STORYTHEFIRST——PeterHopeplanshisProspectus"Comein!"saidPeterHope。
PeterHopewastallandthin,clean—shavenbutforapairofsidewhiskersclose—croppedandterminatingjustbelowtheear,withhairofthekindreferredtobysympatheticbarbersas"gettingalittlethinonthetop,sir,"butarrangedwitheconomy,thateverywhereispoverty’struehelpmate。AboutMr。PeterHope’slinen,whichwaswhitethoughsomewhatfrayed,therewasaself—
assertivenessthatinvariablyarrestedtheattentionofeventhemostcasualobserver。Decidedlytherewastoomuchofit——itsostentationaidedandabettedbytheretiringnatureofthecut—
awaycoat,whosechiefaimclearlywastoslipoffanddisappearbehinditsowner’sback。"I’mapooroldthing,"itseemedtosay。
"Idon’tshine——or,rather,Ishinetoomuchamongtheseup—to—dateyoungmodes。Ionlyhamperyou。Youwouldbemuchmorecomfortablewithoutme。"Topersuadeittoaccompanyhim,itsproprietorhadtoemployforce,keepingfastenedthelowestofitsthreebuttons。Ateverystep,itstruggledforitsliberty。
AnothercharacteristicofPeter’s,linkinghimtothepast,washisblacksilkcravat,securedbyacoupleofgoldpinschainedtogether。Watchinghimashenowsatwriting,hislonglegsencasedintightlystrappedgreytrousering,crossedbeneaththetable,thelamplightfallingonhisfresh—complexionedface,upontheshapelyhandthatsteadiedthehalf—writtensheet,astrangermighthaverubbedhiseyes,wonderingbywhathallucinationhethusfoundhimselfinpresenceseeminglyofsomeyoungbeaubelongingtotheearly’forties;butlookingcloser,wouldhaveseenthemanywrinkles。
"Comein!"repeatedMr。PeterHope,raisinghisvoice,butnothiseyes。
Thedooropened,andasmall,whiteface,outofwhichgleamedapairofbright,blackeyes,wasthrustsidewaysintotheroom。
"Comein!"repeatedMr。PeterHopeforthethirdtime。"Whoisit?"
Ahandnotoverclean,graspingagreasyclothcap,appearedbelowtheface。
"Notreadyyet,"saidMr。Hope。"Sitdownandwait。"
Thedooropenedwider,andthewholeofthefigureslidinand,closingthedoorbehindit,satitselfdownupontheextremeedgeofthechairnearest。
"Whichareyou——CentralNewsorCourier?"demandedMr。PeterHope,butwithoutlookingupfromhiswork。
Thebright,blackeyes,whichhadjustcommencedanexaminationoftheroombyacarefulscrutinyofthesmoke—grimedceiling,descendedandfixedthemselvesupontheoneclearlydefinedbaldpatchuponhisheadthat,hadhebeenawareofit,wouldhavetroubledMr。PeterHope。Butthefull,redlipsbeneaththeturned—upnoseremainedmotionless。
ThathehadreceivednoanswertohisquestionappearedtohaveescapedtheattentionofMr。PeterHope。Thethin,whitehandmovedsteadilytoandfroacrossthepaper。Threemoresheetswereaddedtothoseuponthefloor。ThenMr。PeterHopepushedbackhischairandturnedhisgazeforthefirsttimeuponhisvisitor。
ToPeterHope,hackjournalist,longfamiliarwiththegenusPrinter’sDevil,smallwhitefaces,tangledhair,dirtyhands,andgreasycapswerecommonobjectsintheneighbourhoodofthatburiedrivulet,theFleet。Butthiswasanewspecies。PeterHopesoughthisspectacles,foundthemaftersometroubleunderaheapofnewspapers,adjustedthemuponhishigh,archednose,leantforward,andlookedlongandupanddown。
"Godblessmysoul!"saidMr。PeterHope。"Whatisit?"
Thefigurerosetoitsfullheightoffivefootoneandcameforwardslowly。
Overatight—fittinggaribaldiofbluesilk,excessivelydecollete,itworewhatoncehadbeenaboy’spepper—and—saltjacket。A
worstedcomforterwoundroundtheneckstillleftawideexpanseofthroatshowingabovethegaribaldi。Belowthejacketfellalong,blackskirt,thetrainofwhichhadbeenloopedupaboutthewaistandfastenedwithacricket—belt。
"Whoareyou?Whatdoyouwant?"askedMr。PeterHope。
Foranswer,thefigure,passingthegreasycapintoitsotherhand,stoopeddownand,seizingthefrontofthelongskirt,begantohaulitup。
"Don’tdothat!"saidMr。PeterHope。"Isay,youknow,you——"
Butbythistimetheskirthadpracticallydisappeared,leavingtoviewapairofmuch—patchedtrousers,divingintotheright—handpocketofwhichthedirtyhanddrewforthafoldedpaper,which,havingopenedandsmoothedout,itlaiduponthedesk。
Mr。PeterHopepusheduphisspectaclestilltheyrestedonhiseyebrows,andreadaloud——"’SteakandKidneyPie,4d。;Do。(largesize),6d。;BoiledMutton——’"
"That’swhereI’vebeenforthelasttwoweeks,"saidthefigure,——
"Hammond’sEatingHouse!"
Thelistenernotedwithsurprisethatthevoice——thoughittoldhimasplainlyasifhehadrisenanddrawnasidetheredrepcurtains,thatoutsideinGoughSquaretheyellowfoglayliketheghostofadeadsea——betrayednoCockneyaccent,foundnodifficultywithitsaitches。
"YouaskforEmma。She’llsayagoodwordforme。Shetoldmeso。"
"But,mygood——"Mr。PeterHope,checkinghimself,soughtagaintheassistanceofhisglasses。Theglassesbeingunabletodecidethepoint,theirownerhadtoputthequestionbluntly:
"Areyouaboyoragirl?"
"Idunno。"
"Youdon’tknow!"
"What’sthedifference?"
Mr。PeterHopestoodup,andtakingthestrangefigurebytheshoulders,turneditroundslowlytwice,apparentlyundertheimpressionthattheprocessmightaffordtohimsomeclue。Butitdidnot。
"Whatisyourname?"
"Tommy。"
"Tommywhat?"
"Anythingyoulike。Idunno。I’vehadsomanyof’em。"
"Whatdoyouwant?Whathaveyoucomefor?"
"You’reMr。Hope,ain’tyou,secondfloor,16,GoughSquare?"
"Thatismyname。"
"Youwantsomebodytodoforyou?"
"Youmeanahousekeeper!"
"Didn’tsayanythingabouthousekeeper。Saidyouwantedsomebodytodoforyou——cookandcleantheplaceup。Heard’emtalkingaboutitintheshopthisafternoon。OldladyingreenbonnetwasaskingMotherHammondifsheknewofanyone。"
"Mrs。Postwhistle——yes,Ididaskhertolookoutforsomeoneforme。Why,doyouknowofanyone?Haveyoubeensentbyanybody?"
"Youdon’twantanythingtoo’laborateinthewayo’cooking?Youwasasimpleoldchap,sotheysaid;notmuchtrouble。"
"No——no。Idon’twantmuch——someonecleanandrespectable。Butwhycouldn’tshecomeherself?Whoisit?"
"Well,what’swrongaboutme?"
"Ibegyourpardon,"saidMr。PeterHope。
"Whywon’tIdo?Icanmakebedsandcleanrooms——allthatsorto’
thing。Asforcooking,I’vegotanaturalaptitudeforit。YouaskEmma;she’lltellyou。Youdon’twantnothing’laborate?"
"Elizabeth,"saidMr。PeterHope,ashecrossedand,takingupthepoker,proceededtostirthefire,"areweawakeorasleep?"
Elizabeththusappealedto,raisedherselfonherhindlegsanddugherclawsintohermaster’sthigh。Mr。Hope’strousersbeingthin,itwasthemostpracticalanswershecouldhavegivenhim。
"Donealotoflookingafterotherpeoplefortheirbenefit,"
continuedTommy。"Don’tseewhyIshouldn’tdoitformyown。"
"Mydear——IdowishIknewwhetheryouwereaboyoragirl。DoyouseriouslysuggestthatIshouldengageyouasmyhousekeeper?"
askedMr。PeterHope,nowuprightwithhisbacktothefire。
"I’ddoforyouallright,"persistedTommy。"Yougivememygrubandashake—downand,say,sixpenceaweek,andI’llgrumblelessthanmostof’em。"
"Don’tberidiculous,"saidMr。PeterHope。
"Youwon’ttryme?"
"Ofcoursenot;youmustbemad。"
"Allright。Noharmdone。"Thedirtyhandreachedouttowardsthedesk,andpossessingitselfagainofHammond’sBillofFare,commencedtheoperationsnecessaryforbearingitawayinsafety。
"Here’sashillingforyou,"saidMr。PeterHope。
"Rathernot,"saidTommy。"Thanksallthesame。"
"Nonsense!"saidMr。PeterHope。
"Rathernot,"repeatedTommy。"Neverknowwherethatsortofthingmayleadyouto。"
"Allright,"saidMr。PeterHope,replacingthecoininhispocket。
"Don’t!"
Thefiguremovedtowardsthedoor。
"Waitaminute。Waitaminute,"saidMr。PeterHopeirritably。
Thefigure,withitshanduponthedoor,stoodstill。
"AreyougoingbacktoHammond’s?"
"No。I’vefinishedthere。Onlytookmeonforacoupleo’weeks,whileoneofthegalswasill。Shecamebackthismorning。"
"Whoareyourpeople?"
Tommyseemedpuzzled。"Whatd’yemean?"
"Well,whomdoyoulivewith?"
"Nobody。"
"You’vegotnobodytolookafteryou——totakecareofyou?"
"Takecareofme!D’yethinkI’mabloomin’kid?"
"Thenwhereareyougoingtonow?"
"Going?Out。"
PeterHope’sirritationwasgrowing。
"Imean,whereareyougoingtosleep?Gotanymoneyforalodging?"
"Yes,I’vegotsomemoney,"answeredTommy。"ButIdon’tthinkmucho’lodgings。Notaparticularniceclassasyoumeetthere。
Ishallsleepoutto—night。’Tain’training。"
Elizabethutteredapiercingcry。
"Servesyouright!"growledPetersavagely。"Howcananyonehelptreadingonyouwhenyouwillgetjustbetweenone’slegs。Toldyouofitahundredtimes。"
ThetruthofthematterwasthatPeterwasbecomingveryangrywithhimself。Fornoreasonwhatever,ashetoldhimself,hismemorywouldpersistinwanderingtoIlfordCemetery,inacertaindesolatecornerofwhichlayafragilelittlewomanwhoselungshadbeenbutilladaptedtobreathingLondonfogs;with,onthetopofher,astillsmallerandstillmorefragilemiteofhumanitythat,incomplimenttoitsonlyrelativeworthapenny—piece,hadbeenchristenedThomas——anamecommonenoughinallconscience,asPeterhadremindedhimselfmorethanonce。Inthenameofcommonsense,whathaddeadandburiedTommyHopetodowiththisaffair?Thewholethingwastheveriestsentiment,andsentimentwasMr。PeterHope’sabomination。Hadhenotpennedarticlesinnumerablepointingoutitsbanefulinfluenceupontheage?Hadhenotalwayscondemnedit,whereverhehadcomeacrossitinplayorbook?NowandthenthesuspicionhadcrossedPeter’smindthat,inspiteofallthis,hewassomewhatofasentimentalisthimself——thingshadsuggestedthistohim。Thefearhadalwaysmadehimsavage。
"YouwaitheretillIcomeback,"hegrowled,seizingtheastonishedTommybytheworstedcomforterandspinningitintothecentreoftheroom。"Sitdown,anddon’tyoudaretomove。"AndPeterwentoutandslammedthedoorbehindhim。
"Bitoffhischump,ain’the?"remarkedTommytoElizabeth,asthesoundofPeter’sdescendingfootstepsdiedaway。PeoplehadawayofaddressingremarkstoElizabeth。Somethinginhermannerinvitedthis。
"Oh,well,it’sallintheday’swork,"commentedTommycheerfully,andsatdownasbid。
Fiveminutespassed,maybeten。ThenPeterreturned,accompaniedbyalarge,restfullady,towhomsurprise——onefeltitinstinctively——hadalwaysbeen,andalwayswouldremain,anunknownquantity。
Tommyrose。
"That’sthe——thearticle,"explainedPeter。
Mrs。Postwhistlecompressedherlipsandslightlytossedherhead。
Itwastheattitudeofnotill—naturedcontemptfromwhichsheregardedmosthumanaffairs。
"That’sright,"saidMrs。Postwhistle;"Irememberseeing’erthere——leastways,itwasan’errightenoughthen。What’aveyoudonewithyourclothes?"
"Theyweren’tmine,"explainedTommy。"TheywerethingswhatMrs。
Hammondhadlentme。"
"Isthatyourown?"askedMrs。Postwhistle,indicatingthebluesilkgaribaldi。
"Yes。"
"Whatwentwithit?"
"Tights。Theyweretoofargone。"
"WhatmadeyougiveupthetumblingbusinessandgotoMrs。
’Ammond’s?"
"Itgavemeup。Hurtmyself。"
"Whowereyouwithlast?"
"Martinitroupe。"
"Andbeforethat?"
"Oh!heapsof’em。"
"Nobodyevertoldyouwhetheryouwasaboyoragirl?"
"NobodyasI’dcaretobelieve。Someofthemcalledmetheone,someofthemtheother。Itdependeduponwhatwaswanted。"
"Howoldareyou?"
"Idunno。"
Mrs。PostwhistleturnedtoPeter,whowasjinglingkeys。
"Well,there’sthebedupstairs。It’sforyoutodecide。"
"WhatIdon’twanttodo,"explainedPeter,sinkinghisvoicetoaconfidentialwhisper,"istomakeafoolofmyself。"
"That’salwaysagoodrule,"agreedMrs。Postwhistle,"forthosetowhomit’spossible。"
"Anyhow,"saidPeter,"onenightcan’tdoanyharm。To—morrowwecanthinkwhat’stobedone。"
"To—morrow"hadalwaysbeenPeter’sluckyday。Atthemerementionofthemagicdatehisspiritsinvariablyrose。HenowturneduponTommyacountenancefromwhichallhesitationwasbanished。
"Verywell,Tommy,"saidMr。PeterHope,"youcansleephereto—
night。GowithMrs。Postwhistle,andshe’llshowyouyourroom。"
Theblackeyesshone。
"You’regoingtogivemeatrial?"
"We’lltalkaboutallthatto—morrow。"Theblackeyesclouded。
"Lookhere。Itellyoustraight,itain’tnogood。"
"Whatdoyoumean?Whatisn’tanygood?"demandedPeter。
"You’llwanttosendmetoprison。"
"Toprison!"
"Oh,yes。You’llcallitaschool,Iknow。Youain’tthefirstthat’striedthaton。Itwon’twork。"Thebright,blackeyeswereflashingpassionately。"Iain’tdoneanyharm。I’mwillingtowork。Icankeepmyself。Ialwayshave。What’sitgottodowithanybodyelse?"
Hadthebright,blackeyesretainedtheirexpressionofpassionatedefiance,PeterHopemighthaveretainedhiscommonsense。OnlyFatearrangedthatinsteadtheyshouldsuddenlyfillwithwildtears。AndatsightofthemPeter’scommonsensewentoutoftheroomdisgusted,andtherewasbornthehistoryofmanythings。
"Don’tbesilly,"saidPeter。"Youdidn’tunderstand。OfcourseI’mgoingtogiveyouatrial。You’regoingto’do’forme。I
merelymeantthatwe’dleavethedetailstillto—morrow。Come,housekeepersdon’tcry。"
Thelittlewetfacelookedup。
"Youmeanit?Honourbright?"
"Honourbright。Nowgoandwashyourself。Thenyoushallgetmemysupper。"
Theoddfigure,stillheavingfromitsparoxysmofsobs,stoodup。
"AndIhavemygrub,mylodging,andsixpenceaweek?"
"Yes,yes;Ithinkthat’safairarrangement,"agreedMr。PeterHope,considering。"Don’tyou,Mrs。Postwhistle?"
"Withafrock——orasuitoftrousers——thrownin,"suggestedMrs。
Postwhistle。"It’sgenerallydone。"
"Ifit’sthecustom,certainly,"agreedMr。PeterHope。"Sixpenceaweekandclothes。"
AndthistimeitwasPeterthat,incompanywithElizabeth,satwaitingthereturnofTommy。
"Iratherhope,"saidPeter,"it’saboy。Itwasthefogs,youknow。IfonlyIcouldhaveaffordedtosendhimaway!"
Elizabethlookedthoughtful。Thedooropened。
"Ah!that’sbetter,muchbetter,"saidMr。PeterHope。"’Ponmyword,youlookquiterespectable。"
BythepracticalMrs。Postwhistleaworkingagreement,benefitingbothparties,hadbeenarrivedatwiththelong—trainedskirt;
whileanampleshawlarrangedwithjudgmentdisguisedthenakednessthatlaybelow。Peter,afastidiousgentleman,observedwithsatisfactionthatthehands,nowclean,hadbeenwellcaredfor。
"Givemethatcap,"saidPeter。Hethrewitintheglowingfire。
Itburnedbrightly,diffusingstrangeodours。
"There’satravellingcapofminehangingupinthepassage。Youcanwearthatforthepresent。Takethishalf—sovereignandgetmesomecoldmeatandbeerforsupper。You’llfindeverythingelseyouwantinthatsideboardorelseinthekitchen。Don’taskmeahundredquestions,anddon’tmakeanoise,"andPeterwentbacktohiswork。
"Goodidea,thathalf—sovereign,"saidPeter。"Shan’tbebotheredwith’MasterTommy’anymore,don’texpect。Startinganurseryatourtimeoflife。Madness。"Peter’spenscratchedandspluttered。
Elizabethkeptaneyeuponthedoor。
"Quarterofanhour,"saidPeter,lookingathiswatch。"Toldyouso。"ThearticleonwhichPeterwasnowengagedappearedtobeofaworryingnature。
"Thenwhy,"saidPeter,"whydidherefusethatshilling?
Artfulness,"concludedPeter,"pureartfulness。Elizabeth,oldgirl,we’vegotoutofthisbusinesscheaply。Goodidea,thathalf—sovereign。"PetergaveventtoachucklethathadtheeffectofalarmingElizabeth。
ButluckevidentlywasnotwithPeterthatnight。
"Pingle’swassoldout,"explainedTommy,enteringwithparcels;
"hadtogotoBow’sinFarringdonStreet。"
"Oh!"saidPeter,withoutlookingup。
Tommypassedthroughintothelittlekitchenbehind。Peterwroteonrapidly,makingupforlosttime。
"Good!"murmuredPeter,smilingtohimself,"that’saneatphrase。
Thatoughttoirritatethem。"
Now,ashewrote,whilewithnoiselessfootstepsTommy,unseenbehindhim,movedtoandfroandinandoutthelittlekitchen,therecametoPeterHopethisverycuriousexperience:itfelttohimasifforalongtimehehadbeenill——soillasnoteventohavebeenawareofit——andthatnowhewasbeginningtobehimselfagain;consciousnessofthingsreturningtohim。Thissolidlyfurnished,long,oak—panelledroomwithitsairofold—worlddignityandrepose——thissober,kindlyroominwhichformorethanhalfhislifehehadlivedandworked——whyhadheforgottenit?Itcameforwardgreetinghimwithanamusedsmile,asofsomeoldfriendlongpartedfrom。Thefadedphotos,instiff,woodenframesuponthechimney—piece,amongthemthatofthefragilelittlewomanwiththeunadaptablelungs。
"Godblessmysoul!"saidMr。PeterHope,pushingbackhischair。
"It’sthirtyyearsago。Howtimedoesfly!Why,letmesee,I
mustbe——"
"D’youlikeitwithaheadonit?"demandedTommy,whohadbeenwaitingpatientlyforsigns。
Petershookhimselfawakeandwenttohissupper。
AbrightideaoccurredtoPeterinthenight。"Ofcourse;whydidn’tIthinkofitbefore?Settlethequestionatonce。"Peterfellintoaneasysleep。
"Tommy,"saidPeter,ashesathimselfdowntobreakfastthenextmorning。"By—the—by,"askedPeterwithapuzzledexpression,puttingdownhiscup,"whatisthis?"
"Cauffee,"informedhimTommy。"Yousaidcauffee。"
"Oh!"repliedPeter。"Forthefuture,Tommy,ifyoudon’tmind,I
willtaketeaofamorning。"
"Allthesametome,"explainedtheagreeableTommy,"it’syourbreakfast。"
"WhatIwasabouttosay,"continuedPeter,"wasthatyou’renotlookingverywell,Tommy。"
"I’mallright,"assertedTommy;"nevernothingthematterwithme。"
"Notthatyouknowof,perhaps;butonecanbeinaverybadway,Tommy,withoutbeingawareofit。IcannothaveanyoneaboutmethatIamnotsureisinthoroughlysoundhealth。"
"Ifyoumeanyou’vechangedyourmindandwanttogetridofme——"
beganTommy,withitschinintheair。
"Idon’twantanyofyouruppishness,"snappedPeter,whohadwoundhimselfupfortheoccasiontoadegreeofassertivenessthatsurprisedevenhimself。"Ifyouareathoroughlystrongandhealthyperson,asIthinkyouare,Ishallbeverygladtoretainyourservices。ButuponthatpointImustbesatisfied。Itisthecustom,"explainedPeter。"Itisalwaysdoneingoodfamilies。
Runroundtothisaddress"——Peterwroteituponaleafofhisnotebook——"andaskDr。Smithtocomeandseemebeforehebeginshisround。Yougoatonce,anddon’tletushaveanyargument。"
"Thatisthewaytotalktothatyoungperson——clearly,"saidPetertohimself,listeningtoTommy’sfootstepsdyingdownthestairs。
Hearingthestreet—doorslam,Peterstoleintothekitchenandbrewedhimselfacupofcoffee。
Dr。Smith,whohadcommencedlifeasHerrSchmidt,butwhoinconsequenceofdifferenceofopinionwithhisGovernmentwasnowanEnglishmanwithstrongToryprejudices,hadbutonesorrow:itwasthatstrangerswouldmistakehimforaforeigner。Hewasshortandstout,withbushyeyebrowsandagreymoustache,andlookedsofiercethatchildrencriedwhentheysawhim,untilhepattedthemontheheadandaddressedthemas"meinleedlefrent"inavoicesosoftandtenderthattheyhadtoleaveoffhowlingjusttowonderwhereitcamefrom。HeandPeter,whowasavehementRadical,hadbeencroniesformanyyears,andhadeachanindulgentcontemptfortheother’sunderstanding,temperedbyasincereaffectionforoneanothertheywouldhavefounditdifficulttoaccountfor。
"Whattinkyouisdematterwiddeleedlewench?"demandedDr。
Smith,Peterhavingopenedthecase。Peterglancedroundtheroom。
Thekitchendoorwasclosed。
"Howdoyouknowit’sawench?"
Theeyesbeneaththebushybrowsgrewrounder。"Ifidisnotawench,whydressit——"
"Haven’tdressedit,"interruptedPeter。"JustwhatI’mwaitingtodo——sosoonasIknow。"
AndPeterrecountedtheeventsoftheprecedingevening。
Tearsgatheredinthedoctor’ssmall,roundeyes。HisabsurdsentimentalismwasthequalityinhisfriendthatmostirritatedPeter。
"Poorleedlewaif!"murmuredthesoft—heartedoldgentleman。"IdwasdegoodProvidencedatguidedher——orhim,whicheveridbe。"
"Providencebehanged!"snarledPeter。"WhatwasmyProvidencedoing——landingmewithagutter—brattolookafter?"
"SolikeyouRadicals,"sneeredthedoctor,"todespiseafellowhumancreaturejustbecauseidmaynothavebeenborninburbleandfinelinen。"
"Ididn’tsendforyoutoarguepolitics,"retortedPeter,controllinghisindignationbyaneffort。"Iwantyoutotellmewhetherit’saboyoragirl,sothatImayknowwhattodowithit。"
"Whatmeanyoutodowidid?"inquiredthedoctor。
"Idon’tknow,"confessedPeter。"Ifit’saboy,asIratherthinkitis,maybeI’llbeabletofinditaplaceinoneoftheoffices—
—afterI’vetaughtitalittlecivilisation。"
"Andifidbeagirl?"
"Howcanitbeagirlwhenitwearstrousers?"demandedPeter。
"Whyanticipatedifficulties?"
Peter,alone,pacedtoandfrotheroom,hishandsbehindhisback,hisearonthealerttocatchtheslightestsoundfromabove。
"Idohopeitisaboy,"saidPeter,glancingup。
Peter’seyesrestedonthephotoofthefragilelittlewomangazingdownathimfromitsstiffframeuponthechimney—piece。Thirtyyearsago,inthissameroom,Peterhadpacedtoandfro,hishandsbehindhisback,hisearalerttocatchtheslightestsoundfromabove,hadsaidtohimselfthesamewords。
"It’sodd,"musedPeter——"veryoddindeed。"
Thedooropened。Thestoutdoctor,precededatalittledistancebyhiswatch—chain,enteredandclosedthedoorbehindhim。
"Averyhealthychild,"saidthedoctor,"asfineachildasanyonecouldwishtosee。Agirl。"
Thetwooldgentlemenlookedatoneanother。Elizabeth,possiblyrelievedinhermind,begantopurr。
"WhatamItodowithit?"demandedPeter。
"Averyawkwardbositionforyou,"agreedthesympatheticdoctor。
"Iwasafool!"declaredPeter。
"Youhafnooneheretolookafterdeleedlewenchwhenyouareaway,"pointedoutthethoughtfuldoctor。
"AndfromwhatI’veseenoftheimp,"addedPeter,"itwillwantsomelookingafter。"
"Itink——Itink,"saidthehelpfuldoctor,"Iseeawayout!"
"What?"
Thedoctorthrusthisfiercefaceforwardandtappedknowinglywithhisrightforefingertherightsideofhisroundnose。"Iwilltakechargeofdeleedlewench。"
"You?"
"Tomedecasewillnotpresentdesamedifficulties。Ihafahousekeeper。"
"Oh,yes,Mrs。Whateley。"
"Sheisagootwomanwhenyouknowher,"explainedthedoctor。
"Sheonlywantsmanaging。"
"Pooh!"ejaculatedPeter。
"Whydoyousaydat?"inquiredthedoctor。
"You!bringingupaheadstronggirl。Theidea!"
"Ishouldbekind,butfirm。"
"Youdon’tknowher。"
"Howlonghafyouknownher?"
"Anyhow,I’mnotasoft—heartedsentimentalistthatwouldjustruinthechild。"
"Girlsarenotboys,"persistedthedoctor;"deywantdifferenttreatment。"
"Well,I’mnotabrute!"snarledPeter。"Besides,supposesheturnsoutrubbish!Whatdoyouknowabouther?"
"Itakemychance,"agreedthegenerousdoctor。
"Itwouldn’tbefair,"retortedhonestPeter。
"Tinkitover,"saidthedoctor。"Aplaceisneverhomewidoutdeleedlefeet。WeEnglishmenlovedehome。Youaredifferent。Youhafnosentiment。"
"Icannothelpfeeling,"explainedPeter,"asenseofdutyinthismatter。Thechildcametome。Itisasifthisthinghadbeenlaiduponme。"
"Ifyoulookuponiddatway,Peter,"sighedthedoctor。
"Withsentiment,"wentonPeter,"Ihavenothingtodo;butduty——
dutyisquiteanotherthing。"Peter,feelinghimselfanancientRoman,thankedthedoctorandshookhandswithhim。
Tommy,summoned,appeared。
"Thedoctor,Tommy,"saidPeter,withoutlookingupfromhiswriting,"givesaverysatisfactoryaccountofyou。Soyoucanstop。"
"Toldyouso,"returnedTommy。"Mighthavesavedyourmoney。"
"Butweshallhavetofindyouanothername。"
"Whatfor?"
"Ifyouaretobeahousekeeper,youmustbeagirl。"
"Don’tlikegirls。"
"Can’tsayIthinkmuchofthemmyself,Tommy。Wemustmakethebestofit。Tobeginwith,wemustgetyouproperclothes。"
"Hateskirts。Theyhamperyou。"
"Tommy,"saidPeterseverely,"don’targue。"
"Pointingoutfactsain’targuing,"arguedTommy。"Theydohamperyou。Youtry’em。"
Theclotheswerequicklymade,andafterawhiletheycametofit;
butthenameprovedmoredifficultofadjustment。Asweet—faced,laughinglady,knowntofamebyatitlerespectableandorthodox,appearsanhonouredguestto—dayatmanyaliterarygathering。Buttheoldfellows,pressinground,stillcallher"Tommy。"
Theweek’strialcametoanend。Peter,whosedigestionwasdelicate,hadhadahappythought。
"WhatIpropose,Tommy——ImeanJane,"saidPeter,"isthatweshouldgetinawomantodojustthemerecooking。Thatwillgiveyoumoretimeto——toattendtootherthings,Tommy——Jane,Imean。"
"Whatotherthings?"chinintheair。
"The——thekeepingoftheroomsinorder,Tommy。The——thedusting。"
"Don’twanttwenty—fourhoursadaytodustfourrooms。"
"Thentherearemessages,Tommy。ItwouldbeagreatadvantagetometohavesomeoneIcouldsendonamessagewithoutfeelingIwasinterferingwiththehousework。"
"Whatareyoudrivingat?"demandedTommy。"Why,Idon’thavehalfenoughtodoasitis。Icandoall——"
Peterputhisfootdown。"WhenIsayathing,Imeanathing。Thesooneryouunderstandthat,thebetter。Howdareyouarguewithme!Fiddle—de—dee!"FortwopinsPeterwouldhaveemployedanexpletiveevenstronger,sodeterminedwashefeeling。
Tommywithoutanotherwordlefttheroom。PeterlookedatElizabethandwinked。
PoorPeter!Histriumphwasshort—lived。Fiveminuteslater,Tommyreturned,cladinthelong,blackskirt,supportedbythecricketbelt,thebluegaribaldicutdecollete,thepepper—and—saltjacket,theworstedcomforter,theredlipsverytightlypressed,thelonglashesovertheblackeyesmovingveryrapidly。
"Tommy"(severely),"whatisthistomfoolery?"
"Iunderstand。Iain’tnogoodtoyou。Thanksforgivingmeatrial。Myfault。"
"Tommy"(lessseverely),"don’tbeanidiot。"
"Ain’tanidiot。’TwasEmma。ToldmeIwasgoodatcooking。SaidI’dgotanaptitudeforit。Shemeantwell。"
"Tommy"(notraceofseverity),"sitdown。Emmawasquiteright。
Yourcookingis——ispromising。AsEmmaputsit,youhaveaptitude。
Your——perseverance,yourhopefulnessprovesit。"
"Thenwhyd’yewanttogetsomeoneelseintodoit?"
IfPetercouldhaveansweredtruthfully!IfPetercouldhavereplied:
"Mydear,Iamalonelyoldgentleman。Ididnotknowituntil——
untiltheotherday。NowIcannotforgetitagain。Wifeandchilddiedmanyyearsago。Iwaspoor,orImighthavesavedthem。Thatmademehard。Theclockofmylifestoodstill。Ihidawaythekey。Ididnotwanttothink。Youcrepttomeoutofthecruelfog,awakenedolddreams。Donotgoawayanymore"——perhapsTommy,inspiteofherfierceindependence,wouldhaveconsentedtobeuseful;andthusPetermighthavegainedhisendatlesscostofindigestion。Butthepenaltyforbeingananti—sentimentalististhatyoumustnottalklikethiseventoyourself。SoPeterhadtocastaboutforothermethods。
"Whyshouldn’tIkeeptwoservantsifIlike?"Itdidseemhardontheoldgentleman。
"What’sthesenseofpayingtwotodotheworkofone?Youwouldonlybekeepingmeonoutofcharity。"Theblackeyesflashed。"I
ain’tabeggar。"
"Andyoureallythink,Tommy——IshouldsayJane,youcanmanagethe——thewholeofit?Youwon’tmindbeingsentonamessage,perhapsintheverymiddleofyourcooking。ItwasthatIwasthinkingof,Tommy——somecookswould。"
"Yougoeasy,"advisedhimTommy,"tillIcomplainofhavingtoomuchtodo。"
Peterreturnedtohisdesk。Elizabethlookedup。ItseemedtoPeterthatElizabethwinked。
ThefortnightthatfollowedwasaperiodoftroubletoPeter,forTommy,hersuspicionshavingbeenaroused,wasscepticalof"business"demandingthatPetershoulddinewiththismanattheclub,lunchwiththiseditorattheCheshireCheese。Atoncethechinwouldgoupintotheair,theblackeyescloudthreateningly。
Peter,anunmarriedmanforthirtyyears,lackingexperience,wouldundercross—examinationcontradicthimself,becomeconfused,breakdownoveressentialpoints。
"Really,"grumbledPetertohimselfoneevening,sawingatamuttonchop,"reallythere’snootherwordforit——I’mhenpecked。"
Peterthatdayhadlookedforwardtoalittledinneratafavouriterestaurant,withhis"dearoldfriendBlenkinsopp,abitofagourmet,Tommy——thatmeansamanwholikeswhatyouwouldcallelaboratecooking!"——forgetfulatthemomentthathehadusedup"Blenkinsopp"threedaysbeforeforafarewellsupper,"Blenkinsopp"havingtosetoutthenextmorningforEgypt。Peterwasnotfacileatinvention。Namesinparticularhadalwaysbeenadifficultytohim。
"Ilikeaspiritofindependence,"continuedPetertohimself。
"Wishshehadn’tquitesomuchofit。Wonderwhereshegotitfrom。"
ThesituationwasbecomingmoreserioustoPeterthanhecaredtoadmit。Fordaybyday,inspiteofhertyrannies,TommywasgrowingmoreandmoreindispensabletoPeter。TommywasthefirstaudiencethatforthirtyyearshadlaughedatPeter’sjokes;TommywasthefirstpublicthatforthirtyyearshadbeenconvincedthatPeterwasthemostbrilliantjournalistinFleetStreet;TommywasthefirstanxietythatforthirtyyearshadrendereditneedfulthatPetereachnightshouldmountstealthilythecreakingstairs,stealwithshadedcandletoabedside。IfonlyTommywouldn’t"do"
forhim!Ifonlyshecouldbepersuadedto"do"somethingelse。
AnotherhappythoughtoccurredtoPeter。
"Tommy——ImeanJane,"saidPeter,"IknowwhatI’lldowithyou。"
"What’sthegamenow?"
"I’llmakeajournalistofyou。"
"Don’ttalkrot。"
"Itisn’trot。Besides,Iwon’thaveyouanswermelikethat。AsaDevil——thatmeans,Tommy,theunseenpersoninthebackgroundthathelpsajournalisttodohiswork——youwouldbeinvaluabletome。Itwouldpayme,Tommy——paymeveryhandsomely。Ishouldmakemoneyoutofyou。"
ThisappearedtobeanargumentthatTommyunderstood。Peter,withsecretdelight,noticedthatthechinretaineditsnormallevel。
"Ididhelpachaptosellpapers,once,"rememberedTommy;"hesaidIwasflyatit。"
"Itoldyouso,"exclaimedPetertriumphantly。"Themethodsaredifferent,buttheinstinctrequiredisthesame。Wewillgetawomanintorelieveyouofthehousework。"
Thechinshotupintotheair。
"Icoulddoitinmysparetime。"
"Yousee,Tommy,Ishouldwantyoutogoaboutwithme——tobealwayswithme。"
"Bettertrymefirst。Maybeyou’remakinganerror。"
Peterwaslearningthewisdomoftheserpent。
"Quiteright,Tommy。Wewillfirstseewhatyoucando。Perhaps,afterall,itmayturnoutthatyouarebetterasacook。"InhisheartPeterdoubtedthis。
Buttheseedhadfallenupongoodground。ItwasTommyherselfthatmanoeuvredherfirstessayinjournalism。AgreatmanhadcometoLondon——wasstayinginapartmentsespeciallypreparedforhiminSt。James’sPalace。SaideveryjournalistinLondontohimself:"IfIcouldobtainaninterviewwiththisBigMan,whatabigthingitwouldbeforme!"Foraweekpast,Peterhadcarriedeverywhereaboutwithhimapaperheaded:"InterviewofOurSpecialCorrespondentwithPrinceBlank,"questionsdownleft—handcolumn,verynarrow;spaceforanswersright—handside,verywide。
ButtheBigManwasexperienced。
"Iwonder,"saidPeter,spreadingtheneatlyfoldedpaperonthedeskbeforehim,"Iwonderiftherecanbeanywayofgettingathim——anydodgeortrick,anypieceoflowcunning,anyplausibleliethatIhaven’tthoughtof。"
"OldManMartin——calledhimselfMartini——wasjustsuchanother,"
commentedTommy。"Comepaytime,Saturdayafternoon,youjustcouldn’tgetathim——simplywasn’tanyway。Iwasabittoogoodforhimonce,though,"rememberedTommy,withatouchofprideinhervoice;"gothalfaquidoutofhimthattime。Itdidsurprisehim。"
"No,"communedPetertohimselfaloud,"Idon’thonestlythinktherecanbeanymethod,creditableordiscreditable,thatI
haven’ttried。"Peterflungtheone—sidedinterviewintothewastepaper—basket,andslippinghisnotebookintohispocket,departedtodrinkteawithaladynovelist,whosegreatdesire,asstatedinapostscripttoherinvitation,wastoavoidpublicity,ifpossible。
Tommy,assoonasPeter’sbackwasturned,fisheditoutagain。
AnhourlaterinthefogaroundSt。James’sPalacestoodanImp,cladinpatchedtrousersandapepper—and—saltjacketturnedupabouttheneck,gazingwithadmiringeyesuponthesentry。
"Now,then,youngseventeen—and—sixpencethesoot,"saidthesentry,"whatdoyouwant?"
"Makesyouabitanxious,don’tit,"suggestedtheImp,"havingabigpotlikehimtolookafter?"
"Doesgetabitonyermind,ifyerthinksaboutit,"agreedthesentry。
"Howdoyoufindhimtotalkto,like?"
"Well,"saidthesentry,bringinghisrightlegintoactionforthepurposeofrelievinghisleft,"ain’t’admuchtodowith’immyself,notperson’ly,asyet。Oh,’eain’tabadsortwhenyerknow’im。"
"That’shisshake—down,ain’tit?"askedtheImp,"wherethelightsare。"
"That’sit,"admittedsentry。"Youain’tanAnarchist?Tellmeifyouare。"
"I’llletyouknowifIfeelitcomingon,"theImpassuredhim。
Hadthesentrybeenamanofswiftandpenetratingobservation——
whichhewasn’t——hemighthaveaskedthequestioninmoreseriousatone。ForhewouldhaveremarkedthattheImp’sblackeyeswererestinglovinglyuponarain—water—pipe,givingtoaskilfulclimbereasyaccesstotheterraceunderneaththePrince’swindows。
"Iwouldliketoseehim,"saidtheImp。
"Friendo’yours?"askedthesentry。
"Well,notexactly,"admittedtheImp。"Butthere,youknow,everybody’stalkingabouthimdownourstreet。"
"Well,yer’ll’avetobequickaboutit,"saidthesentry。’E’soffto—night。"
Tommy’sfacefell。"Ithoughtitwasn’ttillFridaymorning。"
"Ah!"saidthesentry,"that’swhatthepaperssay,isit?"Thesentry’svoicetookunconsciouslytheaccentofthosefromwhomnosecretishid。"I’lltellyerwhatyercando,"continuedthesentry,enjoyinganunaccustomedsenseofimportance。Thesentryglancedleft,thenright。"’E’saslippingoffallby’imselfdowntoOsbornebythe6。40fromWaterloo。Nobodyknowsit——’cept,o’
course,justafewofus。That’s’iswayallover。’Ejust’ates—
—"
Afootstepsoundeddownthecorridor。Thesentrybecamestatuesque。
AtWaterloo,Tommyinspectedthe6。40train。Onlyonecompartmentindicatedpossibilities,anextralargeoneattheendofthecoachnexttheguard’svan。Itwaslabelled"Reserved,"andintheplaceoftheusualfittingswasfurnishedwithatableandfoureasy—
chairs。Havingnoticeditsposition,Tommytookawalkuptheplatformanddisappearedintothefog。
Twentyminuteslater,PrinceBlanksteppedhurriedlyacrosstheplatform,unnoticedsavebyhalfadozenobsequiousofficials,andenteredthecompartmentreservedforhim。Theobsequiousofficialsbowed。PrinceBlank,inmilitaryfashion,raisedhishand。The6。40steamedoutslowly。
PrinceBlank,whowasastoutgentleman,thoughhetriedtodisguisethefact,seldomfoundhimselfalone。Whenhedid,hegenerallyindulgedhimselfinalittlehealthyrelaxation。Withtwohours’runtoSouthamptonbeforehim,freefromallpossibilityofintrusion,PrinceBlankletloosethebuttonsofhispowerfullybuiltwaistcoat,restedhisbaldheadonthetopofhischair,stretchedhisgreatlegsacrossanother,andclosedhisterrible,smalleyes。
ForaninstantitseemedtoPrinceBlankthatadraughthadenteredintothecarriage。As,however,thesensationimmediatelypassedaway,hedidnottroubletowakeup。ThenthePrincedreamedthatsomebodywasinthecarriagewithhim——wassittingoppositetohim。
Thisbeinganannoyingsortofdream,thePrinceopenedhiseyesforthepurposeofdispellingit。Therewassomebodysittingoppositetohim——averygrimylittleperson,wipingbloodoffitsfaceandhandswithadingyhandkerchief。HadthePrincebeenamancapableofsurprise,hewouldhavebeensurprised。
"It’sallright,"assuredhimTommy。"Iain’theretodoanyharm。
第1章