CHAPTER VIII. THE DIPLOMAT. CAPÍTULO VIII. EL DIPLOMAT.

Aunt Jane was in her garden, enjoying the flowers. This was her especial garden, surrounded by a high-box hedge, and quite distinct from the vast expanse of shrubbery and flower-beds which lent so much to the beauty of the grounds at Elmhurst. Il s'agissait de son jardin particulier, entouré d'une haie de buis, et bien distinct de la vaste étendue d'arbustes et de parterres de fleurs qui contribuait tant à la beauté du domaine d'Elmhurst. Aunt Jane knew and loved every inch of her property. She had watched the shrubs personally for many years, and planned all the alterations and the construction of the flower-beds which James had so successfully attended to. Elle avait surveillé personnellement les arbustes pendant de nombreuses années et avait planifié toutes les modifications et la construction des parterres de fleurs dont James s'était occupé avec tant de succès. Each morning, when her health permitted, she had inspected the greenhouses and issued her brief orders—brief because her slightest word to the old gardener incurred the fulfillment of her wishes. Chaque matin, quand sa santé le lui permettait, elle avait inspecté les serres et donné ses brefs ordres - brefs parce que le moindre mot au vieux jardinier entraînait la réalisation de ses souhaits. But this bit of garden adjoining her own rooms was her especial pride, and contained the choicest plants she had been able to secure. Mais ce bout de jardin attenant à ses propres chambres faisait sa fierté et contenait les plantes les plus belles qu'elle avait pu se procurer. So, since she had been confined to her chair, the place had almost attained to the dignity of a private drawing-room, and on bright days she spent many hours here, delighting to feast her eyes with the rich coloring of the flowers and to inhale their fragrance. Ainsi, depuis qu'elle était confinée dans son fauteuil, l'endroit avait presque atteint la dignité d'un salon privé, et les jours de beau temps, elle y passait de nombreuses heures, se délectant des riches couleurs des fleurs et respirant leur parfum. For however gruff Jane Merrick might be to the people with whom she came in contact, she was always tender to her beloved flowers, and her nature invariably softened when in their presence. Car si Jane Merrick pouvait être bourrue avec les gens qu'elle côtoyait, elle était toujours tendre avec ses fleurs bien-aimées, et sa nature s'adoucissait invariablement en leur présence.

By and by Oscar, the groom, stepped through an opening in the hedge and touched his hat.

"Has my niece arrived?" asked his mistress, sharply.

"She's on the way, mum," the man answered, grinning. "Elle est en route, maman", répond l'homme en souriant. "She stopped outside the grounds to pick wild flowers, an' said I was to tell you she'd walk the rest o' the way." "Elle s'est arrêtée à l'extérieur pour cueillir des fleurs sauvages et m'a dit de vous dire qu'elle ferait le reste du chemin à pied." "To pick wild flowers?" "That's what she said, mum. She's that fond of 'em she couldn't resist it. I was to come an' tell you this, mum; an' she'll follow me directly." Je devais venir te le dire, maman, et elle me suivra directement." Aunt Jane stared at the man sternly, and he turned toward her an unmoved countenance. Tante Jane fixa l'homme d'un regard sévère, et celui-ci tourna vers elle un visage impassible. Oscar had been sent to the station to meet Louise Merrick, and drive her to Elmhurst; but this strange freak on the part of her guest set the old woman thinking what her object could be. Oscar avait été envoyé à la gare pour retrouver Louise Merrick et la conduire à Elmhurst ; mais cette étrange bizarrerie de la part de son invitée amena la vieille femme à se demander quel pouvait être son objectif. Wild flowers were well enough in their way; but those adjoining the grounds of Elmhurst were very ordinary and unattractive, and Miss Merrick's aunt was expecting her. Les fleurs sauvages sont assez bien dans leur genre, mais celles qui jouxtent les terrains d'Elmhurst sont très ordinaires et peu attrayantes, et la tante de Mlle Merrick l'attend. Perhaps—

A sudden light illumined the mystery.

"See here, Oscar; has this girl been questioning you?" "She asked a few questions, mum." "About me?" "Some of 'em, if I remember right, mum, was about you." "And you told her I was fond of flowers?" "I may have just mentioned that you liked 'em, mum." Aunt Jane gave a scornful snort, and the man responded in a curious way. Tante Jane poussa un grognement méprisant et l'homme répondit d'une manière curieuse. He winked slowly and laboriously, still retaining the solemn expression on his face. Il cligna des yeux lentement et laborieusement, tout en conservant l'expression solennelle de son visage.

"You may go, Oscar. Have the girl's luggage placed in her room." "Yes, mum." He touched his hat and then withdrew, leaving Jane Merrick with a frown upon her brow that was not caused by his seeming impertinence. Il toucha son chapeau et se retira, laissant Jane Merrick avec un froncement de sourcils qui n'était pas dû à son apparente impertinence.

Presently a slight and graceful form darted through the opening in the hedge and approached the chair wherein Jane Merrick reclined.

"Oh, my dear, dear aunt!" cried Louise. "How glad I am to see you at last, and how good of you to let me come here!" and she bent over and kissed the stern, unresponsive face with an enthusiasm delightful to behold.

"This is Louise, I suppose," said Aunt Jane, stiffly. "You are welcome to Elmhurst." "Tell me how you are," continued the girl, kneeling beside the chair and taking the withered hands gently in her own. "Do you suffer any? And are you getting better, dear aunt, in this beautiful garden with the birds and the sunshine?" Et vous allez mieux, chère tante, dans ce beau jardin avec les oiseaux et le soleil ?" "Get up," said the elder woman, roughly. "Lève-toi", dit brutalement la femme la plus âgée. "You're spoiling your gown." Louise laughed gaily.

"Never mind the gown," she answered. "Tell me about yourself. I've been so anxious since your last letter." Aunt Jane's countenance relaxed a trifle. To speak of her broken health always gave her a sort of grim satisfaction. Parler de sa mauvaise santé lui procurait toujours une sorte de satisfaction sinistre.

"I'm dying, as you can plainly see," she announced. "My days are numbered, Louise. If you stay long enough you can gather wild flowers for my coffin." Louise flushed a trifle. A bunch of butter-cups and forget-me-nots was fastened to her girdle, and she had placed a few marguerites in her hair. Un bouquet de boutons d'or et de myosotis était attaché à sa ceinture, et elle avait mis quelques marguerites dans ses cheveux.

"Don't laugh at these poor things!" she said, deprecatingly. dit-elle, dépitée. "I'm so fond of flowers, and we find none growing wild in the cities, you know." Jane Merrick looked at her reflectively.

"How old are you, Louise," she asked. "Just seventeen, Aunt." "I had forgotten you are so old as that. Let me see; Elizabeth cannot be more than fifteen." "Elizabeth?" "Elizabeth De Graf, your cousin. She arrived at Elmhurst this morning, and will be your companion while you are here." "That is nice," said Louise. "I hope you will be friends." "Why not, Aunt? I haven't known much of my relations in the past, you know, so it pleases me to find an aunt and a cousin at the same time. I am sure I shall love you both. Let me fix your pillow—you do not seem comfortable. There! Isn't that better?" patting the pillow deftly. "I'm afraid you have needed more loving care than a paid attendant can give you," glancing at old Martha Phibbs, who stood some paces away, and lowering her voice that she might not be overheard. "Je crains que vous n'ayez eu besoin de plus de soins affectueux qu'une personne rémunérée ne peut vous donner", dit-elle en jetant un coup d'œil à la vieille Martha Phibbs, qui se tenait à quelques pas de là, et en baissant la voix pour ne pas être entendue. "But for a time, at least, I mean to be your nurse, and look after your wants. You should have sent for me before, Aunt Jane." Vous auriez dû me faire venir avant, tante Jane." "Don't trouble yourself; Phibbs knows my ways, and does all that is required," said the invalid, rather testily. "Ne vous inquiétez pas ; Phibbs connaît mes habitudes et fait tout ce qu'il faut", dit l'invalide d'un ton plutôt sévère. "Run away, now, Louise. The housekeeper will show you to your room. It's opposite Elizabeth's, and you will do well to make her acquaintance at once. C'est en face de chez Elizabeth, et vous ferez bien de faire sa connaissance tout de suite. I shall expect you both to dine with me at seven." "Can't I stay here a little longer?" pleaded Louise. "We haven't spoken two words together, as yet, and I'm not a bit tired or anxious to go to my room. "Nous n'avons pas encore prononcé deux mots ensemble, et je ne suis pas du tout fatiguée ni impatiente d'aller dans ma chambre. What a superb oleander this is! Quel superbe laurier-rose ! Is it one of your favorites, Aunt Jane?" "Run away," repeated the woman. "I want to be alone." The girl sighed and kissed her again, stroking the gray hair softly with her white hand. La jeune fille soupira et l'embrassa à nouveau, caressant doucement les cheveux gris de sa main blanche.

"Very well; I'll go," she said. "But I don't intend to be treated as a strange guest, dear Aunt, for that would drive me to return home at once. "Mais je n'ai pas l'intention d'être traitée comme une invitée étrangère, chère tante, car cela me pousserait à retourner immédiatement à la maison. You are my father's eldest sister, and I mean to make you love me, if you will give me the least chance to do so." Vous êtes la sœur aînée de mon père, et j'ai l'intention de vous faire aimer, si vous me donnez la moindre chance d'y parvenir". She looked around her, enquiringly, and Aunt Jane pointed a bony finger at the porch. Elle regarda autour d'elle, curieuse, et tante Jane pointa un doigt osseux vers le porche.

"That is the way. Phibbs will take you to Misery, the housekeeper, and then return to me. Remember, I dine promptly at seven." "I shall count the minutes," said Louise, and with a laugh and a graceful gesture of adieu, turned to follow Martha into the house. Jane Merrick looked after her with a puzzled expression upon her face.

"Were she in the least sincere," she muttered, "Louise might prove a very pleasant companion. "Si elle était un tant soit peu sincère, murmura-t-elle, Louise pourrait être une compagne très agréable. But she's not sincere; she's coddling me to win my money, and if I don't watch out she'll succeed. Mais elle n'est pas sincère ; elle me dorlote pour gagner mon argent, et si je ne fais pas attention, elle réussira. The girl's a born diplomat, and weighed in the balance against sincerity, diplomacy will often tip the scales. La jeune fille est une diplomate née, et dans la balance de la sincérité, la diplomatie fait souvent pencher la balance. I might do worse than to leave Elmhurst to a clever woman. Je pourrais faire pire que de laisser Elmhurst à une femme intelligente. But I don't know Beth yet. I'll wait and see which girl is the most desirable, and give them each an equal chance."