wore a part of 

them;   it   only   made   necessary   a   larger   wardrobe;   and   more   varied   and 

pleasurable shopping。 She was as good a manager in wealth as in poverty; 

wasted nothing; took exquisite care of everything; and saved faithfully for 

some one else all that was not needed for her own pretty person。 

     Pretty she was throughout; from the parting of her jet…black hair to the 

high instep of her slender foot; a glancing; brilliant; brunette beauty; with 



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                           MALBONE:      AN   OLDPORT ROMANCE。 



the   piquant   charm   of   perpetual   spirits;   and   the   equipoise   of   a   perfectly 

healthy   nature。     She   was   altogether   graceful;   yet   she   had   not   the   fresh; 

free grace of her cousin 

     Hope; who was lithe and strong as a hawthorne spray:                 Kate's was the 

narrower grace of culture grown hereditary; an in…door elegance that was 

born in her; and of which dancing…school was but the natural development。 

You   could   not   picture   Hope   to   your   mind   in   one   position   more   than   in 

another; she had an endless variety of easy motion。              When you thought of 

Kate; you remembered precisely how she sat; how she stood; and how she 

walked。 That was all; and it was always the same。              But is not that enough? 

We do not ask of Mary Stuart's portrait that it should represent her in more 

than one attitude; and why should a living beauty need more than two or 

three? 

     Kate was betrothed to her   cousin   Harry; H

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