Zuleime

“ She had heard of people perishing from cold and hunger, and to such an end she thought her life seemed tending. Yet miserable as was the condition of Zuleime, there were many then, are many now, in much worse situations. She at least was starving in a tolerably clean room, in privacy and in peace. Far happier than some who perish in the midst of vice and filth and squalor. Yes, reader, there are such things; they do exist in my neighborhood, and yours, and it is just as well that they should sometimes be remembered. Zuleime was dying of want. ”

“ Georgia Clifton entered Zuleime’s room. The poor girl was sitting in an arm-chair near the window, idle, as was never her habit before, with her hands lying languidly one over the other, and her eyes fixed upon vacancy.
The beauty went to her with her soft, winning way, and took her hand, and stole her arm over her shoulder, and said, tenderly—
“Zuleime, my love, do not sit here by this open window. Let me close it, and lead you to the sofa.”
There is nothing so quiet as despair, except death. There is nothing so docile as despair often is. ”

“ Zuleime remained in the corner of the sofa near the fire in the green-room, not thinking at all, not even dreaming, only conscious in a vague dreamy way, that a strange vision, changing and changing like figures in the kaleidoscope, was passing before her. She was scarcely aroused by Mrs. Knight’s gentle voice, saying in her ear—
“Come, my dear, it is time for you to go on now. Come, don’t be afraid. Bless you, you are nobody, you know. No one will look at you. You will be only one of a group that forms a sort of back-ground to the scene. ”

“ The coolness of the air was sufficiently tempered by a glowing coal fire in the grate. Zuleime lay raised up with pillows on the bed, and upon the counterpane by her sat her little girl. The face of the youthful mother seemed as soft, as feeble, and as free of care and sorrow as that of the infant herself. On seeing Frank enter, she smiled a gentle, pleased, childish smile, and feebly moved her hand towards him. ”

“ She determined to write to Frank, tell him all that had occurred, and ask his advice and direction; and to do this it was necessary to gain time, and to give no false promise in the interim. Already was Zuleime beginning to taste the bitter fruits of her stolen marriage, and might have exclaimed, in the perplexity of her distracted heart and brain—
Oh, what a tangled web we weave,
When first we venture to deceive. While Zuleime’s heart was beating so fast with many emotions, her father sauntered into the parlor, where he found Major Cabell caressing and soothing his afflicted face. ”

“ Fairfax,” asked Zuleime, touching him on the elbow.
“No, my dear, delightful little girl, I don’t. What a delightful thing, in a country house, is a beautiful girl of fourteen, home for the holydays—a black-eyed, red-lipped girl, in a white muslin gown and a coral necklace!” ”

“ Zuleime sat down, but looked so anxious, that her very looks worried the old gentleman, and he said—
“Don’t you know, girl, that indigestion is very dangerous to a man of my time of life? It may bring on apoplexy! Don’t worry me!”
Zuleime veiled her anxious gaze, but even then the paleness of her cheeks annoyed her father, and he testily inquired—
“Now, what is it to you? I can understand Carolyn’s anxiety. I cannot comprehend yours at all! There, now. Go and send my wife to me!” ”

“ I am so young.”
“‘So young!’ Ah, Zuleime, that is a piece of pretty little womanish hypocrisy—a little finesse that belongs to your character, and is inherited from your French mother! ‘So young!’ Now, my pretty childish cousin, you know you have received an offer of marriage this very week! And that, indeed, has accelerated my proposal. Fair Zuleime, a man does not care to see his young betrothed bride courted by another!” ”

“ My dear, excellent girl! listen to me! You shall not be unhappy any way! Do you suppose, Zuleime, that I could ride by your side so cheerfully, if I thought you were going to marry that man, on whom your father no more wishes to bestow you, than he wishes to send you to perdition? Listen, 132my darling girl! When your father told me what I have repeated to you, he went on to say, that for certain family reasons, it was incumbent on him to fulfill his promise, and to bestow your hand upon Major Cabell, unless some insurmountable obstacle should interpose to arrest the union! Zuleime! ”

“ Two new ideas besides that of the common dressing-room and the dressing shelf in general, Zuleime had got—namely, first, that there really was some very lofty notions of rank and exclusiveness even among the members of the stock company of a second rate theatre—secondly, that they really, after all, did not differ much in that or any other respect from people she had met in very high society, except, indeed, that they had the odious habit of calling each other “Knight” or “Barry,” as men do, without a prefix of any sort. ”

“ Zuleime! Zuleime, my darling! speak to me!”
He sat down on the sofa, holding her in his arms. The ladies drew around with fans, with cold water, with hartshorn. But she recovered very soon, and sat up—and declined going up stairs to bed—and thanked them all for their care, gently begging them not to take so much trouble on her account.
“This is all very strange, madam,” said Mrs. Cabell, aside to Mrs. Clifton.
“Zuleime is so nervous and sensitive ever since Carolyn’s illness, that the news of that massacre, and the death of her old playmate and companion, has quite overwhelmed her. ”

“ Yes, there she was, in her white muslin and coral, with her jet black hair and damask cheeks! He went and sat down by her, (after saying “Good-morning,”) and sat for some minutes in perfect silence, watching Zuleime work the word Love, in crimson silk. At length—
“Whom do you love best in the world, Zuleime?” he asked.
“How can you ask? Whom does everybody love best?—‘her 119nain sell,’ as the Welchman says, of course!” exclaimed the merry maiden.
“Humph! Well, whom do you love the next best to yourself?” ”

“ Fairfax,” replied the voice of the actress.
“Come in, Mrs. Knight.”
The actress entered, saying, with a little pardonable tact—
“Oh, you are putting your child to sleep in the dark. It is singular some little ones never will go to sleep where there is a light burning. Is she asleep?”
“Yes,” replied Zuleime.
“Then please put her in bed, my dear, and come down stairs with me. I have something to talk to you about.”
Zuleime laid her little girl in bed, and tottering with weakness, from her long fast and the cold, accompanied the actress down stairs. ”

“ And when I tell you that I love your daughter Zuleime, I mean that I love her sincerely and earnestly, with my whole heart and soul—and that I shall love her to the last hour of my life!”
“Bah! bah! It’s all tom-foolery, I tell you! You get yourself shut up in a country house with a pretty girl, and of course you fall in love with her! To be sure! What else could you do? It’s expected of you! You’d disappoint us if you didn’t! But it is such love as will not outlast your journey to your regiment.”
“It will outlast my life! I know it will! I feel it will!” said Frank, earnestly, vehemently. ”

“ Knowing nothing whatsoever of Zuleime’s attachment to the young soldier, and consequent deep grief at his fate, they were very much shocked to see her looking so ill, but quietly ascribed it to fatigue and anxiety in nursing Carolyn. ”

“ An actress forgets her own identity in that of the character she represents, and that enables her to go through things she could not otherwise endure. But, my dear, I do not see anything else you can do; and as for the ‘stage fright,’ as it is called among us, you would soon get that off.”
Zuleime shook her head.
“My dear, you do not yet know the plan I have for you. I never thought—no one would ever think of a sudden grand debut for you. Nothing but great genius, strong vocation, and perfect self-possession on the part of the debutante, would justify such a thing. ”

“ The Misses Clifton were both very much surprised to see this “gift of gracious nature” thrown away upon a poor girl, with no hopes or prospects but manual labor for her living. And Zuleime, who could be thoughtful and benevolent in the midst of anxiety and sorrow, proposed to give Catherine lessons on the harp. But this was soon stopped. Both Zuleime and Catherine perceived that the music, far from soothing, seemed to irritate the invalid. And for this reason, Carolyn had lost her voice. She could never sing again. ”

“ God grant that our young friends may return to us safe! Why don’t you go along and tell Georgia to come to me?”
Zuleime kissed her father, settled the cushion under his feet, and went on her errand. That dispatched, she sought her own chamber, and lay down to collect her thoughts. No letter or message from her husband, and her promise of secrecy in regard to her marriage, binding on her as ever. And next week she must give an answer to her father for Major Cabell. She was confident that one of two things had happened. Either her letter had never reached Frank, or else his answer had been lost. ”

“ Clifton, of Hardbargain, came over to call on the visitors. Nevertheless, in the course of the call, Major Cabell found the opportunity he sought, of taking Zuleime to task for what he called her miserable weakness.
“You are unfaithful—false at heart—you cherish the image of this young man secretly, while you pretend to be true to me! Pah! Well! why don’t you answer me? Have you anything to say?”
“Cousin Charles, does not the grave sanctify any affection? Is it a crime to remember a dead friend?” ”

“ I can bear sorrow, but not humiliation! I can die, but I cannot be humbled!”
“You cannot be humbled by an act of justice, sister. That letter would be only an act of justice. And, oh! it would give him such happiness, and bring you such sweet peace, in place of all this heart-burning. Think of it, dear Carolyn!”
While Zuleime spoke, a rap was heard at the door, and a servant appeared, and said that “Marster wished to see Miss Zuleime in the parlor.”
“Think of it, dear Carolyn,” said Zuleime, in a cheerful voice, kissing her sister’s forehead, and then hastening out of the room. ”

“ Fell demon of our fears! The human soul
That can sustain despair—endures not thee.—Anon. A weary week passed away. Zuleime had written to Frank, and Carolyn, we already know, had despatched a letter to Archer. But the week had passed away, and no answer to either had come from Winchester. ”

“ Knight. And then she dropped her eyes again upon her book, and Zuleime went on silently with her sewing. About sunset the work was nearly completed, and the costume, with the exception of the coiffure, upon which Zuleime was still engaged, was packed in bandboxes, to be conveyed to the theatre. Then Mrs. Knight rang a little hand bell, and when it was answered by the entrance of Bertha Erhmientraut, she said,—“Please send me a lad to carry these boxes for me, and ask your mother to make me a very strong cup of coffee.”
Bertha disappeared, and Mrs. Knight put on her bonnet and shawl. ”

“ Who dares excommunicate me? What child of the Universal Father shall dare to say that another is excluded from His love and care and protection? Verily, the day of Judgment will be a day of startling revelations. And many that are first shall be last, and the last shall be first.” And then the actress fell into silence, and her fine countenance lost that look of captious self-defence, and settled into meditative earnestness.
Zuleime arose to go. Mrs. Knight took her hand, and said, gently—
“My dear, think over what I have proposed to you. ”

“ You cannot bear your burden alone! Few human beings can! Tell me, darling?”
“Oh, Kate! It was the last thing he asked me! I must comply with his wish!”
“Zuleime! I am about to cast away all reserve! I am about to tell you the name of him I love so madly. It is Archer Clifton, your cousin—your sister’s betrothed! There! I have thrown open the very sanctuary of my heart to you. I have shown its secret sin and shame! Now, will you confide in me!”
“Dear Kate! Dearest Kate! My own secret’s without reserve, but not another’s.”
Catherine arose and took the seat by the mourner’s side. ”

“ A tall, noble looking woman, of perhaps thirty years of age, clothed in deep mourning, with her heavy black hair banded around her forehead and temples, and shading a countenance dark and cavernous, with its large hollow eyes and hollow cheeks, but majestic with power, earnestness and truth, and beautiful with those grand, mournful eyes, whose mesmeric spell was felt by Zuleime, on whom they were now brought to bear. ”

“ And do not be afraid. Every one will understand it is only nervousness, darling.”
“You encourage me, Catherine,” said the poor girl, “and now just give me your arm down stairs.”
Kate complied with her request.
The parlor was empty when they entered, and Zuleime had an opportunity of settling herself in a large arm-chair, and composing herself, before any one came in. Mr. Clifton, Major Cabell, and several other gentlemen returned from the shooting excursion and entered the parlor together. Mr. Clifton looked surprised and pleased to see Zuleime, “clothed and in her right mind;” ”

“ The world is full of paper walls, but fate makes them firmer, stronger, more indestructible than adamant.
Upon that very same December night that found Mrs. Clifton and Catherine rejoicing over the good news they had heard from their friends, upon that very night Zuleime sat shivering in her room, without fire, food or light. She had given her child its cup of milk, and thanked Heaven that she had it to give, though she herself went hungry. And 280she had wrapped the babe in her shawl, and sat by the window, singing and rocking her to sleep. ”

“ The young bird must leave its nest, and the young girl her home, when she becomes a wife. Your mother left her parents and came home here with her husband. So do not think, my love, that your old father will charge you with selfishness for wishing to leave him—no, not wishing to leave him, but wishing to go with one who is to be your husband.”
163Zuleime dropped her head, to conceal the deadly pallor that crept over her face.
“Yes, dear Zuleime, you will soon return to Richmond, though it will be not as a school-girl—but as a happy bride—as Mrs. Major Cabell! ”