Here was a catastrophe!

CHAPTER IV.

A RUPTURE—­THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE.

Colonel Colleton stood confounded at the spectacle before him.  Filled with public affairs, or rather, with his own affairs in the public eye, he had grown totally heedless of ordinary events, household interests, and of the rapid growth and development of those passions in youth which ripen quite as fervently and soon in the shade as in the sun.  These children—­how should they have grown to such a stature!  His daughter, at this moment, seemed taller than he had ever seen her before! and Ralph!—­as the uncle’s eyes were riveted upon the youth, he certainly grew more than ever erect and imposing of look and stature.  The first glance which he gave to the scene, did not please the young man.  There was something about the expression of the uncle’s face, which seemed to the nephew to be as supercilious, as it certainly was angry.  Proud, jealous of his sensibilities, the soul of the youth rose in arms, at the look which annoyed him.  That Edith’s father should ever disapprove of his passion for his cousin, never once entered the young man’s brain.  He had not, indeed, once thought upon the matter.  He held it to be a thing of course that the father would welcome a union which promised to strengthen the family bond, and maintain the family name and blood in perpetuity.  When, therefore, he beheld, in his uncle’s face, such an expression of scorn mixed with indignation, he resented it with the fervor of his whole soul.  He was bewildered, it is true, but he was also chafed, and it needed that he should turn his eyes to the sweet cause of his offence, before he could find himself relieved of the painful feelings which her father’s look and manner had occasioned him.

Poor Edith had a keener sense of the nature of the case.  Her instincts more readily supplied the means of knowledge.  Besides, there were certain family matters, which the look of her father suddenly recalled—­which had never been suffered to reach the ears of her cousin;—­which indicated to her, however imperfectly, the possible cause of that severe and scornful expression of eye, in the uncle, which had so confounded the nephew.  She looked, with timid pleading to her father’s face, but dared not speak.

And still the latter stood at the entrance, silent, sternly scanning the young offenders, just beginning to be conscious of offence.  A surprise of any kind is exceedingly paralyzing to young lovers, caught in a situation like that in which our luckless couple were found on this occasion.  It is probable, that, but for this, Ralph Colleton would scarcely have borne so meekly the severe look which the father now bestowed upon his daughter.

Though not the person to trouble himself much at any time in relation to his child, Colonel Colleton had never once treated her unkindly.  Though sometimes neglectful, he had never shown himself stern.  The look which he now gave her was new to all her experience.  The poor girl began to conceive much more seriously of her offence than ever;—­it seemed to spread out unimaginably far, and to involve a thousand violations of divine and human law.  She could only look pleadingly, without speech, to her father.  His finger silently pointed her to withdraw.