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The blue mark appeared vividly and suddenly round grandmamma's mouth she shut her eyes for a moment. I rushed to her. "Oh, dear grandmamma," I said, "what can I do?" She drank something out of a glass beside her, and then said, in rather a weak voice: "You were saying you met your kinsman. And what was he like, Ambrosine?"
"How did Mr. Gurrage ask for my hand?" I ventured to question grandmamma. She looked at the Marquis, and the Marquis looked back at her, and polished his eye-glasses. At last grandmamma spoke. "That is not the custom here, Ambrosine, but from what I have observed he will take the first opportunity of asking you himself." Here was something unpleasant to look forward to!
"You are to understand that I will not be mauled and and kissed like like Hephzibah at the back door," I said, with freezing dignity, my head in the air. "Hoity-toity!" But you look so deuced pretty when you are angry!" I did not melt, but stood on the defensive. He became supplicating again. "Ambrosine, I love you don't be cross with me. I won't make you angry again until you are used to me.
When the invitation came brought down by Mrs. Gurrage in person grandmamma said she never allowed me to go out without herself, but she would be very pleased to take me. I was perfectly thunderstruck when I heard her say it. She grandmamma going out at night! It was so good of her, and when I thanked her afterwards, all she said was, "I seldom do things without a reason, Ambrosine."
He made me many compliments, and said how very like I was growing to my ancestress, Ambrosine Eustasie de Calincourt, and he told me again the old story of the guillotine. Grandmamma seemed watching me. "Ambrosine is a true daughter of the race," she said. "I think I could promise you that under the same circumstances she would behave in the same manner." How proud I felt!
"But where is your great-great-grandmother that you told me about, and rather insinuated she was as nice as my Ambrosine Eustasie de Calincourt?" "There she is, in the place of honor. She was painted by Gainsborough, after she married. What do you think of her?" "Oh! she is lovely," I said, "and she has your cat's eyes." "'She is your ancestress, too, but she is not like you.
"Oh, Hephzibah, I will some day, but do not ask me yet! I I should so miss grandmamma." "You you're happy, Miss Ambrosine?" she faltered, timidly. "Madam always knew best, you know. But I had a dream last night of your father, and he shook his fist at us right there." "Papa!" I felt startled. Our settled conviction had been so long that he was dead. "You dreamed of papa? Oh!
She pushed the hair back from my forehead I wear it brushed up like Ambrosine Eustasie de Calincourt and she looked and looked into my eyes. If possible there was something pained and wistful in her face. "My beautiful Ambrosine," she said, and that was all. I felt I was blushing all over my cheeks. "Beautiful Ambrosine." Then it must be true if grandmamma said it.
He knelt on the rug beside me, but he did not even touch my hair. "I cannot leave you miserable like this," he said, brokenly, as if the words were dragged from him. "Ambrosine, my dearest! Little Comtesse, please, please do not cry!" Joy ran through me at his words. My sobs ceased. The drunken voice of Augustus began the song again from the next room. I started up in terror.
"Oh! I should love to," I said. However, grandmamma, when the subject was broached to her presently, firmly declined. "A month ago I should have accepted with much pleasure," she said, "but circumstances and my health do not now permit me to part even for a short time with Ambrosine."
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