Poor Miss Finch

by Wilkie Collins

  Nothing more that is worth recording happened on that day. We had a verydull evening. Lucilla was out of spirits. As for me, I had not yet hadtime to accustom myself to the shocking spectacle of Oscar's discoloredface. I was serious and silent. You would never have guessed me to be aFrenchwoman, if you had seen me for the first time on the occasion of myreturn to the rectory.

  The next day a small domestic event happened, which must be chronicled inthis place.

  Our Dimchurch doctor, always dissatisfied with his position in an obscurecountry place, had obtained an appointment in India which offered greatprofessional advantages to an ambitious man. He called to take leave ofus on his departure. I found an opportunity of speaking to him aboutOscar. He entirely agreed with me that the attempt to keep the changeproduced in his former patient by the Nitrate of Silver from Lucilla'sknowledge, was simply absurd. The truth would reach her, he said, beforemany days were over our heads. With that prediction, addressed to myprivate ear, he left us. The removal of him from the scene was, you willplease to bear in mind, the removal of an important local witness to themedical treatment of Oscar, and was, as such, an incident with a bearingof its own on the future, which claims a place for it in the presentnarrative.

  Two more days passed, and nothing happened. On the morning of the thirdday, the doctor's prophecy was all but fulfilled, through the medium ofthe wandering Arab of the family, our funny little Jicks.

  While Lucilla and I were strolling about the garden with Oscar, the childsuddenly darted out on us from behind a tree, and, seizing Oscar roundthe legs, hailed him affectionately at the top of her voice as "The BlueMan!" Lucilla instantly stopped, and said, "Who do you call 'The BlueMan'?" Jicks answered boldly, "Oscar." Lucilla caught the child up in herarms. "Why do you call Oscar 'The Blue Man'?" she asked. Jicks pointed toOscar's face, and then, remembering Lucilla's blindness, appealed to me."You tell her!" said Jicks, in high glee. Oscar seized my hand, andlooked at me imploringly. I determined not to interfere. It was badenough to remain passive, and to let her be kept in the dark. Actively, Iwas resolved to take no part in deceiving her. Her color rose; she putJicks down on the ground. "Are you both dumb?" she asked. "Oscar! Iinsist on knowing it--how have you got the nick-name of 'The Blue Man'?"Left helpless, Oscar (to my disgust) took refuge in a lie--and, worsestill, a clumsy lie. He declared that he had got his nick-name in thenursery, at the time of Lucilla's absence in London, by one day paintinghis face in the character of Bluebeard to amuse the children! If Lucillahad felt the faintest suspicion of the truth, blind as she was, she mustnow have discovered it. As things were, Oscar annoyed and irritated her.I could see that it cost her a struggle to suppress something like afeeling of contempt for him. "Amuse the children, the next time, in someother way," she said. "Though I can't see you, still I don't like to hearof your disfiguring your face by painting it blue." With that answer, shewalked away a little by herself, evidently disappointed in her betrothedhusband for the first time in her experience of him.

  He cast another imploring look at me. "Did you hear what she said aboutmy face?" he whispered.

  "You have lost an excellent opportunity of speaking out," I answered. "Ibelieve you will bitterly regret the folly and the cruelty of deceivingher."

  He shook his head, with the immovable obstinacy of a weak man.

  "Nugent doesn't think as you do," he said, handing me the letter. "Readthat bit there--now Lucilla is out of hearing."

  I paused for a moment before I could read. The resemblance between thetwins extended even to their handwritings! If I had picked Nugent'sletter up, I should have handed it to Oscar as a letter of Oscar's ownwriting.

  The paragraph to which he pointed, only contained these lines:--"Yourlast relieves my anxiety about your health. I entirely agree with youthat any personal sacrifice which cures you of those horrible attacks isa sacrifice wisely made. As to your keeping the change a secret from theyoung lady, I can only say that I suppose you know best how to act inthis emergency. I will abstain from forming any opinion of my own untilwe meet."

  I handed Oscar back the letter.

  "There is no very warm approval there of the course you are taking," Isaid. "The only difference between your brother and me is, that hesuspends his opinion, and that I express mine."

  "I have no fear of my brother," Oscar answered. "Nugent will feel for me,and understand me, when he comes to Browndown. In the meantime, thisshall not happen again."

  He stooped over Jicks. The child, while we were talking, had laid herselfdown luxuriously on the grass, and was singing to herself little snatchesof a nursery song. Oscar pulled her up on her legs rather roughly. He wasout of temper with her, as well as with himself.

  "What are you going to do?" I asked.

  "I am going to see Mr. Finch," he answered, "and to have Jicks kept forthe future out of Lucilla's garden."

  "Does Mr. Finch approve of your silence?"

  "Mr. Finch, Madame Pratolungo, leaves me to decide on a matter whichconcerns nobody but Lucilla and myself."

  After that reply, there was an end of all further remonstrance from me,as a matter of course.

  Oscar walked off with his prisoner to the house. Jicks trotted along byhis side, unconscious of the mischief she had done, singing another verseof the nursery song. I rejoined Lucilla, with my mind made up as to theline of conduct I should adopt in the future. If Oscar did succeed inkeeping the truth concealed from her, I was positively resolved, comewhat might of it, to enlighten her before they were married, with my ownlips. What! after pledging myself to keep the secret? Yes. Perish thepromise which makes me false to a person whom I love! I despise suchpromises from the bottom of my heart.

  Two days more slipped by--and then a telegram found its way to Browndown.Oscar came running to us, at the rectory, with his news. Nugent hadlanded at Liverpool. Oscar was to expect him at Dimchurch on the nextday.