Read Complete Works of Wilkie Collins Online
Authors: Wilkie Collins
“Say they loved me, Francine — and I loved them.”
“Ah, my position is just the reverse of yours. Now they have got rid of me, they don’t want me back again at home. I know as well what my mother said to my father, as if I had heard her. ‘Francine will never get on at school, at her age. Try her, by all means; but make some other arrangement with Miss Ladd in case of a failure — or she will be returned on our hands like a bad shilling.’ There is my mother, my anxious, affectionate mother, hit off to a T.”
“She
is
your mother, Francine; don’t forget that.”
“Oh, no; I won’t forget it. My cat is my kitten’s mother — there! there! I won’t shock your sensibilities. Let us get back to matter of fact. When I begin my new life, Miss Ladd makes one condition. My maid is to be a model of discretion — an elderly woman, not a skittish young person who will only encourage me. I must submit to the elderly woman, or I shall be sent back to the West Indies after all. How long did Mrs. Ellmother live with your aunt?”
“Twenty-five years, and more.’
“Good heavens, it’s a lifetime! Why isn’t this amazing creature living with you, now your aunt is dead? Did you send her away?”
“Certainly not.”
“Then why did she go?”
“I don’t know.”
“Do you mean that she went away without a word of explanation?”
“Yes; that is exactly what I mean.”
“When did she go? As soon as your aunt was dead?”
“That doesn’t matter, Francine.”
“In plain English, you won’t tell me? I am all on fire with curiosity — and that’s how you put me out! My dear, if you have the slightest regard for me, let us have the woman in here when she comes back for her answer. Somebody must satisfy me. I mean to make Mrs. Ellmother explain herself.”
“I don’t think you will succeed, Francine.”
“Wait a little, and you will see. By-the-by, it is understood that my new position at the school gives me the privilege of accepting invitations. Do you know any nice people to whom you can introduce me?”
“I am the last person in the world who has a chance of helping you,” Emily answered. “Excepting good Doctor Allday — ” On the point of adding the name of Alban Morris, she checked herself without knowing why, and substituted the name of her school-friend. “And not forgetting Cecilia,” she resumed, “I know nobody.”
“Cecilia’s a fool,” Francine remarked gravely; “but now I think of it, she may be worth cultivating. Her father is a member of Parliament — and didn’t I hear that he has a fine place in the country? You see, Emily, I may expect to be married (with my money), if I can only get into good society. (Don’t suppose I am dependent on my father; my marriage portion is provided for in my uncle’s will.) Cecilia may really be of some use to me. Why shouldn’t I make a friend of her, and get introduced to her father — in the autumn, you know, when the house is full of company? Have you any idea when she is coming back?”
“No.”
“Do you think of writing to her?”
“Of course!”
“Give her my kind love; and say I hope she enjoys Switzerland.”
“Francine, you are positively shameless! After calling my dearest friend a fool and a glutton, you send her your love for your own selfish ends; and you expect me to help you in deceiving her! I won’t do it.”
“Keep your temper, my child. We are all selfish, you little goose. The only difference is — some of us own it, and some of us don’t. I shall find my own way to Cecilia’s good graces quite easily: the way is through her mouth. You mentioned a certain Doctor Allday. Does he give parties? And do the right sort of men go to them? Hush! I think I hear the bell again. Go to the door, and see who it is.”
Emily waited, without taking any notice of this suggestion. The servant announced that “the person had called again, to know if there was any answer.”
“Show her in here,” Emily said.
The servant withdrew, and came back again.
“The person doesn’t wish to intrude, miss; it will be quite sufficient if you will send a message by me.”
Emily crossed the room to the door.
“Come in, Mrs. Ellmother,” she said. “You have been too long away already. Pray come in.”
Mrs. Ellmother reluctantly entered the room.
Since Emily had seen her last, her personal appearance doubly justified the nickname by which her late mistress had distinguished her. The old servant was worn and wasted; her gown hung loose on her angular body; the big bones of her face stood out, more prominently than ever. She took Emily’s offered hand doubtingly. “I hope I see you well, miss,” she said — with hardly a vestige left of her former firmness of voice and manner.
“I am afraid you have been suffering from illness,” Emily answered gently.
“It’s the life I’m leading that wears me down; I want work and change.”
Making that reply, she looked round, and discovered Francine observing her with undisguised curiosity. “You have got company with you,” she said to Emily. “I had better go away, and come back another time.”
Francine stopped her before she could open the door. “You mustn’t go away; I wish to speak to you.”
“About what, miss?”
The eyes of the two women met — one, near the end of her life, concealing under a rugged surface a nature sensitively affectionate and incorruptibly true: the other, young in years, with out the virtues of youth, hard in manner and hard at heart. In silence on either side, they stood face to face; strangers brought together by the force of circumstances, working inexorably toward their hidden end.
Emily introduced Mrs. Ellmother to Francine. “It may be worth your while,” she hinted, “to hear what this young lady has to say.”
Mrs. Ellmother listened, with little appearance of interest in anything that a stranger might have to say: her eyes rested on the card which contained her written request to Emily. Francine, watching her closely, understood what was passing in her mind. It might be worth while to conciliate the old woman by a little act of attention. Turning to Emily, Francine pointed to the card lying on the table. “You have not attended yet to Mr. Ellmother’s request,” she said.
Emily at once assured Mrs. Ellmother that the request was granted. “But is it wise,” she asked, “to go out to service again, at your age?”
“I have been used to service all my life, Miss Emily — that’s one reason. And service may help me to get rid of my own thoughts — that’s another. If you can find me a situation somewhere, you will be doing me a good turn.”
“Is it useless to suggest that you might come back, and live with me?” Emily ventured to say.
Mrs. Ellmother’s head sank on her breast. “Thank you kindly, miss; it
is
useless.”
“Why is it useless?” Francine asked.
Mrs. Ellmother was silent.
“Miss de Sor is speaking to you,” Emily reminded her.
“Am I to answer Miss de Sor?”
Attentively observing what passed, and placing her own construction on looks and tones, it suddenly struck Francine that Emily herself might be in Mrs. Ellmother’s confidence, and that she might have reasons of her own for assuming ignorance when awkward questions were asked. For the moment at least, Francine decided on keeping her suspicions to herself.
“I may perhaps offer you the employment you want,” she said to Mrs. Ellmother. “I am staying at Brighton, for the present, with the lady who was Miss Emily’s schoolmistress, and I am in need of a maid. Would you be willing to consider it, if I proposed to engage you?”
“Yes, miss.”
“In that case, you can hardly object to the customary inquiry. Why did you leave your last place?”
Mrs. Ellmother appealed to Emily. “Did you tell this young lady how long I remained in my last place?”
Melancholy remembrances had been revived in Emily by the turn which the talk had now taken. Francine’s cat-like patience, stealthily feeling its way to its end, jarred on her nerves. “Yes,” she said; “in justice to you, I have mentioned your long term of service.”
Mrs. Ellmother addressed Francine. “You know, miss, that I served my late mistress for over twenty-five years. Will you please remember that — and let it be a reason for not asking me why I left my place.”
Francine smiled compassionately. “My good creature, you have mentioned the very reason why I
should
ask. You live five-and-twenty years with your mistress — and then suddenly leave her — and you expect me to pass over this extraordinary proceeding without inquiry. Take a little time to think.”
“I want no time to think. What I had in my mind, when I left Miss Letitia, is something which I refuse to explain, miss, to you, or to anybody.”
She recovered some of her old firmness, when she made that reply. Francine saw the necessity of yielding — for the time at least, Emily remained silent, oppressed by remembrance of the doubts and fears which had darkened the last miserable days of her aunt’s illness. She began already to regret having made Francine and Mrs. Ellmother known to each other.
“I won’t dwell on what appears to be a painful subject,” Francine graciously resumed. “I meant no offense. You are not angry, I hope?”
“Sorry, miss. I might have been angry, at one time. That time is over.”
It was said sadly and resignedly: Emily heard the answer. Her heart ached as she looked at the old servant, and thought of the contrast between past and present. With what a hearty welcome this broken woman had been used to receive her in the bygone holiday-time! Her eyes moistened. She felt the merciless persistency of Francine, as if it had been an insult offered to herself. “Give it up!” she said sharply.
“Leave me, my dear, to manage my own business,” Francine replied. “About your qualifications?” she continued, turning coolly to Mrs. Ellmother. “Can you dress hair?”
“Yes.”
“I ought to tell you,” Francine insisted, “that I am very particular about my hair.”
“My mistress was very particular about her hair,” Mrs. Ellmother answered.
“Are you a good needlewoman?”
“As good as ever I was — with the help of my spectacles.”
Francine turned to Emily. “See how well we get on together. We are beginning to understand each other already. I am an odd creature, Mrs. Ellmother. Sometimes, I take sudden likings to persons — I have taken a liking to you. Do you begin to think a little better of me than you did? I hope you will produce the right impression on Miss Ladd; you shall have every assistance that I can give. I will beg Miss Ladd, as a favor to me, not to ask you that one forbidden question.”
Poor Mrs. Ellmother, puzzled by the sudden appearance of Francine in the character of an eccentric young lady, the creature of genial impulse, thought it right to express her gratitude for the promised interference in her favor. “That’s kind of you, miss,” she said.
“No, no, only just. I ought to tell you there’s one thing Miss Ladd is strict about — sweethearts. Are you quite sure,” Francine inquired jocosely, “that you can answer for yourself, in that particular?”
This effort of humour produced its intended effect. Mrs. Ellmother, thrown off her guard, actually smiled. “Lord, miss, what will you say next!”
“My good soul, I will say something next that is more to the purpose. If Miss Ladd asks me why you have so unaccountably refused to be a servant again in this house, I shall take care to say that it is certainly not out of dislike to Miss Emily.”
“You need say nothing of the sort,” Emily quietly remarked.