As the Wyllys party moved away from the spring, to walk in the pretty wood adjoining, they saw a young man coming towards them at a very rapid pace.
"Who is it--any one you know, Miss Wyllys?" asked Mr. Ellsworth.
"He is in pursuit of some other party, I fancy," replied Elinor.
"It is Charlie Hubbard coming to join us; did we forget to mention that he came up the river with us?" said Harry, who was following Elinor, with Mrs. Creighton and Mr. Stryker.
The young painter soon reached them, as they immediately stopped to welcome him; he was very kindly received by his old friends.
"Well, Charlie, my boy," said Mr. Wyllys, "if Harry had not been here to vouch for your identity, I am not sure but I should have taken you for an exiled Italian bandit. Have you shown those moustaches at Longbridge?"
"Yes, sir;" replied Charlie, laughing. "I surprised my mother and sister by a sight of them, some ten days since; it required all their good-nature, I believe, to excuse them."
"I dare say they would have been glad to see you, if you had come back looking like a Turk," said Elinor.
"I am determined not to shave for some months, out of principle; just to show my friends that I am the same Charlie Hubbard with moustaches that I was three years ago without them."
"I suppose you consider it part of your profession to look as picturesque as our stiff-cut broadcloth will permit," said Mr. Wyllys.
"If you really suspect me of dandyism, sir," said Charlie, "I shall have to reform at once."
"I am afraid, Mr. Hubbard, that you have forgotten me," observed Mr. Ellsworth; "though I passed a very pleasant morning at your rooms in New York, some years since."
Charlie remembered him, however; and also made his bow to Mrs. Creighton and Mr. Stryker.
"And how did you leave the Mediterranean, sir?" asked Mr. Stryker, in a dry tone. "Was the sea in good looks?"
"As blue as ever. I am only afraid my friends in this country will not believe the colour I have given it in my sketches."
"We are bound to believe all your representations of water," remarked Mr. Wyllys.
"I hope you have brought back a great deal for us to see; have you anything with you here?" asked Elinor.
"Only my sketch-book. I would not bring anything else; for I must get rid of my recollections of Italy. I must accustom my eye again to American nature; I have a great deal to do with Lake George, this summer."
"But you must have something in New York," said Miss Wyllys.
"Yes; I have brought home with me samples of water, from some of the most celebrated lakes and rivers in Europe."
"That is delightful," said Elinor; "and when can we see them?"
"As soon as they are unpacked, I shall be very happy to show them to my friends. They will probably interest you on account of the localities; and I have endeavoured to be as faithful to nature as I could, in every instance. You will find several views familiar to you, among the number," added Charlie, addressing Hazlehurst.
"I have no doubt that you have done them justice."
"They are far from being as good as I could wish; but I did my best. You will find some improvement, sir, I hope," added Charlie, turning to Mr. Wyllys, "since my first attempt at Chewattan Lake, in the days of Compound Interest."
"You have not forgotten your old enemy, the Arithmetic," said Mr. Wyllys, smiling. "I am afraid Fortune will never smile upon you for having deserted from the ranks of trade."
"I am not sure of that, sir; she is capricious, you know."
"I should think you would do well, Charlie, to try your luck just now, by an exhibition of your pictures."
"My uncle has already proposed an exhibition; but I doubt its success; our people don't often run after good pictures," he added, smiling. "If I had brought with me some trash from Paris or Leghorn, I might have made a mint of money."
A general conversation continued until the party returned towards the hotels. They were met, as they approached Congress Hall, by several persons, two of whom proved to be Mrs. Hilson, and Miss Emmeline Hubbard. Charlie had already seen his cousins in New York, and he merely bowed in passing. Miss Emmeline was leaning on the arm of M. Bonnet, Mrs. Hilson on that of another Frenchman, whose name, as the "Baron Adolphe de Montbrun," had been constantly on her lips during the last few weeks, or in other words, ever since she had made his acquaintance. Charlie kept his eye fixed on this individual, with a singular expression of surprise and vexation, until he had passed. He thought he could not be mistaken, that his cousin's companion was no other than a man of very bad character, who had been in Rome at the same time with himself, and having married the widow of an Italian artist, a sister of one of Hubbard's friends, had obtained possession of her little property, and then deserted her. The whole affair had taken place while Charlie was in Rome; and it will readily be imagined that he felt no little indignation, when he met a person whom he strongly suspected of being this very chevalier d'industrie, flourishing at Saratoga, by the side of his uncle Joseph's daughter.
{"chevalier d'industrie" = con man; swindler; man who lives by his wits (French)}
Charlie had no sooner left the Wyllyses on the piazza at Congress Hall, than he proceeded to make some inquiry about this Frenchman. He found his name down in the books of the hotel, as the Baron Adolphe de Montbrun, which with the exception of ALPHONSE for the first name, was the appellation of the very man who had behaved so badly at Rome. He went to Mrs. Hilson, and told her his suspicions; but they had not the least effect on the "city lady;" she would not believe them. Charlie had no positive proof of what he asserted; he could not be confident beyond a doubt as to the identity of this person and the Montbrun of the Roman story, for he had only seen that individual once in Italy.
