Her features expressed gaiety, approaching to volatility; yet one could not help feeling that there was firmness of character en perdu . Her figure was beyond criticism; and the face, if not strikingly beautiful was one that you could not look upon without emotions of pleasure.
She appeared to know some of her fellow-passengers at least she was conversing with them in a style of easy freedom. Women, however, rarely exhibit embarrassment among themselves; women of French race, never.
One thing I observed her cabin companions appeared to regard her with deference. Perhaps they had already learnt that the handsome carriage and horses belonged to her. That was very, very likely!
I continued to gaze upon this interesting lady. Girl I cannot call her, for although young enough, she had the air of a woman a woman of experience. She appeared quite at ease; seemed mistress of herself, and indeed of everything else.
What an air of insouciance , thought I. That woman is not in love!
I cannot tell why I should have made these reflections, or why the thought pleased me; but certainly it did. Why? She was nothing to me she was far above me. I dared scarce look upon her. I regarded her as some superior being, and with timid stolen glances, as I would regard beauty in a church. Ho! she was nothing to me. In another hour it would be night, and she was to land in the night; I should never see her again! I should think of her though for an hour or two, perhaps for a day the longer that was now foolish enough to sit gazing upon her! I was weaving a net for myself a little agony that might last for some time after she was gone.
I had formed a resolution to withdraw from the fascinating influence, and return to my meditation on the hurricane-deck. A last look at the fair Creole, and I should depart.
Just at that moment she flung herself into a chair.
It was of the kind known as a rocking-chair, and its motions displayed the fine proportion and outlines of her form. As she now sat she was facing the door, and her eye for the first time rested upon me. By Heavens! she was gazing on me just as before! What meant that strange glance? those burning eyes?
Stedfast and fixed, they remained bent upon mine and mine trembled to answer them!
Thus for some moments her eyes dwelt upon me, without motion or change of direction. I was too young at that time to understand the expression that was in them. I could translate such an one afterwards, but not then.
At length she rose from her seat with an air of uneasiness, as if displeased either with herself or me; and, turning away her head, she opened the latticed door and passed into her state-room.
Had I done anything to give offence? No! not by word, nor look, nor gesture. I had not spoken I had not moved, and my timid glance could not have been construed into one of rudeness.
I was somewhat bewildered by the conduct of Mademoiselle Besançon; and, in the full belief that I should never see her again, I hurried away from the saloon, and once more climbed up to the hurricane-deck.
Chapter Ten A New Mode of raising the Steam
My reverie was interrupted. On looking down the river I saw that a large boat was in our wake, and coming rapidly after us. The volume of smoke rolling up out of her tall funnels, and the red glowing of her fires, showed that she was moving under a full head of steam. Her size, as well as the loud reports of her scape-pipe, told that she was a boat of the first-class. She was the Magnolia. She was moving with great velocity, and I had not watched her long, before I perceived that she was fast gaining upon us.
At this moment my ears were assailed by a variety of sounds coming from below. Loud voices in earnest tones, the stamping and pattering of feet, as of men rushing over the wooden decks and along the guard-ways. The voices of women, too, were mingled in the medley.
I surmised what all this meant. The approach of the rival boat was the cause of the excitement.
Up
to this time the boat-race seemed to have been nearly forgotten. It had got abroad among both hands and passengers that the Captain did not intend to run; and although this backing-out had been loudly censured at first, the feeling of disappointment had partially subsided. The crew had been busy at their work of stowage the firemen with their huge billets of cord-wood the gamblers with their cards and the passengers, in general, with their portmanteaus, or the journal of the day. The other boat not starting at the same time, had been out of sight until now, and the feeling of rivalry almost out of mind.
The appearance of the rival produced a sudden change. The gamblers flung down the half-dealt pack, in hopes of having something more exciting to bet upon; the readers hastily closed their books, and tossed aside their newspapers; the rummagers of trunks banged down the lids; the fair occupants of rocking-chairs suddenly sprang to their feet; and all ran out of the cabins, and pressed towards the after-part of the boat.