I Say No

by Wilkie Collins

  CHAPTER XXX. LADY DORIS.

  The arrival of Miss Ladd, some time before she had been expected,interrupted the two girls at a critical moment. She had hurried over herbusiness in London, eager to pass the rest of the day with her favoritepupil. Emily's affectionate welcome was, in some degree at least,inspired by a sensation of relief. To feel herself in the embrace of thewarm-hearted schoolmistress was like finding a refuge from Francine.

  When the hour of departure arrived, Miss Ladd invited Emily to Brightonfor the second time. "On the last occasion, my dear, you wrote me anexcuse; I won't be treated in that way again. If you can't return withus now, come to-morrow." She added in a whisper, "Otherwise, I shallthink you include _me_ in your dislike of Francine."

  There was no resisting this. It was arranged that Emily should go toBrighton on the next day.

  Left by herself, her thoughts might have reverted to Mrs. Ellmother'sdoubtful prospects, and to Francine's strange allusion to her life inthe West Indies, but for the arrival of two letters by the afternoonpost. The handwriting on one of them was unknown to her. She openedthat one first. It was an answer to the letter of apology which shehad persisted in writing to Mrs. Rook. Happily for herself, Alban'sinfluence had not been without its effect, after his departure. She hadwritten kindly--but she had written briefly at the same time.

  Mrs. Rook's reply presented a nicely compounded mixture of gratitude andgrief. The gratitude was addressed to Emily as a matter of course.The grief related to her "excellent master." Sir Jervis's strength hadsuddenly failed. His medical attendant, being summoned, had expressedno surprise. "My patient is over seventy years of age," the doctorremarked. "He will sit up late at night, writing his book; and herefuses to take exercise, till headache and giddiness force him to trythe fresh air. As the necessary result, he has broken down at last. Itmay end in paralysis, or it may end in death." Reporting this expressionof medical opinion, Mrs. Rook's letter glided imperceptibly fromrespectful sympathy to modest regard for her own interests in thefuture. It might be the sad fate of her husband and herself to be thrownon the world again. If necessity brought them to London, would "kindMiss Emily grant her the honor of an interview, and favor a poor unluckywoman with a word of advice?"

  "She may pervert your letter to some use of her own, which you may havereason to regret." Did Emily remember Alban's warning words? No: sheaccepted Mrs. Rook's reply as a gratifying tribute to the justice of herown opinions.

  Having proposed to write to Alban, feeling penitently that she hadbeen in the wrong, she was now readier than ever to send him a letter,feeling compassionately that she had been in the right. Besides, it wasdue to the faithful friend, who was still working for her in the readingroom, that he should be informed of Sir Jervis's illness. Whether theold man lived or whether he died, his literary labors were fatallyinterrupted in either case; and one of the consequences would be thetermination of her employment at the Museum. Although the second of thetwo letters which she had received was addressed to her in Cecilia'shandwriting, Emily waited to read it until she had first written toAlban. "He will come to-morrow," she thought; "and we shall both makeapologies. I shall regret that I was angry with him and he will regretthat he was mistaken in his judgment of Mrs. Rook. We shall be as goodfriends again as ever."

  In this happy frame of mind she opened Cecilia's letter. It was full ofgood news from first to last.

  The invalid sister had made such rapid progress toward recovery that thetravelers had arranged to set forth on their journey back to England ina fortnight. "My one regret," Cecilia added, "is the parting with LadyDoris. She and her husband are going to Genoa, where they will embarkin Lord Janeaway's yacht for a cruise in the Mediterranean. When we havesaid that miserable word good-by--oh, Emily, what a hurry I shall be into get back to you! Those allusions to your lonely life are so dreadful,my dear, that I have destroyed your letter; it is enough to break one'sheart only to look at it. When once I get to London, there shall be nomore solitude for my poor afflicted friend. Papa will be free from hisparliamentary duties in August--and he has promised to have the housefull of delightful people to meet you. Who do you think will be one ofour guests? He is illustrious; he is fascinating; he deserves a line allto himself, thus:

  "The Reverend Miles Mirabel!

  "Lady Doris has discovered that the country parsonage, in which thisbrilliant clergyman submits to exile, is only twelve miles away from ourhouse. She has written to Mr. Mirabel to introduce me, and tomention the date of my return. We will have some fun with the popularpreacher--we will both fall in love with him together.

  "Is there anybody to whom you would like me to send an invitation? Shallwe have Mr. Alban Morris? Now I know how kindly he took care of you atthe railway station, your good opinion of him is my opinion. Your letteralso mentions a doctor. Is he nice? and do you think he will let me eatpastry, if we have him too? I am so overflowing with hospitality (allfor your sake) that I am ready to invite anybody, and everybody, tocheer you and make you happy. Would you like to meet Miss Ladd and thewhole school?

  "As to our amusements, make your mind easy.

  "I have come to a distinct understanding with Papa that we are to havedances every evening--except when we try a little concert as a change.Private theatricals are to follow, when we want another change afterthe dancing and the music. No early rising; no fixed hour for breakfast;everything that is most exquisitely delicious at dinner--and, to crownall, your room next to mine, for delightful midnight gossipings, when weought to be in bed. What do you say, darling, to the programme?

  "A last piece of news--and I have done.

  "I have actually had a proposal of marriage, from a young gentleman whosits opposite me at the table d'hote! When I tell you that he has whiteeyelashes, and red hands, and such enormous front teeth that he can'tshut his mouth, you will not need to be told that I refused him. Thisvindictive person has abused me ever since, in the most shameful manner.I heard him last night, under my window, trying to set one of hisfriends against me. 'Keep clear of her, my dear fellow; she's the mostheartless creature living.' The friend took my part; he said, 'I don'tagree with you; the young lady is a person of great sensibility.''Nonsense!' says my amiable lover; 'she eats too much--her sensibilityis all stomach.' There's a wretch for you. What a shameful advantage totake of sitting opposite to me at dinner! Good-by, my love, till we meetsoon, and are as happy together as the day is long."

  Emily kissed the signature. At that moment of all others, Cecilia wassuch a refreshing contrast to Francine!

  Before putting the letter away, she looked again at that part of itwhich mentioned Lady Doris's introduction of Cecilia to Mr. Mirabel. "Idon't feel the slightest interest in Mr. Mirabel," she thought, smilingas the idea occurred to her; "and I need never have known him, but forLady Doris--who is a perfect stranger to me."

  She had just placed the letter in her desk, when a visitor wasannounced. Doctor Allday presented himself (in a hurry as usual).

  "Another patient waiting?" Emily asked mischievously. "No time to spare,again?"

  "Not a moment," the old gentleman answered. "Have you heard from Mrs.Ellmother?"

  "Yes."

  "You don't mean to say you have answered her?"

  "I have done better than that, doctor--I have seen her this morning."

  "And consented to be her reference, of course?"

  "How well you know me!"

  Doctor Allday was a philosopher: he kept his temper. "Just what I mighthave expected," he said. "Eve and the apple! Only forbid a woman to doanything, and she does it directly--be cause you have forbidden her.I'll try the other way with you now, Miss Emily. There was somethingelse that I meant to have forbidden."

  "What was it?"

  "May I make a special request?"

  "Certainly."

  "Oh, my dear, write to Mrs. Rook! I beg and entreat of you, write toMrs. Rook!"

  Emily's playful manner suddenly disappeared.

  Ignoring the doctor's little outbreak o
f humor, she waited in gravesurprise, until it was his pleasure to explain himself.

  Doctor Allday, on his side, ignored the ominous change in Emily; he wenton as pleasantly as ever. "Mr. Morris and I have had a long talk aboutyou, my dear. Mr. Morris is a capital fellow; I recommend him as asweetheart. I also back him in the matter of Mrs. Rook.--What's thematter now? You're as red as a rose. Temper again, eh?"

  "Hatred of meanness!" Emily answered indignantly. "I despise a man whoplots, behind my back, to get another man to help him. Oh, how I havebeen mistaken in Alban Morris!"

  "Oh, how little you know of the best friend you have!" cried the doctor,imitating her. "Girls are all alike; the only man they can understand,is the man who flatters them. _Will_ you oblige me by writing to Mrs.Rook?"

  Emily made an attempt to match the doctor, with his own weapons. "Yourlittle joke comes too late," she said satirically. "There is Mrs. Rook'sanswer. Read it, and--" she checked herself, even in her anger she wasincapable of speaking ungenerously to the old man who had so warmlybefriended her. "I won't say to _you_," she resumed, "what I might havesaid to another person."

  "Shall I say it for you?" asked the incorrigible doctor. "'Read it, andbe ashamed of yourself'--That was what you had in your mind, isn't it?Anything to please you, my dear." He put on his spectacles, read theletter, and handed it back to Emily with an impenetrable countenance."What do you think of my new spectacles?" he asked, as he took theglasses off his nose. "In the experience of thirty years, I have hadthree grateful patients." He put the spectacles back in the case. "Thiscomes from the third. Very gratifying--very gratifying."

  Emily's sense of humor was not the uppermost sense in her at thatmoment. She pointed with a peremptory forefinger to Mrs. Rook's letter."Have you nothing to say about this?"

  The doctor had so little to say about it that he was able to expresshimself in one word:

  "Humbug!"

  He took his hat--nodded kindly to Emily--and hurried away to feverishpulses waiting to be felt, and to furred tongues that were ashamed toshow themselves.