Daisy
were monuments to those who had fallen on duty."
"Just four of them!" said Mr. Thorold, settling his cap down over his
brows; but then he laughed, and I laughed; how we laughed!
"Don't you want to see the rest of it?" he said, jumping up. I did not
know there was anything more to see. Now however he brought me up on
the high angle of the parapet that had intercepted my view to the
north. I could hardly get away from there. The full magnificence of
the mountains in that quarter; the river's course between them, the
blue hills of the distant Shawangunk range, and the woody chasm
immediately at my feet, stretching from the height where I stood over
to the crest of the Crow's Nest; it took away my breath. I sat down
again, while Mr. Thorold pointed out localities; and did not move,
till I had to make way for another party of visitors who were coming.
Then Mr. Thorold took me all round the edge of the fort. At the south,
we looked down into the woody gorge where Dr. Sandford and I had
hunted for fossil infusoria. From here the long channel of the river
running southernly, with its bordering ridge of hills, and above all,
the wealth and glory of the woodland and the unheaved rocks before me,
were almost as good as the eastern view. The path along the parapet
in places was narrow and dizzy; but I did not care for it, and my
companion went like a chamois. He helped me over the hard places; hand
in hand we ran down the steep slopes; and as we went we got very well
acquainted. At last we climbed up the crumbling masonry to a small
platform which commanded the view both east and south.
"What is this place for?" I asked.
"To plant guns on."
"They could not reach to the river, could they?"
"Much further--the guns of nowadays."
"And the old vaults under here--I saw them as we passed by,--were they
prisons, places for prisoners?"
"A sort of involuntary prisoners," said Mr. Thorold. "They are only
casemates; prisons for our own men occasionally, when shot and shell
might be flying too thick; hiding-places, in short. Would you like to
go to the laboratory some day, where we learn to make different kinds
of shot, and fire-works and such things?"
"Oh, very much! But, Mr. Thorold, Mr. Caxton told me that Andre was
confined in one of these places under here; he said his name was
written upon the stones in a dark corner, and that I would find it."
Mr. Thorold looked at me, with an expression of such contained fun
that I understood it at once; and we had another laugh together. I
began to wonder whether every one that wore a uniform of grey and
white with gilt buttons made it his amusement to play upon the
ignorance of uninitiated people; but on reflection I could not think
Mr. Thorold had done so. I resolved to be careful how I trusted the
rest of the cadets, even Preston; and indeed my companion remarked
that I had better not believe anything I heard without asking him. We
ran down and inspected the casemates; and then took our seats again
for one last look on the eastern parapet. The river and hills were
growing lovely in cooler lights; shadow was stealing over the plain.
"Shall I see you to-morrow evening?" my companion asked suddenly.
"To-morrow evening?" I said. "I don't know. I suppose we shall be at
home."
"Then I shall _not_ see you. I meant, at the hop."
"The hop?" I repeated. "What is that?"
"The cadets' hop. During the encampment we have a hop three times a
week--a cotillion party. I hope you will be there. Haven't you
received an invitation?"
"I think not," I said. "I have heard nothing about it."
"I will see that that is set right," Mr. Thorold remarked. "And now,
do you know we must go down?--that is, _I_ must; and I do not think I
can leave you here."
"Oh, you have to be on parade!" I exclaimed, starting up; "and it is
almost time!"
It was indeed, and though my companion put his own concerns in the
background very politely, I would be hurried. We ran down the hill,
Mr. Thorold's hand helping me over the rough way and securing me from
stumbling. In very few minutes we were again at the gate and entered
upon the post limits. And there were the band, in dark column, just
coming up from below the hill.
We walked the rest of the way in orderly fashion enough, till we got
to the hotel gate; there Mr. Thorold touched his cap and left me, on
a run, for the camp. I watched till I saw he got there in time, and
then went slowly in; feeling that a great piece of pleasure was over.
I had had a great many pieces of pleasure in my life, but rarely a
_companion_. Dr. Sandford, Miss Cardigan, my dear Capt. Drummond, were
all much in advance of my own age; my servants were my servants, at
Magnolia; and Preston had never associated with me on just the footing
of equality. I went upstairs thinking that I should like to see a
great deal more of Mr. Thorold.
Mrs. Sandford was on the piazza when I came down, and alone; everybody
was gone to parade. She gave me a little billet.
"Well, my dear Daisy!--are you walked to death? Certainly, West Point
agrees with you! What a colour! And what a change! You are not the
same creature that we brought away from New York. Well, was it worth
going for, all the way to see that old ruin? My dear! I wish your
father and mother could see you."
I stood still, wishing they could.
"There is more pleasure for you," Mrs. Sandford went on.
"What is this, ma'am?"
"An invitation. The cadets have little parties for dancing, it seems,
three times a week, in summer; poor fellows! it is all the recreation
they get, I suspect; and of course, they want all the ladies that can
be drummed up, to help them to dance. It's quite a charity, they tell
me. I expect I shall have to dance myself."
I looked at the note, and stood mute, thinking what I should do. Ever
since Mr. Thorold had mentioned it, up on the hill, the question had been
recurring to me. I had never been to a party in my life, since my
childish days at Melbourne. Aunt Gary's parties at Magnolia had been of
a different kind from this; not assemblies of young people. At Mme.
Ricard's I had taken dancing lessons, at my mother's order; and in her
drawing room I had danced quadrilles and waltzes with my schoolfellows;
but Mme. Ricard was very particular, and nobody else was ever admitted. I
hardly knew what it was to which I was now invited. To dance with the
cadets! I knew only three of them; however, I supposed that I might dance
with those three. I had an impression that amusements of this kind were
rather found in the houses of the gay than the sober-minded; but this was
peculiar, to help the cadets' dance, Mrs. Sandford said. I thought Mr.
Thorold wished I would come. I wondered Preston had not mentioned it. He,
I knew, was very fond of dancing. I mused till the people came back from
parade and we were called to tea; but all my musings went no further. I
did not decide _not_ to go.
"Now, Daisy," said Mrs. Sandford the next morning, "if you are going
to the hop to-night, I don't intend to have you out in the sun burning
yourself up. It will be terribly hot; and you must keep quiet. I am so
thankful Grant is away! he would have you all through the woods,
hunting for nobody knows what, and bringing you home scorched."
"Dear Mrs. Sandford," I said, "I can dance just as well, if I _am_
burnt."
"That's a delusion, Daisy. You are a woman, after all, my dear--or you
will be; and you may as well submit to the responsibility. And you may
not know it, but you have a wonderfully fine skin, my dear; it always
puts me in mind of fresh cream."
"Cream is yellow," I said.
"Not all the cream that ever _I_ saw," said Mrs. Sandford. "Daisy, you
need not laugh. You will be a queen, my dear, when you cease to be a
child. What are you going to wear to-night?"
"I don't know, ma'am; anything cool, I suppose."
"It won't matter much," Mrs. Sandford repeated.
But yet I found she cared, and it did matter, when it came to the
dressing-time. However she was satisfied with one of the embroidered
muslins my mother had sent me from Paris.
I think I see myself now, seated in the omnibus and trundling over the
plain to the cadets' dancing-rooms. The very hot, still July night
seems round me again. Lights were twinkling in the camp, and across
the plain in the houses of the professors and officers; lights above
in the sky too, myriads of them, mocking the tapers that go out so
soon. I was happy with a little flutter of expectation; quietly
enjoying meanwhile the novel loveliness of all about me, along with
the old familiar beauty of the abiding stars and dark blue sky. It was
a five minutes of great enjoyment. But all natural beauty vanished
from my thoughts when the omnibus drew up at the door of the Academic
Building. I was entering on something untried.
At first sight, when we went into the room, it burst upon me that it was
very pretty. The room was dressed with flags,--and evergreens,--and with
uniforms; and undoubtedly there is charm in colour, and a gilt button and
a gold strap do light up the otherwise sombre and heavy figures of our
Western masculine costume. The white and rosy and blue draperies and
scarfs that were floating around the forms of the ladies, were met and
set off by the grey and white of the cadets and the heavier dark blue of
the officers. I never anywhere else saw so pretty gatherings. I stood
quite enchanted with the pleasure of the eye; till to my startled
astonishment, Capt. Percival came up and asked me to dance with him. I
had not expected to dance with anybody except Preston, and Mr. Thorold,
and perhaps Mr. Caxton. Mr. Thorold came up before the dance began, and I
presented him to Mrs. Sandford. He asked me for the first dance, then for
the second. And there was no more time for anything, for the dancing
began.
I had always liked dancing at school. Here the music was far better
and the scene infinitely prettier; it was very pleasant, I thought.
That is, when Capt. Percival did not talk; for he talked nothings. I
did not know how to answer him. Of course it had been very hot to-day;
and the rooms were very full; and there were a good many people at the
hotel. I had nothing but an insipid affirmative to give to these
propositions. Then said Capt. Percival insinuatingly--
"You are from the South?"
I had nothing but an insipid assent again.
"I was sure of it," he said. "I could not be mistaken."
I wondered how he knew, but it did not suit me to ask him; and we
danced on again till the dance came to an end. I was glad when it did.
In a minute more I was standing by Mrs. Sandford and introduced to
Capt. Boulanger, who also asked me to dance, and engaged me for the
next but one; and then Mr. Caxton brought up one of his brother cadets
and presented him, and _he_ asked me, and looked disappointed when for
both the next dances I was obliged to refuse him. I was quite glad
when Mr. Thorold came and carried me off. The second quadrille went
better than the first; and I was enjoying myself unfeignedly, when in
a pause of the dance I remarked to my partner that there seemed to be
plenty of ladies here to-night.
"Plenty," he said. "It is very kind of them. What then?"
"Only--" I said--"so many people came and asked me to dance in the few
minutes I stood by Mrs. Sandford, and one of them looked quite
disappointed that he could not have me."
I was met by a look of the keenest inquiry, followed instantly and
superseded by another flash of expression. I could not comprehend it
at the time. The eyes, which had startled me by their steely gleam,
softened wonderfully with what looked like nothing so much as
reverence, along with some other expression which I could neither read
at the moment nor fathom afterwards.