CHAPTER IX.A STRANGE MEETING.

CHAPTER IX.A STRANGE MEETING.

The voyage was a tempestuous one, but the steamer made her time notwithstanding, and Rupert landed in New York eight days after leaving Liverpool, and was not sorry to be once more uponterra firma.

He joined the Raymond party on the twelfth of January, according to his plans, and found himself among a very pleasant company of gentlemen and ladies, young men and maidens, all enthusiastic in view of their trip.

He was particularly attracted by the appearance of one young man, who, like himself, was traveling alone, and after one or two interviews, being mutually pleased with each other, they decided to become traveling companions.

On the third day after starting Rupert’s new friend, who, by the way, had introduced himself as Harry Webster, remarked to him:

“I say, Hamilton, have you noticed that dainty little piece of humanity opposite, who is traveling with that old codger, Mr. Knight, they call him?”

“Yes; she is a very attractive young lady,” Rupert answered, as his eyes wandered to a trio who occupied seats a little in front of the young men on the opposite side of the car. “I wonder who she is.”

“Our list will probably tell us,” remarked Mr. Webster, as he drew the card from his pocket. “Yes, Ihave found it. Mr. Robert G. Knight, Miss E. F. Knight, and Miss Virginia Alexander.”

“Ah, then the old gentleman and lady must be brother and sister, and the young lady some friend, perhaps a niece, who is traveling with them,” said Rupert.

“The old gentleman appears to be remarkably fond of her though,” returned Mr. Webster.

“Yes; but the old lady keeps guard over her as if she feared that some brigand was in ambush, waiting to abduct her pretty charge to regions unknown,” Rupert responded with a roguish twinkle in his eye.

“What do you say to making a raid upon the party?” proposed his companion. “Now I am bent upon getting acquainted with that pretty girl, if for nothing more than to show that prim spinster that I can do it. Will you join me, or does such a proposition shock your English ideas of etiquette?”

“I confess I should prefer to have a formal introduction,” Rupert returned, flushing slightly, but regarding that graceful figure with a look of unmistakable admiration.

The maiden whom the young men had been discussing was indeed a very lovely girl, about eighteen years of age. She was a trifle above the medium height, having a slender, willowy figure, with a peculiar grace and animation in every movement. Her glossy brown hair was twisted into a shining coil at the back of her head, which was crowned with a pretty hat of gray felt, trimmed with velvet of the same shade and a single scarlet wing. She wore a closely fitting ulster, trimmed with fur, which showed her perfect form to great advantage; a plain linencollar was fastened at her throat with a brooch of dull red gold, and tiny ornaments of the same metal were in her small ears. Her eyes were a dark brown, and quick and restless in their glances; her features were beautifully clear and delicate; the glow of perfect health was on her cheeks; her lips were a vivid red and her complexion very pure.

She was a vivacious little body, laughing and chatting with the elderly gentleman, in whose charge she appeared to be, in a way that betrayed she stood in no fear of him, while his fond glances and the many attentions he bestowed upon her plainly betrayed that he was indeed very fond of her.

Young Webster had been especially attracted toward this party from the hour of starting, and had been on the alert to make their acquaintance, although he had not mentioned the subject before; but the trio had kept pretty well by themselves and appeared quite contented with their own company, so, as yet, there had been no opportunity for him to approach them without making himself conspicuous in so doing.

But in spite of his boast that he would make Miss Alexander’s acquaintance, he was destined to be outdone and thrown into the background by his more modest English friend.

When the party was summoned to dinner that day there was the usual rush for the dining-car; human nature will not always be curbed when people are hungry; but Mr. Knight and his companions lingered to avoid the crowd.

Mr. Webster also delayed, and held his friend back in the hope that something might occur to establish an acquaintance with the young lady whom he so much admired.

And something did occur.

In passing from one car to the other, Mr. Knight first assisted his sister across, then turned to his young charge, when a gust of wind whirled her pretty hat from her head, it being held in place only by a pin, and it would have been wafted beyond recovery but for Rupert, who was directly behind her, and who deftly caught it in its flight.

He instantly returned it to its fair owner, saying, with a bow and his frank smile:

“I am very glad that I was quick enough to save it.”

“I am glad, too,” returned the little lady, with a merry laugh. “Thank you. It would be very awkward to have to go on my way bare-headed.”

Rupert glanced at her as she restored the hat to its place with a look which plainly said that he thought it a very pretty head, even in that state.

Mr. Knight politely acknowledged his obligations for the service; but his sister, who was looking over his shoulder, regarded the two young men askance, as if she was not quite sure that the occurrence had not been all a plot, to which old Boreas had craftily lent his aid.

Then they all passed into the dining-room car, where there was one small table unoccupied, with space for four persons, with only one other vacancy at another, midway of the car.

Mr. Knight turned to Rupert, saying, cordially:

“Come and share our table—I see the others are nearly full—and let me introduce you to my sister and ward. What shall I call you, if you please?”

Rupert drew forth a card, and handed it to the gentleman.

“Ah, Mr. Hamilton. My name is Knight. This lady,” turning to the spinster, “is my sister, and this gay young woman,” with a fond glance into the pretty face beside him, “to whom you have just rendered so signal a service, allow me to introduce as Miss Alexander, Mr. Hamilton.”

The young couple acknowledged the introduction, though with heightened color, and then Mr. Knight motioned them to their seats, while Mr. Webster, feeling somewhat chagrined to find that he was being left in the lurch, hastened on to the vacant place farther down, giving his friend a comical glance of recognized defeat as he passed.

Rupert found his new acquaintances very delightful people. Even the spinster, whom he and Webster had laughingly pronounced a “female ogre,” proved to be a lady of rare culture and an exceedingly entertaining companion. He was seated beside her, consequently his conversation was mostly with her, although Miss Alexander was hisvis-à-vis, and he found it almost impossible to keep his eyes away from her dimpled, expressive face.

“How are you enjoying your journey thus far, Mr. Hamilton?” Mr. Knight inquired, during the meal.

“Very much, thank you, although I have no doubt I should enjoy it much better if I were not quite such a stranger to the party.”

“We are all strangers for that matter,” returned the elder gentleman. “I have noticed that you and your young friend keep much by yourselves; but you must stir about and get acquainted.”

“One does not like to intrude upon family parties,” Rupert replied, modestly.

“You must not stand upon formality. I have triedto impress that upon my sister here, who is a trifle shy about making new acquaintances; but in such a company as this we all expect to become acquainted with each other, and we shall enjoy our trip much better than to be ceremonious. At all events, I have broken the ice for you; I find it pleasant to have young people about me, and shall be glad to know you better. Eh, Virgie, it has been a little lonely, hasn’t it, to have only two old fogies to talk to?” and Mr. Knight turned, with a roguish twinkle in his eyes, to the fair maiden at his side.

The young girl shot a quick glance at Rupert, a charming smile wreathing her red lips.

Then her cheeks began to dimple and her eyes to gleam with mirth.

“I know of one ‘old fogy’ who is fishing for a compliment,” she retorted, with a saucy toss of her bright head, “and who has been speaking two words for himself and one for others. I know what he wants. Mr. Hamilton, do you play whist? Because if you do,” she went on, archly, without waiting for him to reply, “and are fond of it, it will be all right; for you will doubtless be invited by my guardian to ‘take a hand,’ and once committed, look out for yourself; he is an inveterate player, and he has no mercy on his foes.”

“Oh, fie! Virgie, what a character to give your best friend; and to a stranger, too,” laughed Mr. Knight, good-humoredly; “but I confess I am a dear lover of whist, Mr. Hamilton, and”—with a quizical look at Virgie—“if you know the game, won’t you and your friend take a hand, after dinner, with me and my ward? My sister does not play.”

“There! I told you so,” interposed the gay girl, with a ripple of silvery laughter.

Rupert joined her heartily.

“I thank you for your timely warning, Miss Alexander,” he said, “but I do understand the game and like it, too; but before I commit myself, won’t you tell me, please, is your friend a very formidable antagonist?”

“Dreadful! he plays as if his life and honor depended upon his winning every game,” she answered, the dimples playing at hide and seek about her lovely mouth, while Rupert thought her the most delightful little body he had ever met.

“Then perhaps you may know some of the weak points of the enemy, and will join me in besieging his fort after dinner,” he said, with an appealing glance.

“Thank you; I will, with pleasure, Mr. Hamilton,” was the gay response; “it is not often that I play against him; but if I could see him beaten a few times, just to take some of what our Irish neighbors call ‘the consate’ out of him, I think I should rather enjoy it.”

“Oh! the depravity of human nature!” cried Mr. Knight, in mock distress, though his eyes rested very tenderly upon the bright face beside him; “after sharing all my honors in the past, to forswear your allegiance like this! it is rank treason.”

“Do not be disheartened, my dear guardian,” laughed Virgie, “for perhaps you have it in your power to punish me severely for my presumption in taking up arms against you; however, Mr. Hamilton, we will do our best to come off victorious.”

When they returned to the palace car, Rupert introduced his friend, and then the quartet gave themselvesup to the enjoyment of their cards, Miss Knight occupying a seat in another section, and burying herself in a book.

They played for two or three hours, and to Miss Virgie’s great glee, she and her partner beat the others three games out of five.

Mr. Knight accepted his defeat very good-naturedly, but declared that he would be even with them some other time, and then he fell into conversation with his new acquaintances upon the topics of the day, while Virgie sat by and listened, and studied the two young men in whose society she had been so unexpectedly thrown.

Of course we all recognize in Mr. Knight the great publisher, who had been so kind to Mrs. Alexander, in San Francisco, during her many trials there.

The beautiful girl who is traveling with him is her daughter, Virgie, who, when we last saw her at Niagara, was but ten years of age. She is now eighteen, and blossoming into lovely womanhood, and as charming and winsome a maiden as one could find, go the world over.

Her home for a number of years had been in New York city, her mother, as we know, having changed her residence at the time that Mr. Knight decided to come East to establish himself in business.

Mrs. Alexander had used her pen during all this time, giving her friend one or two little gems of art every year, for it was a pleasant pastime for her to employ herself in this way, but her chief thought had been given to the education of her daughter, who proved to be bright and intelligent beyond the average nineteenth century girl. She had graduated from one of the select schools of the city during the summerjust passed, and her mother had begun to contemplate taking her abroad when spring should come again, with the intention of demanding her right at Heathdale.

Still, as the time gradually drew nearer, she had shrunk more and more from the task before her, until the constant dread of it had begun to affect her health, and she had been far from well during the last few months.

Mr. Knight and his sister had never visited San Francisco since leaving that city, although they had often talked of doing so. But this winter, when they learned of the Raymond excursion to that and other points on the Pacific coast, they proposed to join it, and invited Mrs. Alexander and her daughter to accompany them.

She did not feel equal to either the weariness or the excitement of the journey; but she thought that it would be a good opportunity for Virgie to visit the far West, and she gladly confided her to the care of her friends for the two months that the trip would occupy, and thus we find her in company with Mr. and Mrs. Knight, bound for the State where her mother had been born, and as fate had strangely ordered it, with the very party which Sir William Heath’s ward, Rupert Hamilton, had joined.

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