CHAPTER II.
"THE PRETTIEST GIRL IN THE ROOM!"
Golden curls, a snare for Cupid. Eyes of blue, a treacherous sea, Where Love's votaries sink drowning, Wrecked on hidden reefs; ah, me! Lips of bloom like June's red roses, Lily throat and dimpled chin, Glowing cheeks like fragrant posies, Made for smiles to gather in. --_Mrs. Alex McVeigh Miller_.
Meanwhile, Olive and Ela, having reached Ellsworth in a high state ofglee at outwitting Dainty so cleverly, received a great shock onlearning from their aunt that Lovelace Ellsworth had expected toaccompany them from Richmond to his home.
Bitterness filled their hearts when they realized what would be theoutcome of their malice--that instead of Dainty having to give up hertrip through timidity at traveling alone, she would have the escort ofthe man from whom they had tried so sedulously to keep her apart.
They had told their aunt that they decided to come earlier because itwould be cooler traveling at night, and accounted for Dainty's absenceby declaring that she was not quite decided on coming yet, beingreluctant to leave her mother alone. If she made up her mind to comeanyhow, she would do so later, they said; but they were very careful notto add that Dainty was so timid she would very likely stay at homeafter their base desertion.
When they were alone, they commiserated each other on the failure oftheir deep-laid schemes.
"Only to think, that Dainty and Love Ellsworth are together at thismoment, and will be all day long! I can see her now in my mind's eye!She is sitting beside him in the car, and the sunshine glints on hercurly, golden hair, and brings out the deep pansy-blue, of her big,childish eyes, and the rose-leaf bloom of her flawless skin. She islaughing at everything he says, just to show how deep her dimples are,and how pearly her teeth, and how rosy her lips! It is enough to driveone mad!" cried Ela, not underrating the least of her rival's charms inher jealousy of them.
"We can never undo to-day's work, I fear," added Olive, most bitterly,in her keen disappointment; for the thought of seeing Dainty themistress of Ellsworth was almost unbearable.
Since she had arrived at Ellsworth and seen how beautiful the estatewas, nestling among the green hills of West Virginia, close by the famedGreenbrier River, she had been more anxious than ever to win the masterof this grand domain, and a bitter hatred for gentle Dainty crept intoher heart.
She knew that she was beautiful in a dark, queenly fashion, and shecould only hope that Love Ellsworth would prefer her dark style toDainty's fair and radiant one. On this chance hinged all her hopes,while Ela, on her part, wondered if he might not find a wealth of brownhair, waxen-skin, and limpid gray eyes as attractive as the morepronounced brunette and blonde types.
Late that afternoon Mrs. Ellsworth invited the two girls into her_boudoir_, saying she wished to have a private talk with them.
She was a woman of sixty years, with abundant snow-white hair,contrasted with piercing dark eyes. In her youth she must have lookedlike Olive Peyton, and she was still well-preserved and fine-looking forher time of life. Her relatives considered her eccentric andhard-hearted, and she was certainly a woman of strong prejudices andunbending will--fond of having her own way.
She now looked approvingly at her handsome, stylish nieces, andremarked, abruptly:
"I suppose neither of you girls have any idea why I invited you here, soI may as well inform you and get it over. In the first place, haveeither of you any entanglements?"
"Entanglements?" murmured Olive, questioningly.
"Entanglements?" echoed Ela, doubtfully, with a slight flush breakingthrough her usual pallor.
"I mean, are either of you engaged to be married?"--sharply.
"Oh, dear no!" cried Olive.
"No, indeed!" muttered Ela, still faintly crimson.
"Or--in love with anybody?" added their aunt, anxiously.
"Only with each other. We are chums and sweethearts," laughed Olive, asthey looked at each other affectionately.
"Very good!" said curt Mrs. Ellsworth, smiling, as she continued: "Andyou are both as poor as church mice; I know that without asking. Now,don't color up and get angry. Poverty is inconvenient, but it's nodisgrace. Besides, I intend to change all that."
While they stared at her in wonder, she nodded her white head sagely,adding:
"You two girls are the nearest kin I have in the world, and it's time Imade some provision for your future. Well, I'm going to do it. That'swhy I sent for you to come to Ellsworth."
They began to murmur ecstatic thanks; but she cut them short, saying:
"You know that I have quite a large fortune left me by my husband, andthat my step-son, Love Ellsworth, is a millionaire. Well, I propose tohave you two girls succeed to these fortunes; one by inheritance fromme, the other by marrying my step-son."
"Oh, oh!" they cried, their faces shining with delight; and their auntwent on, complacently:
"Love is heart-whole and fancy-free now, but he will fall in love someday and marry, and why not one of my nieces, I'd like to know? Both ofyou are as pretty as pictures, and I say to you, go in and win. The onethat he chooses will be lady of Ellsworth, the other I will adopt as myheiress. How does the prospect please you? Better than drudging in aschool, eh?"
They overwhelmed her with rapturous thanks that pleased and amused herat the same time; for she could guess well enough how they hated povertyand longed for riches.
"But why do you look so blank, Ela?" she added, suddenly, and the younggirl answered, frankly:
"I was wondering why you invited Dainty Chase, if you wanted Olive or meto marry your step-son? She is the prettiest girl in the world!"
"Dainty Chase pretty? But that can not be. Her father, my half-brother,was a very homely man, and I never heard that his wife was a beauty. Ifelt sorry for the poor little thing, and wanted to give her a goodtime; that was why I invited her to come. Of course, I never saw her;but she is my half-niece all the same, and I owe her some kindness,though I don't want her to marry Love, or to inherit my money, so I hopeI didn't make a mistake!" the old lady exclaimed, uneasily.
"Wait till you see her!" both girls cried at once, breathlessly,jealously.
"Is she indeed so pretty? But perhaps she will not come!" consoled Mrs.Ellsworth.
"She will be sure to come if Mr. Ellsworth calls for her. She will notmiss such a chance to captivate him!" both girls assured herdisconsolately; but they were very careful not to tell how badly theyhad treated their pretty cousin.
"But she is only a child--scarcely fifteen, I think."
"Oh, Aunt Judith! She was eighteen in May, and graduated in June. She istaller than I am!" cried Ela.
"Well, well, well, I am very sorry that I invited her, if there's anylikelihood of her spoiling your chances with Love. But I can't believeshe is so pretty till I see her, for John Chase was as homely as sin.Anyway, you girls must try to hold your own against her charms."
"We will try, now that we have you on our side, dear Aunt Judith.Perhaps Mr. Ellsworth may not admire blondes like Dainty. Besides, sheis a vain, silly little thing, and very deceitful!" fibbed Olive, tryingto prejudice her aunt against Dainty in advance.
Mrs. Ellsworth drew a sigh of relief, and replied:
"If that is the case, she can not charm Love Ellsworth, for he is thesoul of truth and honor, and abhors deceit. But there is one thing Imust caution you both about, if you wish to please my step-son, andthat is, if you hear any of the servants gossiping about Ellsworth beinghaunted, do not mention it to him, as it makes him very angry, and hehas turned away several servants for talking about it."
They both promised not to breathe such a thing to their host; and asMrs. Ellsworth saw that they were secretly curious, she explained:
"Of course, you have noticed and admired the ivy-grown stone wing to theleft of the mansion. It is all that is left of Castle Ellsworth, thatwas built before the Revolution by Love's ancestor, Baron Ellsworth. Ithas fallen into disuse now, and the servants declare it is haunted, bu
tit makes Love perfectly furious to hear such reports."
When the girls were alone again they whispered to each other:
"If Dainty Chase finds out about the ghosts, she will be frightenedalmost to death, she is such a little coward!"
Sitting on the broad veranda at sunset, the cousins heard the whistle ofthe train at the station, miles away, that was to bring Dainty, if shedecided to come.
"That is Love's train, if he comes," said their aunt. "But there must besome delay, or he would have telegraphed for the carriage."
Dainty's Cruel Rivals; Or, The Fatal Birthday Page 2
