_Chapter IV_
"My daughter is coming home, Nancy," said Dr Marjoribanks. "You willhave to make preparations for her immediately. So far as I can make outfrom this letter, she will arrive to-morrow by the half-past fivetrain."
"Well, sir," said Nancy, with the tone of a woman who makes the best ofa misfortune, "it ain't every young lady as would have the sense to fixan hour like that. Ladies is terrible tiresome in that way; they'll comein the middle o' the day, when a body don't know in the world what tohave for them; or they'll come at night, when a body's tired, and ain'tgot the heart to go into a supper. There was always a deal of sense inMiss Lucilla, when she hadn't got nothing in her head."
"Just so," said Dr Marjoribanks, who was rather relieved to have gotthrough the announcement so easily. "You will see that her room isready, and everything comfortable; and, of course, to-morrow she and Iwill dine alone."
"Yes, sir," said Nancy; but this assent was not given in the decisivetone of a woman whose audience was over; and then she was seized with adesire to arrange in a more satisfactory manner the cold beef on thesideboard. When she had secured this little interval for thought, shereturned again to the table, where her master ate his breakfast, with apresentiment. "If you please, sir," said Nancy, "not to give you novexation nor trouble, which every one knows as it has been the aim o' mylife to spare you, as has so much on your mind. But it's best to settleafore commencing, and then we needn't have no heartburning. If youplease, am I to take my orders of Miss Lucilla, or of you, as I'vealways been used to? In the missus's time," said Nancy, with modestconfidence, "as was a good missus, and never gave no trouble as long asshe had her soup and her jelly comfortable, it was always you as saidwhat there was to be for dinner. I don't make no objection to doing up anice little luncheon for Miss Lucilla, and giving a little more thoughtnow and again to the sweets; but it ain't my part to tell you, sir, as alady's taste, and more special a young lady's, ain't to be expected tobe the same as yours and mine as has been cultivated like. I'm not oneas likes contention," continued the domestic oracle, "but I couldn'tabear to see a good master put upon; and if it should be as Miss Lucillasets her mind upon messes as ain't got no taste in them, andmilk-puddings and stuff, like the most of the ladies, I'd just like toknow out of your own mouth, afore the commencement, what I'm to do?"
Dr Marjoribanks was so moved by this appeal that he laid down his knifeand contemplated the alarming future with some dismay. "It is to behoped Miss Lucilla will know better," he said. "She has a great deal ofgood sense, and it is to be hoped that she will be wise enough toconsult the tastes of the house."
But the Doctor was not to be let off so easily. "As you say, sir,everything's to be hoped," said Nancy steadily; "but there's a-manyladies as don't seem to me to have got no taste to their mouths; and itain't as if it was a thing that could be left to hopes. Supposin' as itcomes to that, sir, what am I to do?"
"Well," said the Doctor, who was himself a little puzzled, "you knowMiss Lucilla is nineteen, Nancy, and my only child, and the naturalmistress of the house."
"Sir," said Nancy austerely, "them is things as it ain't needful toname; that ain't the question as I was asking. Supposin' as things cometo such a point, what am I to do?"
"Bless me! it's half-past nine," said the Doctor, "and I have anappointment. You can come just as usual when we are at breakfast, thatwill be the best way," he said as he went out at the door, and chuckleda little to himself when he felt he had escaped. "Lucilla is hermother's daughter, it is true," he said to himself when he had got intothe safe seclusion of his brougham, with a degree of doubt in his tonewhich was startling, to say the least of it, from the lips of a medicalman; "but she is my child all the same," he added briskly, withreturning confidence; and in this conviction there was something whichreassured the Doctor. He rubbed his hands as he bowled along to hisappointment, and thought within himself that if she turned out a girl ofspirit, as he expected, it would be good fun to see Lucilla's strugglewith Nancy for the veritable reins of government. If Dr Marjoribanks hadentertained any positive apprehensions that his dinners would be spoiledin consequence, his amusement would have come to an abrupt conclusion;but he trusted entirely in Nancy and a little in Lucilla, and sufferedhis long upper-lip to relax at the thought without much fear.
Her father had not returned from the labours of his long day whenLucilla arrived, but he made his last visits on foot in order to be ableto send the brougham for her, which was a great thing for the Doctor todo. There was, indeed, a mutual respect between the two, who were notnecessary to each other's comfort, it is true, as such near relationssometimes are; but who, at the same time, except on the sole occasion ofMrs Marjoribanks's death, had never misunderstood each other, assometimes happens. This time Miss Marjoribanks was rather pleased, onthe whole, that the Doctor did not come to meet her. At other times shehad been a visitor; now she had come into her kingdom, and had no desireto be received like a guest. A sense of coming home, warmer than sheremembered to have felt before, came into Lucilla's active mind as shestepped into the brougham. Not that the words bore any special tendermeaning, notwithstanding that it was the desire of her heart, well knownto all her friends, to live henceforward as a comfort to dear papa, butthat now at last she was coming into her kingdom, and entering thedomain in which she intended her will to be law. After living for a yearwith friends whose arrangements (much inferior to those which she couldhave made had she had the power) she had to acquiesce in, and whosedomestic economy could only be criticised up to a certain point, it wasnaturally a pleasure to Miss Marjoribanks to feel that now at length shewas emancipated, and at liberty to exercise her faculty. There weretimes during the past year when Lucilla had with difficulty restrainedherself from snatching the reins out of the hands of her hosts, andshowing them how to manage. But, impatient as she was, she had torestrain herself, and make the best of it. Now all that bondage wasover. She felt like a young king entering in secret a capital whichawaits him with acclamations. Before she presented herself to therejoicing public, there were arrangements to be made and things to bedone; and Miss Marjoribanks gave a rapid glance at the shops in GeorgeStreet as she drove past, and decided which of them she meant to honourwith her patronage. When she entered the garden it was with the samerapid glance of reorganising genius that she cast her eyes around it;and still more decided was the look with which she regarded her ownroom, where she was guided by the new housemaid, who did not know MissLucilla. Nancy, who knew no better (being, like most gifted persons, awoman of one idea), had established her young mistress in the littlechamber which had been Lucilla's when she was a child; but MissMarjoribanks, who had no sentimental notions about white dimity, shookher head at the frigid little apartment, where, however, she was not atall sorry to be placed at present; for if Dr Marjoribanks had been a manof the _prevenant_ class, disposed to make all the preparations possiblefor his daughter, and arrange elegant surprises for her, he would havethoroughly disgusted Lucilla, who was bent on making all the necessaryimprovements in her own person. When she went down to the drawing-roomto await her father, Miss Marjoribanks's look of disapprobation wasmingled with so much satisfaction and content in herself that it waspleasant to behold. She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders as shepaused in the centre of the large faded room, where there was no lightbut that of the fire, which burned brightly, and kept up a lively playof glimmer and shadow in the tall glass over the fireplace, and eventwinkled dimly in the three long windows, where the curtains hung stiffand solemn in their daylight form. It was not an uncomfortable sort ofbig, dull, faded, respectable drawing-room; and if there had been afamily in it, with recollections attached to every old ottoman andeasy-chair, no doubt it would have been charming; but it was only awaste and howling wilderness to Lucilla. When she had walked from oneend to the other, and verified all the plans she had already long agoconceived for the embellishment of this inner court and centre of herkingdom, Lucilla walked with her unhesitating step to the fire, and tooka mat
ch and lighted all the candles in the large old-fashionedcandlesticks, which had been flickering in grotesque shadows all overthe roof. This proceeding threw a flood of light on the subject of herconsiderations, and gave Miss Marjoribanks an idea, in passing, aboutthe best mode of lighting, which she afterwards acted upon with greatsuccess. She was standing in this flood of light, regarding everythingaround her with the eye of an enlightened critic and reformer, when DrMarjoribanks came in. Perhaps there arose in the soul of the Doctor amomentary thought that the startling amount of _eclairage_ which hewitnessed was scarcely necessary, for it is certain that he gave amomentary glance at the candles as he went up to greet his daughter; buthe was far too well-bred a man to suggest such an idea at the moment. Onthe contrary, he kissed her with a sentiment of real pleasure, and ownedto himself that, if she was not a fool, and could keep to her owndepartment, it might be rather agreeable on the whole to have a woman inthe house. The sentiment was not enthusiastic, and neither were thewords of his salutation: "Well, Lucilla; so this is you!" said themoderate and unexcited father. "Yes, papa, it is me," said MissMarjoribanks, "and very glad to get home;" and so the two sat down anddiscussed the journey--whether she had been cold, and what state therailway was in--till the Doctor bethought himself that he had to preparefor dinner. "Nancy is always very punctual, and I am sure you arehungry," he said; "so I'll go upstairs, with your permission, Lucilla,and change my coat;" and with this the actual arrival terminated, andthe new reign began.
But it was only next morning that the young sovereign gave anyintimation of her future policy. She had naturally a great deal to tellthat first night; and though it was exclusively herself, and her ownadventures and achievements, which Miss Marjoribanks related, theoccasion of her return made that sufficiently natural; and the Doctorwas not altogether superior to the natural prejudice which makes a maninterested, even when they are not in themselves particularlyinteresting, in the doings of his children. She succeeded in doing whatis certainly one of the first duties of a woman--she amused her father.He followed her to the drawing-room for a marvel, and took a cup of tea,though it was against his principles; and, on the whole, Lucilla had thesatisfaction of feeling that she had made a conquest of the Doctor,which, of course, was the grand and most essential preliminary. In thelittle interval which he spent over his claret, Miss Marjoribanks hadsucceeded in effecting another fundamental duty of woman--she had, asshe herself expressed it, harmonised the rooms, by the simple method ofrearranging half the chairs and covering the tables with trifles of herown--a proceeding which converted the apartment from an abstract Englishdrawing-room of the old school into Miss Marjoribanks's drawing-room, anindividual spot of ground revealing something of the character of itsmistress. The Doctor himself was so moved by this, that he lookedvaguely round when he came in, as if a little doubtful where he was--butthat might only be the effect of the sparkling mass of candles on themantelpiece, which he was too well-bred to remark upon the first night.But it was only in the morning that Lucilla unfolded her standard. Shewas down to breakfast, ready to pour out the coffee, before the Doctorhad left his room. He found her, to his intense amazement, seated at thefoot of the table, in the place which he usually occupied himself,before the urn and the coffee-pot. Dr Marjoribanks hesitated for onemomentous instant, stricken dumb by this unparalleled audacity; but sogreat was the effect of his daughter's courage and steadiness, thatafter that moment of fate he accepted the seat by the side whereeverything was arranged for him, and to which Lucilla invited himsweetly, though not without a touch of mental perturbation. The momenthe had seated himself, the Doctor's eyes were opened to the importanceof the step he had taken. "I am afraid I have taken your seat, papa,"said Miss Marjoribanks, with ingenuous sweetness. "But then I shouldhave had to move the urn, and all the things, and I thought you wouldnot mind." The Doctor said nothing but "Humph!" and even that in anundertone; but he became aware all the same that he had abdicated,without knowing it, and that the reins of state had been smilinglywithdrawn from his unconscious hands.
When Nancy made her appearance the fact became still more apparent,though still in the sweetest way. "It is so dreadful to think papashould have been bothered with all these things so long," said MissMarjoribanks. "After this I am sure you and I, Nancy, can arrange it allwithout giving him the trouble. Perhaps this morning, papa, as I am astranger, you will say if there is anything you would like, and then Ishall have time to talk it all over with Nancy, and find out what isbest,"--and Lucilla smiled so sweetly upon her two amazed subjects thatthe humour of the situation caught the fancy of the Doctor, who had akeen perception of the ridiculous.
He laughed out, much to Nancy's consternation, who was standing by inopen-eyed dismay. "Very well, Lucilla," he said; "you shall try what youcan do. I daresay Nancy will be glad to have me back again before long;but in the meantime I am quite content that you should try," and he wentoff laughing to his brougham, but came back again before Lucilla couldtake Nancy in hand, who was an antagonist more formidable. "I forgot totell you," said the Doctor, "that Tom Marjoribanks is coming on Circuit,and that I have asked him to stay here, as a matter of course. I supposehe'll arrive to-morrow. Good-bye till the evening."
This, though Dr Marjoribanks did not in the least intend it, struckLucilla like a Parthian arrow, and brought her down for the moment. "TomMarjoribanks!" she ejaculated in a kind of horror. "Of all people in theworld, and at this moment!" but when she saw the open eyes and risingcolour of Nancy the young dictator recovered herself--for a conqueror inthe first moment of his victory has need to be wary. She called Nancy toher in her most affectionate tones as she finished her breakfast. "Isent papa away," said Miss Marjoribanks, "because I wanted to have agood talk with you, Nancy. I want to tell you my object in life. It isto be a comfort to papa. Ever since poor mamma died that is what I havebeen thinking of; and now I have come home, and I have made up my mindthat he is not to be troubled about anything. I know what a good,faithful, valuable woman you are, I assure you. You need not think me afoolish girl who is not able to appreciate you. The dinner was charminglast night, Nancy," said Lucilla, with much feeling; "and I never sawanything more beautifully cooked than papa's cutlets to-day."
"Miss Lucilla, I may say as I am very glad I have pleased you," saidNancy, who was not quite conquered as yet. She stood very stifflyupright by the table, and maintained her integrity. "Master _is_particular, I don't deny," continued the prime minister, who feltherself dethroned. "I've always done my best to go in with his littlefancies, and I don't mean to say as it isn't right and natural as youshould be the missis. But I ain't used to have ado with ladies, andthat's the truth. Ladies is stingy in a-many things as is the soul of agood dinner to them as knows. I may be valleyable or not, it ain't forme to say; but I'm not one as can always be kept to a set figger in mygravy-beef, and my bacon, and them sorts of things. As for the butter, Idon't know as I could give nobody an idea. I ain't one as likes changes,but I can't abide to be kept to a set figger; and that's the chiefthing, Miss Lucilla, as I've got to say."
"And quite reasonable too," said Miss Marjoribanks; "you and I will workperfectly well together, Nancy. I am sure we have both the same meaning;and I hope you don't think I am less concerned about dear papa thanabout the gravy-beef. He must have been very desolate, with no one totalk to, though he has been so good and kind and self-sacrificing inleaving me to get every advantage; but I mean to make it up to him, nowI've come home."
"Yes, miss," said Nancy, somewhat mystified; "not but what master hashad his little parties now and again, to cheer him up a bit; and I makebold to say, miss, as I have heard compliments, which it was Thomas thatbrought 'em downstairs, as might go nigh to turn a body's head, if itwas vanity as I was thinking of; but I ain't one as thinks of anythingbut the comfort of the family," said Nancy, yielding in spite of herselfto follow the leadings of the higher will in presence of which she foundherself, "and I'm always one as does my best, Miss Lucilla, if I ain'tworried nor kept to a set figger with
my gravy-beef."
"I have heard of papa's dinners," said Lucilla graciously, "and I don'tmean to let down your reputation, Nancy. Now we are two women to manageeverything, we ought to do still better. I have two or three things inmy head that I will tell you after; but in the meantime I want you toknow that the object of my life is to be a comfort to poor papa; and nowlet us think what we had better have for dinner," said the newsovereign. Nancy was so totally unprepared for this manner ofdethronement, that she gave in like her master. She followed MissMarjoribanks humbly into those details in which Lucilla speedily provedherself a woman of original mind, and powers quite equal to herundertaking. The Doctor's formidable housekeeper conducted her youngmistress downstairs afterwards, and showed her everything with themeekness of a saint. Lucilla had won a second victory still moreexhilarating and satisfactory than the first; for, to be sure, it is nogreat credit to a woman of nineteen to make a man of any age throw downhis arms; but to conquer a woman is a different matter, and Lucilla wasthoroughly sensible of the difference. Now, indeed, she could feel witha sense of reality that her foundations were laid.
Miss Marjoribanks had enough of occupation for that day, and for manydays. But her mind was a little distracted by her father's partingintelligence, and she had, besides, a natural desire to view the countryshe had come to conquer. When she had made a careful supervision of thehouse, and shifted her own quarters into the pleasantest of the two bestbedrooms, and concluded that the little bare dimity chamber she hadoccupied the previous night was quite good enough for Tom Marjoribanks,Lucilla put on her hat and went out to make a little reconnaissance. Shewalked down to the spot where St Roque's now stands, on her own side ofGrange Lane, and up on the other side into George Street, surveying allthe capabilities of the place with a rapid but penetrating glance. DrMarjoribanks's house could not have been better placed as a strategicposition, commanding as it did all Grange Lane, of which it was, so tospeak, the key, and yet affording a base of communication with theprofaner public, which Miss Marjoribanks was wise enough to know aleader of society should never ignore completely; for, indeed, one ofthe great advantages of that brilliant position is, that it gives awoman a right to be arbitrary, and to select her materials according toher judgment. It was more from a disinclination to repeat herself thanany other motive that Lucilla, when she had concluded this preliminarysurvey, went up into Grove Street, meaning to return home that way. Atthat hour in the morning the sun was shining on the little gardens onthe north side of the street, which was the plebeian side; and as it wasthe end of October, and by no means warm, Lucilla was glad to cross overand continue her walk by the side of those little enclosures where thestraggling chrysanthemums propped each other up, and the cheerfulMichaelmas daisies made the best of it in the sunshine that remained tothem. Miss Marjoribanks had nearly reached Salem Chapel, which pusheditself forward amid the cosy little line of houses, pondering in hermind the unexpected hindrance which was about to be placed in hertriumphant path, in the shape of Tom Marjoribanks, when that singularpiece of good fortune occurred to her which had so much effect upon hercareer in Carlingford. Such happy accidents rarely happen, except togreat generals or heroes of romance; and it would have been, perhaps, apresumption on the part of Lucilla to place herself conspicuously ineither of these categories. The fact is, however, that at this eventfulmoment she was walking along under the shade of her pretty parasol, notexpecting anything, but absorbed in many thoughts, and a little castdown in her expectations of success by a consciousness that this unluckycousin would insist upon making love to her, and perhaps even, as sheherself expressed it, _saying the words_ which it had taken all herskill to prevent him from saying before. Not that we would have any onebelieve that love-making in the abstract was disagreeable to MissMarjoribanks; but she was only nineteen, well off and good-looking, andwith plenty of time for all that; and at the present moment she hadother matters of more importance in hand. It was while occupied withthese reflections, and within three doors of Salem Chapel, in front of alittle garden where a great deal of mignonette had run to seed, andwhere the Michaelmas daisies had taken full possession, that Lucilla wasroused suddenly out of her musings. The surprise was so great that shestopped short and stood still before the house in the extremity of herastonishment and delight. Who could it be that possessed that voicewhich Miss Marjoribanks felt by instinct was the very one thingwanting--a round, full, delicious contralto, precisely adapted tosupplement without supplanting her own high-pitched and much-cultivatedorgan? She stopped short before the door and made a rapid observationeven in the first moment of her surprise. The house was not exactly likethe other humble houses in Grove Street. Two little blank squares hungin the centre of each of the lower windows, revealed to Lucilla'seducated eye the existence of so much "feeling" for art as can besatisfied with a transparent porcelain version of a famous Madonna; andshe could even catch a glimpse, through the curtains of the bestroom--which, contrary to the wont of humble gentility in Carlingford,were well drawn back, and allowed the light to enter fully--of theglimmer of gilt picture-frames. And in the little garden in front, halfburied among the mignonette, were some remains of plaster-casts,originally placed there for ornament, but long since cast down by rainand neglect. Lucilla made her observations with the promptitude of anaccomplished warrior, and before the second bar of the melody indoorswas finished, had knocked very energetically. "Is Miss Lake at home?"she asked, with confidence, of the little maid-servant who opened thedoor to her. And it was thus that Lucilla made her first bold step outof the limits of Grange Lane for the good of society, and secured atonce several important personal advantages, and the great charm of thoseThursday evenings which made so entire a revolution in the taste andideas of Carlingford.
Miss Marjoribanks Page 4
