Volume II. The Wife CHAPTER 13.
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Mrs. Riston's House-warming.
Mrs. Riston so disliked the plain way in which Anna spoke, that she did not again call to see her during the time she was engaged in purchasing furniture and fitting up her house. When all was ready, and she had taken possession, with more pride and triumph in her heart than a queen would feel in coming into her regal rights and honors — she did not forget Mrs. Hartley in her list of invitations to the splendid party she almost compelled her husband to consent that they should give.
This party did not cost less than eight hundred dollars, and was, certainly, one of the most brilliant affairs of the kind that had been seen in Philadelphia for a long time. Every room in the house, from the first to the third story, was decorated with hired or purchased ornaments, suited to the purpose, and all were thrown open to the company. At twelve o'clock a splendid supper was served to nearly three hundred people, the table literally crowded with everything delicate and exquisite that could be procured. The variety of confectionary displayed was wonderful. The wines were abundant, and the best and most costly that could be procured.
During the whole evening, Mrs. Riston moved among the company with the air and grace of a duchess. Her vanity led her to call the attention of almost everyone with whom she conversed, to this or that piece of furniture or ornament. She walked with her guests over the house, and listened with delight to their expressions of admiration. There were few present who did not flatter her vain heart, by approving all, and pronouncing her house the most perfect specimen they ever saw. One exception to this was Mrs. Hartley. But it must not be supposed that she was so unladylike in her deportment as not to call, even while talking with Mrs. Riston, everything around her beautiful; or as to appear cold and unapproving. She had too much delicacy of feeling for that. She had expected, when she left home, to find a house attired with unusual splendor. She did not think Mrs. Riston was right in indulging such an extravagant spirit — but, in her own house, and on a festive occasion, she had no right to show her disapproval.
But, if she had no right to do this — she was not called upon to flatter a weak, vain woman. As far as she believed it delicate for one lady to approve the taste of another lady in the selection of her furniture, and in its arrangement — she did so, but without appearing to be very profuse in her expressions of admiration.
Her manner, as may be supposed, did not please Mrs. Riston. To Mrs. Leslie, who was present, she said, with an ill-concealed sneer —
"Mrs. Hartley is dying of envy. Have you met her?"
"No — not yet. I cannot come across her in this crowd."
"I have been by her side three or four times, and she praises everything, but in such a cold way! Anyone can see that she is grieved to death for being such a fool as not to take this house when she could get it. What do you think she says about my gas chandeliers in the parlor?"
"I don't know, I am sure."
"She says they are very nice!"
"O dear! They are magnificent!"
"So says everybody, but her. And so does she say in her heart. I took her up into my chamber; but she only smiled a poor approval."
"She is a narrow-souled creature, Mrs. Riston. I always knew that. I almost wonder at your sending her an invitation."
"I don't think I would have done so, if I hadn't wished to mortify her."
"That you have done, it seems, effectually. She couldn't have dreamed of finding such a palace of a house as this. I must confess, that, as large as were my expectations, they fell far below the truth. But what does your dear, good, patient husband say to all this?"
"It will kill him, I am afraid. I have tumbled over him half a dozen times tonight, and it almost makes me laugh, to see how sober he looks. I don't believe he has smiled since the company began to assemble!"
"Are you not afraid that this will attract attention?"
"Yes. It worries me terribly when I think of it; but, then, I remember that he is quite boring at the best of times, and people know this. I wish, however, from my heart, that he wouldn't make such a fool of himself, and expose us to ridicule, as he certainly will."
"What did he say when he saw the elegant style in which the house was furnished?"
"He actually stood aghast! Everything, you know, was left to my taste. I had most of the furniture in, and the house nearly ready, before he could spare time from his business — that eternal business, business! — to look in upon my operations. When he saw the parlor, he turned pale! 'Ellen, are you insane?' he said. 'You know I can't afford this.'"
"Ha ha!"
"'You would go to housekeeping,' I merely replied, as coolly as you please. 'It is all your own doings. I told you over and over again, that you would be killed at the outlay of money. But nothing would do. To housekeeping I must go — must become a domestic slave. I consented at last, and here, on the very threshold — before we even get into the house, you are fidgeting yourself to death about the expense. I am really ashamed of you!'"
"It will certainly be the death of him," laughed Mrs. Leslie. "But here he comes."
The object of their conversation came up at the moment, and Mrs. Riston glided away, leaving him with Mrs. Leslie. The lady noticed that, while he endeavored to be cheerful, his mind was really depressed.
"You have a brilliant company here tonight," said Mrs. Leslie.
"Yes," and Mr. Riston forced a smile. "The gayest company I have seen for a long time. I hope you are enjoying yourself."
"O yes. I always enjoy myself. I am one of your contented people."
"You are certainly fortunate in your temperament."
"So I have often thought. Let the world wag as it will — I always try to look at the bright side of things."
"I wish I could do the same."
"It is the easiest thing in the world. Good and evil come in spite of us. If we will only enjoy the good, and not fret ourselves at, but patiently bear the evil — we shall get on smoothly enough."
The conversation was here interrupted by the presence of others. But Mrs. Leslie saw, or imagined that she saw, in the manner of Mr. Riston, a deeper feeling of uneasiness than what would arise from the contemplation of an extravagant waste of money, because he loved money.
It was nearly two o'clock when Mr. and Mrs. Hartley retired. As they rode away, both remained silent. Anna sighed once or twice.
"Foolish — foolish woman!" she ejaculated, after they had reached home.
"You may well say that! And foolish, foolish man, to permit such extravagance!" replied Hartley.
"He could not help it, I suppose."
"You mean that he weakly yielded everything to his wife's extravagance."
"Yes. And that was wrong."
"Wrong? It was criminal under all the circumstances. He is not able to waste money after this fashion. Few men in business are pressed harder than he is to make his payments. Scarcely a week passes that we do not have to lend him one or two thousand dollars. And it is whispered about that he has already been compelled to go into the hands offleecers. Still, I believe he would have been able to get over his present embarrassments, which are the result of two or three severe losses, had he not launched out into thisextravagance. Now I have great fears for him. His situation is so well known among business men, that his credit will be shaken. He seemed conscious of this, I would think, for he looked wretched the whole evening — at least so it appeared to me. How he could feel otherwise, I cannot tell, when there were a dozen merchants present from whom he has to borrow money almost every day, and who, if they were to refuse to sell him goods, could make him a bankrupt in a month! If a single one of these withdraws his confidence, the alarm will be general, and poor Riston will fall to the ground like lead — "
"Ruined by his wife's extravagance!" — added Mrs. Hartley, finishing, significantly, the sentence uttered by her husband.
"Yes. That will be the truth. He now owes us six or seven thousand dollars, and buys more or less every week, besides borrowing freely. I do not think it will be wise for us to let our account against him get much larger."
"Oh, James! do not be the first to remove a stone from his tottering house, and thus throw it in ruins to the ground. Perhaps he may yet stand."
"That I do not wish to do. But, if Mr. Rawlings had not been one of the company tonight, I should have felt bound to open my mind freely on the subject to him and Mr.Swanson. But Rawlings is a shrewd man of the world, and will not hesitate to speak and act for what he thinks the true interest of our business. I should not at all wonder, if it were decided tomorrow, to ask of Riston such prices for goods as would drive him away from our store."
"Oh, James!" said Mrs. Hartley, "is it not sad to think how easily a thoughtless wife may ruin a husband's credit, and thus destroy him? I never saw the danger before."
"I never thought of it much, until recently. Since you so wisely saved me from dashing out as I foolishly wished to do, I have opened my ears to remarks that hitherto made little or no impression upon me. I find, that, where a man in business, whose capital is no larger than is needed safely and successfully to prosecute it, begins to make a show in his style of living — he is looked at with some suspicion, and that remarks detrimental to his credit float about, and often affect him seriously. From some things, casually said by Mr. Rawlings in my presence, since we went to housekeeping, I feel well satisfied that if we had taken the house, since rented by Mr. Riston, and furnished it elegantly, it would have done me no good, and might, in the end, have led to a separation from the firm."
"Oh no. Don't think so, James. I am sure that would not have taken place," said Anna, laying her hand upon her husband's forehead, and smoothing back his hair. This little act was only an effort to keep down the feelings that were struggling for expression, and ready to gush forth.
"It is the truth, dear. You are my angel-guide, sent from Heaven."
Anna's tears flowed freely. She could keep them back no longer.
"I will always seek to deserve your love and your confidence," she murmured, sinking into his arms. "You shall never find a single thorn in your path planted by my hand, if God will only endow me with wisdom to act well my part. But I tremble when I look ahead, and reflect, that I am liable, at almost every moment, through error of judgment, to go wrong."
"You will never go far wrong, Anna," was her husband's encouraging reply, "if you continue as you have begun, to seek for direction above — if a Christian principles are the life-germ of all your actions. For my own part, I have no fears. Come what may, no disaster which visits me will ever be traced to your selfishness and folly."
"I pray Heaven that it may not!" was the wife's fervent answer.
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