Chapter XXI: The Sleigh-Ride

“How the wild crowd goes swaying along,
Hailing each other with humor and song,
How the gay sledges like meteors flash by,
Bright for a moment, then lost to the eye;
Ringing, swinging, dashing they go,
Over the crust of the beautiful snow.”

It snows hard and fast until noon, then the whirling white element thins, decreases, stops.

A pale wintry sunshine softens the keenly cold atmosphere.

Vivian remains at the window, watching the joyous people dashing past to the music of sleigh-bells, and it is late noon before Charlton and his host make their appearance.

Both look ashamed, but at luncheon all their cheerfulness returns, and when Mr. Essex has tossed off a glass of brandy and soda he feels quite himself again. He welcomes the “coming of beautiful snow” with eager pleasure, and proposes a sleigh-ride instanter.

Charlton negatives the proposal, for himself, at least. He is sleepy yet, and meditates a nap on the library sofa. Judge Leigh declines leaving an interesting book.

“You will come with me, my darling,” Earle exclaims, bending over his wife, and caressing her dark hair with a loving hand.

“I do not wish to go, Earle. I am not well to-day, and sleigh-riding in the keen air will only make me worse. But I do not wish to deprive you of the pleasure. Go after Eve--she will be delighted to accompany you.”

“I want you, not Eve, my darling. It is only a fancy that you are not well. The fresh air will help you. Put on your furs, while I go and order the sleigh brought around.”

“Pray excuse me, Earle.”

“Excuses are not admissible in this case, dear.” His eyes look so pleadingly into hers that she relents against her better judgment. “Get ready, that’s a dear, while I hurry up the sleigh.”

“I will go,” she answers, quietly, and is soon wrapped snugly in her sealskin cloak and cap.

Soon she is whirled away by the beautiful prancing white horses to the joyous tinkle of the silver bells, and Earle beams with pride at her grace and beauty.

“How stupid I feel,” mutters Charlton, in a tone of vexation and regret. “I wish I had not gone and made such a simpleton of myself last night.”

“I am glad you have the grace to feel ashamed of it, Charlton. I felt much mortified at your reckless drinking, and Vivian was distressed beyond measure. I should feel like censuring you severely, had I not observed that it was through Diana’s urging that you took more wine than was good for you before she left the table. _En passant_, she is rather more fond of wine herself than is suitable for a lady. I never saw you really drunk before, Charlton, and I hope this will never occur again.”

“It shall not, sir,” Charlton replies, flushing deeply. “Like Diana, I have a fondness for wine, but I also have a will strong enough, when exerted, to keep my taste within proper bounds. You need not fear for me, sir.”

“I am glad you think so, Charlton; but I should not like to see you thrown habitually among such wild young men as those you were with last night. You are much too easily led into error by bad examples.”

“Yet you use wine habitually on your table, sir.”

“Through habit, my son, not through any conviction that it is necessary or right. My ancestors handed down the custom to me along with their silver plate and decanters. It is an old custom, but whether a wise one I doubt, though I never really questioned it until something my daughter said to me this morning set me seriously thinking.”

“What, Viva? Has my little sister gone over to the abstinence side? She is the last person I expected to advocate temperance--she who affronted my best friend because she could not tempt him to drink,” Charlton ended, rather bitterly.

“My poor little girl! I suspect she is learning the wisdom of abstinence by a first actual knowledge of intemperance,” Judge Leigh observes with unwonted gravity. “I fear that Essex is acquiring rather fast habits--is too fond of his glass.”

“Always was, sir, and the set he effects is not likely to reform his bad habits; but I hoped marriage would sober him down. If he keeps on this way much longer, Viva’s marriage will turn out a terrible mistake.”

He pauses, but, receiving no reply from the judge, goes on thoughtfully:

“Perhaps you ought to advise Earle about this matter. Although he laughs at Viva’s girlish fears, he must respect your mature judgment and experience. It is a pity his parents died just as he came of age, and left him this large property to dissipate as he is doing. There is no question but he will soon make ducks and drakes of it if he keeps on with that Frenchman and his set.”

“But, surely his love for Vivian will influence him for good,” Judge Leigh says uneasily.

“Time will tell,” Charlton answers, with a ring of despondency in his tone. But he knows Earle Essex’s weak nature better than his father, and has no faith in Vivian’s influence for good over such a headstrong nature.