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。