MY THEODOSIA (28 page)

'How well your father looks ! I protest, he gets younger and handsomer every time I see him. He is a remarkable man.'

'I'm glad you, at least, are his friend,' said Theo, with a touch of bitterness; 'he seems to have many undeserved enemies.'

'Oh lawkes—enemies! What statesman has not! Of course I am Colonel Burr's friend. Do I not owe him a great debt of gratitude? He introduced me to my Jemmy, you know'. She threw a fond glance toward the Secretary of State, who was deep in what appeared to be gloomy converse with Aaron.

'Here come the Gallatins,' she cried as the Secretary of the Treasury and his wife entered the room, unannounced. Dolly greeted them warmly, both hands outstretched, and introduced Theo, who examined the brilliant Swiss curiously, thinking that he was extremely ugly, with his bald head and long beaked nose. Nor was his manner engaging. He murmured, 'Enchanted, Madame,' in a heavy French voice and, turning his back, sauntered off to join Aaron and Madison in their corner.

Mrs. Gallatin impressed Theo not at all. She had been a typical American girl, and was now a typical American matron, a trifle colorless, a trifle bigoted, an excellent wife and mother.

Peder Pedersen, the Danish Chargé d'Affaires, arrived alone in a magnificent general's uniform, and made up for Gallatin's
coldness by kissing Theo's hand with lingering gusto, attaching himself firmly to her side and breathing amorous platitudes down her neck. He fancied himself a great dog with the ladies.

Henry, the errant butler, reappeared with a rush in time to announce the last two invited couples. He might have spared himself the pains, for the names of the French and Spanish Ministers emerged as a kind of African gibberish that inspired Theo with an hysterical desire to giggle.

Turreau de Garambonville, Bonaparte's newly accredited representative, was a slim lizard of a man with cruel, glancing eyes, and dripping with lace and gold embroidery. His lady scuttled timidly behind him, her pale mouse's face crumpled into an expression of perpetual terror.

'They say he beats her,' whispered Pedersen delightedly in Theo's car, 'and makes his aide play the flute to drown her screams. She was the jailer's daughter, you know, and helped him escape from some prison. He married her. She should be grateful for that and overlook the beatings.'

'Of course,' said Theo, laughing mechanically, and wishing her admirer would leave her in peace; 'a mere trifle like that'. If the French and Danish representatives were resplendent, the Spanish Marquis Casa de Yrujo was dazzling. He never appeared without the panoply suitable to a grandee and to a representative of Charles IV—curled and perfumed wig, gold-headed cane, medals and decorations which were crowded into a glinting jeweled mass upon his changeable rose brocade coat. His Castilian blondness and the aristocratic delicacy of his features gave him a deceptive air of effeminacy, as did the Castilian lisp which he had transferred from his native tongue into his carefully correct English. Except for a curt nod he ignored Turreau. There was no love lost between France and Spain just now.

The Marchioness, his wife, was lovely, and though born Sally McKean of Philadelphia, oddly enough looked more Spanish than her husband, for she had dreamy dark eyes, olive skin, and black hair.

'We arc all here, I see,' said Dolly, consulting a list which she pulled from her reticule.

'Exthept the President,' drawled Casa Yrujo. 'He is perhaps too busy with matters of thtate to attend to his guests. I hear that of late he has been
extheptionally
busy'. His silky voice made no effort to hide the barb in this speech, and Dolly laughed.

'La, my lord! Let us have no politics or foreign affairs tonight. This is but a social gathering.'

'Ah, indeed?' said the Marquis, his glance roaming over the guests. 'We arc a remarkably thmall gathering.'

'Mr. Jefferson likes it so. He detests large dinners, you know.'

'I am thurprised to note that there is no British representative present.'

'Ah, but there will be soon,' said Dolly quickly, 'when the Merrys arrive in September. We are all looking forward to the advent of the new British Minister and his lady; they will liven up our society, give us fresh interest and diversion.'

The Marquis permitted himself a disdainful smile. 'I hear that Mr. and Mrs. Merry are much given to theremony and etiquette. It is they who will be interested and diverted, if the President treats them to one of his péle-mêle dinners. Tho refreshing for them to be initiated into the—delights of true republicanism.'

Dolly threw Theo a quick, naughty glance of humorous dismay and whispered: 'The Marquis is inclined to be critical tonight. You must help me charm him into a kinder mood or we shall have a cat-and-dog fight on our hands. It's really vexing of Jefferson to be so late.'

Theo started to reply, but the words wavered and died away. Two tall men walked quickly into the drawing-room together. But her eyes slid over the first one blindly.

Lewis stood motionless, a foot or two behind his chief. He was in his dress uniform as she had first seen him—blue coat with red facings, dead white vest and breeches, white bindings and buttons, the white Captain's epaulette on his right shoulder. His hands were gloved in white, too, contributing to the impression of severe immaculateness. His high black boots, the dangling scabbard, and very tall stiff collar added to his already considerable height.

Her heart dissolved within her, as he gave her one long penetrating glance, a half-smile, and then looked away. Confused, she gazed quickly at the others, half-expecting that they would be staring at Meme with the same transfixed admiration that she felt. He was so commanding, so impressive. He dwarfed all the other men.

But the company was not looking at Lewis, it was greeting Jefferson, who leisurely progressed from one to another bidding them 'Good evening'. As he approached her, she understood the angry gasp which she heard issue from the Marquis, who stood behind her.

The President, pursuant to his stubborn policy of 'no fuss or feathers, simplicity and democracy before all else,' had come to them straight from his study.

His big loose-jointed frame appeared shrunken inside a wrinkled brown coat, that looked as though he had visited the stables in it—as indeed he had. His thin sandy hair was indifferently combed, there were inkstains on his fingers. Far worse than all this was his footgear, and Theo reflected Dolly Madison's look of dismay when she discovered, as did all the guests with varying degrees of horror, that the President, whose corns hurt him, was shuffling about in heelless and
stained carpet slippers that made small flapping noises on the bare floor.

Even Dolly, who was accustomed to the President's deliberate indifference to dress, was stricken dumb by this innovation. The reactions of the cabinet members present did not, of course, matter. But the diplomats would be outraged: were outraged already. The French and Spanish Ministers, for once in accord, stared pointedly at the ceiling with glassy eyes. Their gold frills and perfumed laces quivered indignantly.

'I am sorry to have kept you waiting, ladies and gentlemen. It was unavoidable. You must all be hungry. We will go down to dinner at once, informally,' said Jefferson.

Dolly sighed. 'Another one of these higgledy-piggledy dinners,' she murmured to Theo. 'If he would only let me or Captain Lewis seat the guests properly. But he likes them mixed up together. I vow he makes a fetish of informality.'

'You mean I may sit where—with whom I like?' asked Theo, her color deepening.

Dolly had time to nod before the President returned smiling. 'Come, Mrs. Madison,' he said, capturing her arm, 'we will lead the way.'

'If I sit beside you, I shall scold you, be warned of that, sir,' answered the lady archly, tapping him with her fan. They progressed down the room.

There was an instant's embarrassed silence, before the Marquis, with a frozen face, bowed to his wife and proffered his arm.

Theo saw Pedersen approaching her, smirking. She turned her back on him, her heart thumping. Oh, why didn't Meme come for her? He must. She willed him to her with a convulsive inner spasm. But Lewis was cornered by Gallatin. She saw his fair head bent courteously toward the Secretary of the Treasury, who was emphasizing a point with gestures. She
couldn't keep on ignoring Pedersen. She must do something. She threw discretion overboard, glided across the floor as unobtrusively as possible.

'Perhaps Captain Lewis will be so kind as to escort me down to dinner,' she said lightly, turning on Gallatin her most brilliant smile, as excuse for interruption. 'Captain Lewis and I used to know each other long ago in New York, Mr. Gallatin. We must renew our acquaintance.'

The Swiss bowed. 'Of course, Madame'. His accented voice was chill. He did not like being interrupted. Those Burrs—he thought—like father like daughter—models of effrontery.

Lewis quietly took her hand and tucked it beneath his arm. 'Neatly done, my dearest,' he murmured.

She leaned against him, faint and dizzy from the joy of his nearness. 'Oh, Merne,' she whispered, 'it's been such a long dismal day without you. Did you miss me?'

'I did.'

The crisp dryness of the two monosyllables delighted her, more convincing than any amount of flowery protestations. She laughed, a low trill of happiness.

They were descending the stairs, Aaron a few steps behind them with Mrs. Gallatin on his arm. He could not hear what they said, but he heard Theo's laugh, and he had missed nothing of her boldness in demanding the Captain's escort. His eyes narrowed. He failed to comment on Mrs. Gallatin's anecdote about the cleverness of her little son, and the good matron was astonished. Whatever else Colonel Burr might be, she had always before thought him the acme of attentive courtesy.

When the confusion of seating had died down, Theo found herself between Lewis and Pedersen near the center of the table. The Marquis and Marchioness de Casa Yrujo sat to
gether in haughty disapproval at the foot. Aaron had seated himself next to the Marquis, whom he thought it worth while to cultivate. From this position he could also watch Theo.

'What a remarkable room,' observed Pedersen, endeavoring to get her attention. 'Have you ever been here before, Mrs. Alston?'

She turned reluctantly from Meme.

'No, I haven't. But what is there so remarkable about it?' She had in fact not observed the room at all. Her surroundings were of cloudy unimportance. Even Aaron was out of focus. She was quite unaware of his veiled inspection.

'Look around you, fair lady,' said the Dane, pushing his flirtatious pug face closer to hers. 'Potted flowers, birds, one would think oneself in a conservatory were it not for the ingenious mechanical contraptions. Look—sec, the wall is opening!'

Indeed, the wall was opening or rather revolving. Jefferson had introduced an enormous 'lazy Susan' between the kitchen and dining-room. At the touch of a spring it revolved, to the accompaniment of creakings and rattlings, and disclosed shelves full of laden platters and dishes, steaming from the stove.

'I believe he has many such inventions,' continued Pedersen. 'They say there is a species of lift or elevator which runs on pulleys, and is strong enough to carry a man up two or three flights. Though this I haven't seen.'

'How very interesting,' observed Theo tepidly. Why didn't the man eat his dinner? What did she care for the President's contrivances, or his birds, or his horticulture, when the precious moments were passing; Meme sat so elose to her, and yet they could not get a word with each other!

The dinner was good and the wines excellent. Mr. Jefferson's passion for plainness stopped short at the culinary de
partment. Rice soup was followed by platters of beef, ham, real, mutton cutlets, turkey, fried eggs, and a new Italian dish called 'macaroni' pleasantly flavored with onions and checse. This delicacy at last silenced Pedersen, who subsided with his mouth full. Theo pushed back her untouched plate and turned again to Merne. He had been waiting for her, watching the pure oval of her averted cheek, the distracting little tendrils of auburn that escaped from her green bandeau and nestled against the whiteness of her neck. He, too, made no pretense of eating.

'Theo,' he whispered, 'this is a hideous farce. I must see you alone—once more.'

Her face went white. She raised frightened eyes. 'Once more,' she whispered. 'What do you mean? I'll slip out somehow. It's hard now Father is here, but I'll manage. We can meet by the river again——'

'No, my darling'. His lips barely moved. 'We cannot. We were seen. By one of Jefferson's servants. I managed to shut his mouth, I think. But there might be others. I cannot let you run the risk. Besides, I——'

He and everyone else at the table except Theo suddenly stiffened and craned forward. Jefferson was speaking in a raised voice, designed to include them all. From the depths of a devastating misery Theo heard phrases, without understanding or caring about them.

'In this intimate gathering it docs no harm to state openly what most of you know already. It will be public knowledge on Independence Day...'—'Fortunate acquisition of territory without firing a shot...'—'Our excellent sister nation, France...'—'Spain, our illustrious neighbor to the south..'. Aaron, sure of his listener, murmured to Casa Yrujo, 'He is like a cat with a dish of cream, is he not, my lord?'

The Spaniard's lips curled. 'But this tho-called purchase it
not permitted by your Constitution. He ignores that. It is illegal from beginning to end. Thpain will not allow this. There will be war.'

⁴
You think so?' said Aaron softly, hoping to draw more interesting indiscretions. But the Marquis veiled his eyes and tapped the head of his cane in angry silence.

Jefferson's voice continued: 'It has long been my ambition to send an expedition through the westward lands to the other sea. It has been tried three times, only to end in failure. Now that the title to these lands has most fortunately devolved on us, I feel such an expedition to be of unparalleled importance. The new expedition has been organized, and this time I think it will not fail, for it will be led by two intrepid young men who perfectly understand the nature of their undertaking: my aide and secretary, Captain Lewis, and his friend and comrade at arms, Captain William Clark, who will join him later'. There was a polite buzz of interest. Everyone looked at Lewis, except Theodosia. She sat rigid, staring at the tablecloth.