\"Notintheleast,sofarasIamconcerned,\"repliedJackHerring。
\"Don’tleaveittoolateandmakeyourmotheranxious。\"
\"It’strueenough,\"theBaberecountedafterwards。\"Thedoorwasopenedbyamanservantandhewentstraightin。Wewalkedupanddownforhalfanhour,andunlesstheyputhimoutthebackway,he’stellingthetruth。\"
\"Didyouhearhimgivehisname?\"askedSomerville,whowasstrokinghismoustache。
\"No,weweretoofaroff,\"explainedtheBabe。\"But——I’llswearitwasJack——therecouldn’tbeanymistakeaboutthat。\"
\"Perhapsnot,\"agreedSomervilletheBriefless。
SomervilletheBrieflesscalledattheofficesofGoodHumour,inCraneCourt,thefollowingmorning,andhealsoborrowedMissRamsbotham’sDebrett。
\"What’sthemeaningofit?\"demandedthesub—editor。
\"Meaningofwhat?\"
\"ThissuddeninterestofallyoufellowsintheBritishPeerage。\"
\"Allofus?\"
\"Well,Herringwasherelastweek,poringoverthatbookforhalfanhour,withtheMorningPostspreadoutbeforehim。Nowyou’redoingthesamething。\"
\"Ah!JackHerring,washe?Ithoughtasmuch。Don’ttalkaboutit,Tommy。I’lltellyoulateron。\"
OnthefollowingMonday,theBrieflessoneannouncedtotheClubthathehadreceivedaninvitationtodineattheLoveredges’onthefollowingWednesday。OnTuesday,theBrieflessoneenteredtheClubwithaslowandstatelystep。HaltingoppositeoldGoslintheporter,whohademergedfromhisboxwiththeideaofdiscussingtheOxfordandCambridgeboatrace,Somerville,removinghishatwithasweepofthearm,helditoutinsilence。OldGoslin,muchastonished,tookitmechanically,whereupontheBrieflessone,shakinghimselffreefromhisInvernesscape,flungitlightlyafterthehat,andstrolledon,notnoticingthatoldGoslin,unaccustomedtocoatslightlyandelegantlythrownathim,droppingthehat,hadcaughtitonhishead,andhadbeen,inthelanguageoftheprompt—book,\"leftstruggling。\"TheBrieflessone,enteringthesmoking—room,liftedachairandletitfallagainwithacrash,andsittingdownuponit,crossedhislegsandrangthebell。
\"Ye’redoingitverraweel,\"remarkedapprovinglytheWeeLaddie。
\"Ye’rejustfittedforitbynature。\"
\"Fittedforwhat?\"demandedtheBrieflessone,wakingupapparentlyfromadream。
\"ForanAdelphiguestateighteenpencethenight,\"assuredhimtheWeeLaddie。\"Ye’rejustsplendidatit。\"
TheBrieflessone,mutteringthattheworstofmixingwithjournalistswasthatifyoudidnotwatchyourself,youfellintotheirways,drankhiswhiskyinsilence。Later,theBabesworeonacopyofSell’sAdvertisingGuidethat,crossingthePark,hehadseentheBrieflessoneleaningovertherailingsofRottenRow,cladinapairofnewkidgloves,swingingasilver—headedcane。
Onemorningtowardstheendoftheweek,JosephLoveredge,lookingtwentyyearsyoungerthanwhenPeterhadlastseenhim,droppedinattheeditorialofficeofGoodHumouranddemandedofPeterHopehowhefeltandwhathethoughtofthepresentpriceofEmmaMines。
PeterHope’sfearwasthatthegamblingfeverwasspreadingtoallclassesofsociety。
\"IwantyoutodinewithusonSunday,\"saidJosephLoveredge。
\"JackHerringwillbethere。YoumightbringTommywithyou。\"
PeterHopegulpeddownhisastonishmentandsaidheshouldbedelighted;hethoughtthatTommyalsowasdisengaged。\"Mrs。
Loveredgeoutoftown,Ipresume?\"questionedPeterHope。
\"Onthecontrary,\"repliedJosephLoveredge,\"Iwantyoutomeether。\"
JosephLoveredgeremovedapileofbooksfromonechairandplacedthemcarefullyuponanother,afterwhichhewentandstoodbeforethefire。
\"Don’tifyoudon’tlike,\"saidJosephLoveredge;\"butifyoudon’tmind,youmightcallyourself,justfortheevening——say,theDukeofWarrington。\"
\"Saythewhat?\"demandedPeterHope。
\"TheDukeofWarrington,\"repeatedJoey。\"Wearerathershortofdukes。TommycanbetheLadyAdelaide,yourdaughter。\"
\"Don’tbeanass!\"saidPeterHope。
\"I’mnotanass,\"assuredhimJosephLoveredge。\"HeiswinteringinEgypt。Youhaverunbackforaweektoattendtobusiness。
ThereisnoLadyAdelaide,sothat’squitesimple。\"
\"Butwhatinthenameof——\"beganPeterHope。
\"Don’tyouseewhatI’mdrivingat?\"persistedJoey。\"ItwasJack’sideaatthebeginning。Iwasfrightenedmyselfatfirst,butitisworkingtoperfection。Sheseesyou,andseesthatyouareagentleman。Whenthetruthcomesout——as,ofcourse,itmustlateron——thelaughwillbeagainsther。\"
\"Youthink——youthinkthat’llcomforther?\"suggestedPeterHope。
\"It’stheonlyway,anditisreallywonderfullysimple。Wenevermentionthearistocracynow——itwouldbeliketalkingshop。Wejustenjoyourselves。You,bytheway,Imetinconnectionwiththemovementforrationaldress。Youareabitofacrank,fondoffrequentingBohemiancircles。\"
\"Iamriskingsomething,Iknow,\"continuedJoey;\"butit’sworthit。Icouldn’thaveexistedmuchlonger。Wegoslowly,andareverycareful。JackisLordMount—Primrose,whohastakenupwithanti—vaccinationandwhonevergoesoutintoSociety。SomervilleisSirFrancisBaldwin,thegreatauthorityoncentipedes。TheWeeLaddieiscomingnextweekasLordGarrick,whomarriedthatdancing—girl,PrissySomething,andstartedafurnitureshopinBondStreet。Ihadsomedifficultyatfirst。Shewantedtosendoutparagraphs,butIexplainedthatwasonlydonebyvulgarpersons——thatwhenthenobilitycametoyouasfriends,itwasconsideredbadtaste。Sheisadeargirl,asIhavealwaystoldyou,withonlyonefault。Awomaneasiertodeceiveonecouldnotwishfor。Idon’tmyselfseewhythetrutheverneedcomeout——
providedwekeepourheads。\"
\"Seemstomeyou’velostthemalready,\"commentedPeter;\"you’reoverdoingit。\"
\"Themoreofusthebetter,\"explainedJoey;\"wehelpeachother。
Besides,Iparticularlywantyouinit。There’sasortofsuperiorPickwickianatmospheresurroundingyouthatdisarmssuspicion。\"
\"Youleavemeoutofit,\"growledPeter。
\"Seehere,\"laughedJoey;\"youcomeastheDukeofWarrington,andbringTommywithyou,andI’llwriteyourCityarticle。\"
\"Forhowlong?\"snappedPeter。IncorruptibleCityeditorsarenoteasilypickedup。
\"Oh,well,foraslongasyoulike。\"
\"Onthatunderstanding,\"agreedPeter,\"I’mwillingtomakeafoolofmyselfinyourcompany。\"
\"You’llsoongetusedtoit,\"Joeytoldhim;\"eighto’clock,then,onSunday;plaineveningdress。Ifyouliketowearabitofredribboninyourbuttonhole,why,doso。YoucangetitatEvans’,inCoventGarden。\"
\"AndTommyistheLady——\"
\"Adelaide。Letherhaveatasteforliterature,thensheneedn’tweargloves。Iknowshehatesthem。\"Joeyturnedtogo。
\"AmImarried?\"askedPeter。
Joeypaused。\"IshouldavoidallreferencetoyourmatrimonialaffairsifIwereyou,\"wasJoey’sadvice。\"Youdidn’tcomeoutofthatbusinesstoowell。\"
\"Oh!asbadasthat,wasI?Youdon’tthinkMrs。Loveredgewillobjecttome?\"
\"Ihaveaskedherthat。She’sadear,broad—mindedgirl。I’vepromisednottoleaveyoualonewithMissMontgomery,andWillishashadinstructionsnottoletyoumixyourdrinks。\"
\"I’dhavelikedtohavebeensomeoneatriflemorerespectable,\"
grumbledPeter。
\"Weratherwantedaduke,\"explainedJoey,\"andhewastheonlyonethatfittedinallround。\"
Thedinnerawasacompletesuccess。Tommy,enteringintothespiritofthething,boughtanewpairofopen—workstockingsandassumedalanguiddrawl。Peter,whowasgrowingforgetful,introducedherastheLadyAlexandra;itdidnotseemtomatter,bothbeginningwithanA。ShegreetedLordMount—Primroseas\"Billy,\"andaskedaffectionatelyafterhismother。Joeytoldhisracieststories。TheDukeofWarringtoncalledeverybodybytheirChristiannames,andseemedwellacquaintedwithBohemiansociety——
amoreamiablenoblemanitwouldhavebeenimpossibletodiscover。
TheladywhoserealnamewasnotMissMontgomerysatinspeechlessadmiration。Thehostesswasthepersonificationofgraciousdevotion。
Otherlittledinners,equallysuccessful,followed。Joey’sacquaintanceshipappearedtobeconfinedexclusivelytothehighercirclesoftheBritisharistocracy——withoneexception:thatofaGermanbaron,ashort,stoutgentleman,whotalkedEnglishwell,butwithanaccent,andwho,whenhedesiredtobeimpressive,laidhisrightforefingerontherightsideofhisnoseandthrusthiswholefaceforward。Mrs。Loveredgewonderedwhyherhusbandhadnotintroducedthemsooner,butwastooblissfultobesuspicious。
TheAutolycusClubwasgraduallychangingitstone。Friendscouldnolongerrecogniseoneanotherbythevoice。Everycornerhaditssolitarystudentpractisinghigh—classintonation。Membersdroppedintothehabitofaddressingoneanotheras\"dearchappie,\"and,discardingpipes,tooktocheapcigars。Manyoftheolderhabituesresigned。
AllmighthavegonewelltotheendoftimeifonlyMrs。Loveredgehadleftallsocialarrangementsinthehandsofherhusband——hadnotsoughttoaidhisefforts。Toacertainpoliticalgarden—
party,onedayintheheightoftheseason,wereinvitedJosephLoveredgeandMrs。JosephLoveredge,hiswife。Mr。JosephLoveredgeatthelastmomentfoundhimselfunabletoattend。Mrs。
JosephLoveredgewentalone,mettherevariousmembersoftheBritisharistocracy。Mrs。JosephLoveredge,accustomedtofriendshipwiththearistocracy,feltathereaseandwasnaturalandagreeable。Thewifeofaneminentpeertalkedtoherandlikedher。ItoccurredtoMrs。JosephLoveredgethatthisladymightbeinducedtovisitherhouseinRegent’sPark,theretominglewiththoseofherownclass。
\"LordMount—Primrose,theDukeofWarrington,andafewotherswillbediningwithusonSundaynext,\"suggestedMrs。Loveredge。\"Willnotyoudousthehonourofcoming?Weare,ofcourse,onlysimplefolkourselves,butsomehowpeopleseemtolikeus。\"
ThewifeoftheeminentpeerlookedatMrs。Loveredge,lookedroundthegrounds,lookedatMrs。Loveredgeagain,andsaidshewouldliketocome。Mrs。JosephLoveredgeintendedatfirsttotellherhusbandofhersuccess,butalittledevilenteringintoherheadandwhisperingtoherthatitwouldbeamusing,sheresolvedtokeepitasasurprise,tobesprunguponhimateighto’clockonSunday。Thesurpriseprovedallshecouldhavehopedfor。
TheDukeofWarrington,havingjournalisticmatterstodiscusswithJosephLoveredge,arrivedathalf—pastseven,wearingonhisshirt—
frontasilverstar,purchasedinEagleStreetthedaybeforeforeight—and—six。ThereaccompaniedhimtheLadyAlexandra,wearingtheidenticalrubynecklacethateverynightforthepastsixmonths,andtwiceonSaturdays,\"JohnStrongheart\"hadbeenfalselyaccusedofstealing。LordGarrick,havingpickeduphiswife(MissRamsbotham)outsidetheMotherRedcap,arrivedwithheronfootataquartertoeight。LordMount—Primrose,togetherwithSirFrancisBaldwin,dashedupinahansomatseven—fifty。HisLordship,havinglostthetoss,paidthefare。TheHon。HarrySykes(commonlycalled\"theBabe\")wasusheredinfiveminuteslater。
Thenoblecompanyassembledinthedrawing—roomchattedblithelywhilewaitingfordinnertobeannounced。TheDukeofWarringtonwastellingananecdoteaboutacat,whichnobodyappearedtobelieve。LordMount—Primrosedesiredtoknowwhetherbyanychanceitmightbethesameanimalthateverynightathalf—pastninehadbeeninthehabitofclimbinguphisGrace’srailingsandknockingathisGrace’sdoor。TheHonourableHarrywassayingthat,speakingofcats,heoncehadasortofterrier——whenthedoorwasthrownopenandWillisannouncedtheLadyMarySutton。
Mr。JosephLoveredge,whowassittingnearthefire,roseup。LordMount—Primrose,whowasstandingnearthepiano,satdown。TheLadyMarySuttonpausedinthedoorway。Mrs。Loveredgecrossedtheroomtogreether。
\"Letmeintroduceyoutomyhusband,\"saidMrs。Loveredge。\"Joey,mydear,theLadyMarySutton。ImettheLadyMaryattheO’Meyers’theotherday,andshewasgoodenoughtoacceptmyinvitation。Iforgottotellyou。\"
Mr。Loveredgesaidhewasdelighted;afterwhich,althoughasaruleachattyman,heseemedtohavenothingelsetosay。Andasilencefell。
SomervilletheBriefless——tillthen。Thateveninghasalwaysbeenreckonedthestarting—pointofhiscareer。Uptillthennobodythoughthehadmuchinhim——walkedupandheldouthishand。
\"Youdon’trememberme,LadyMary,\"saidtheBrieflessone。\"Imetyousomeyearsago;wehadamostinterestingconversation——SirFrancisBaldwin。\"
TheLadyMarystoodforamomenttryingapparentlytorecollect。
Shewasahandsome,fresh—complexionedwomanofaboutforty,withfrank,agreeableeyes。TheLadyMaryglancedatLordGarrick,whowastalkingrapidlytoLordMount—Primrose,whowasnotlistening,andwhocouldnothaveunderstoodevenifhehadbeen,LordGarrick,withoutbeingawareofit,havingdroppedintobroadScotch。FromhimtheLadyMaryglancedatherhostess,andfromherhostesstoherhost。
TheLadyMarytookthehandheldouttoher。\"Ofcourse,\"saidtheLadyMary;\"howstupidofme!Itwasthedayofmyownwedding,too。Youreallymustforgiveme。Wetalkedofquitealotofthings。Iremembernow。\"
Mrs。Loveredge,whopridedherselfuponmaintainingold—fashionedcourtesies,proceededtointroducetheLadyMarytoherfellow—
guests,alittlesurprisedthatherladyshipappearedtoknowsofewofthem。Herladyship’sgreetingoftheDukeofWarringtonwasaccompanied,itwasremarked,byasomewhatcurioussmile。TotheDukeofWarrington’sdaughteralonedidtheLadyMaryaddressremark。
\"Mydear,\"saidtheLadyMary,\"howyouhavegrownsincelastwemet!\"
Theannouncementofdinner,aseverybodyfelt,camenonetoosoon。
Itwasnotamerryfeast。Joeytoldbutonestory;hetolditthreetimes,andtwiceleftoutthepoint。LordMount—Primrosetooksiftedsugarwithpatedefoiegrasandateitwithaspoon。
LordGarrick,talkingamixtureofScotchandEnglish,urgedhiswifetogiveuphousekeepingandtakeaflatinGowerStreet,which,ashepointedout,wascentral。Shecouldhavehermealssentintoherandsoavoidalltrouble。TheLadyAlexandra’sbehaviourappearedtoMrs。Loveredgenotaltogetherwell—bred。AneccentricyoungnoblewomanMrs。Loveredgehadalwaysfoundher,butwishedonthisoccasionthatshehadbeenalittlelesseccentric。
EveryfewminutestheLadyAlexandraburiedherfaceinherserviette,andshookandrocked,emittingstifledsounds,apparentlythoseofacutephysicalpain。Mrs。Loveredgehopedshewasnotfeelingill,buttheLadyAlexandraappearedincapableofcoherentreply。TwiceduringthemealtheDukeofWarringtonrosefromthetableandbeganwanderingroundtheroom;oneachoccasion,askedwhathewanted,hadrepliedmeeklythathewasmerelylookingforhissnuff—box,andhadsatdownagain。TheonlypersonwhoseemedtoenjoythedinnerwastheLadyMarySutton。
Theladiesretiredupstairsintothedrawing—room。Mrs。Loveredge,breakingalongsilence,remarkeditasunusualthatnosoundofmerrimentreachedthemfromthedining—room。Theexplanationwasthattheentiremaleportionoftheparty,onbeinglefttothemselves,hadimmediatelyandinabodycreptontiptoeintoJoey’sstudy,which,fortunately,happenedtobeonthegroundfloor。Joey,unlockingthebookcase,hadtakenouthisDebrett,butappearedincapableofunderstandingit。SirFrancisBaldwinhadtakenitfromhisunresistinghands;theremainingaristocracyhuddledthemselvesintoacornerandwaitedinsilence。
\"IthinkI’vegotitallclearly,\"announcedSirFrancisBaldwin,afterfiveminutes,whichtotheothershadbeenanhour。\"Yes,I
don’tthinkI’mmakinganymistake。She’sthedaughteroftheDukeofTruro,marriedin’53theDukeofWarrington,atSt。Peter’s,EatonSquare;gavebirthin’55toadaughter,theLadyGraceAlexandraWarbertonSutton,whichmakesthechildjustthirteen。
In’63divorcedtheDukeofWarrington。LordMount—Primrose,sofarasIcanmakeout,mustbehersecondcousin。Iappeartohavemarriedherin’66atHastings。Itdoesn’tseemtomethatwecouldhavegottogetherahomelierlittlepartytomeetherevenifwehadwantedto。\"
Nobodyspoke;nobodyhadanythingparticularlyworthsaying。Thedooropened,andtheLadyAlexandra(otherwiseTommy)enteredtheroom。
\"Isn’tittime,\"suggestedtheLadyAlexandra,\"thatsomeofyoucameupstairs?\"
\"Iwasthinkingmyself,\"explainedJoey,thehost,withagrimsmile,\"itwasabouttimethatIwentoutanddrownedmyself。Thecanalishandy。\"
\"Putitofftillto—morrow,\"Tommyadvisedhim。\"Ihaveaskedherladyshiptogivemealifthome,andshehaspromisedtodoso。
Sheisevidentlyawomanwithasenseofhumour。WaittillafterI
havehadatalkwithher。\"
Sixmen,whisperingatthesametime,werepreparedwithadvice;
butTommywasnottakingadvice。
\"Comeupstairs,allofyou,\"insistedTommy,\"andmakeyourselvesagreeable。She’sgoinginaquarterofanhour。\"
Sixsilentmen,thehostleading,thetwohusbandsbringinguptherear,ascendedthestairs,eachwiththesensationofbeingtwicehisusualweight。Sixsilentmenenteredthedrawing—roomandsatdownonchairs。Sixsilentmentriedtothinkofsomethinginterestingtosay。
MissRamsbotham——itwasthatorhysterics,assheafterwardsexplained——stiflingasob,openedthepiano。Buttheonlythingshecouldrememberwas\"ChampagneCharlieismyName,\"asongthenpopularinthehalls。Fivemen,whenshehadfinished,beggedhertogoon。MissRamsbotham,speakinginashrillfalsetto,explaineditwastheonlytunesheknew。Fourofthembeggedhertoplayitagain。MissRamsbothamplayeditasecondtimewithinvoluntaryvariations。
TheLadyMary’scarriagewasannouncedbytheimperturbableWillis。
Theparty,withtheexceptionoftheLadyMaryandthehostess,suppressedwithdifficultyaninclinationtoburstintoacheer。
TheLadyMarythankedMrs。Loveredgeforamostinterestingevening,andbeckonedTommytoaccompanyher。Withherdisappearance,awildhilarity,uncannyinitssuddenness,tookpossessionoftheremainingguests。
Afewdayslater,theLadyMary’scarriageagaindrewupbeforethelittlehouseinRegent’sPark。Mrs。Loveredge,fortunately,wasathome。Thecarriageremainedwaitingforquitealongtime。Mrs。
Loveredge,afteritwasgone,lockedherselfinherownroom。Theunder—housemaidreportedtothekitchenthat,passingthedoor,shehaddetectedsoundsindicativeofstrongemotion。
ThroughwhatordealJosephLoveredgepassedwasneverknown。ForafewweekstheAutolycusClubmissedhim。Thengradually,asaidedbyTimetheyhaveahabitofdoing,thingsrightedthemselves。
JosephLoveredgereceivedhisoldfriends;hisfriendsreceivedJosephLoveredge。Mrs。Loveredge,asahostess,cametohaveonlyonefailing——amarkedcoldnessofdemeanourtowardsallpeoplewithtitles,wheneverintroducedtoher。
STORYTHESIXTH:\"TheBabe\"appliesforSharesPeoplesaidofthenewjournal,GoodHumour——peopleoftasteandjudgment,thatitwasthebrightest,thecleverest,themostliterarypennyweeklythateverhadbeenofferedtothepublic。
ThismadePeterHope,editorandpart—proprietor,veryhappy。
WilliamClodd,businessmanager,andalsopart—proprietor,itleftlesselated。
\"Mustbecareful,\"saidWilliamClodd,\"thatwedon’tmakeittooclever。Happymedium,that’stheideal。\"
Peoplesaid——peopleoftasteandjudgment,thatGoodHumourwasmoreworthyofsupportthanalltheotherpennyweekliesputtogether。Peopleoftasteandjudgmentevenwentsofar,someofthem,astobuyit。PeterHope,lookingforward,sawfameandfortunecomingtohim。
WilliamClodd,lookingroundabouthim,said—
\"Doesn’titoccurtoyou,Guv’nor,thatwe’regettingthisthingjustatrifletoohighclass?\"
\"Whatmakesyouthinkthat?\"demandedPeterHope。
\"Ourcirculation,foronething,\"explainedClodd。\"Thereturnsforlastmonth——\"
\"I’dratheryoudidn’tmentionthem,ifyoudon’tmind,\"
interruptedPeterHope;\"somehow,hearingtheactualfiguresalwaysdepressesme。\"
\"Can’tsayIfeelinspiredbythemmyself,\"admittedClodd。
\"Itwillcome,\"saidPeterHope,\"itwillcomeintime。Wemusteducatethepublicuptoourlevel。\"
\"Ifthereisonething,sofarasIhavenoticed,\"saidWilliamClodd,\"thatthepublicareinclinedtopaylessforthananother,itisforbeingeducated。\"
\"Whatarewetodo?\"askedPeterHope。
\"Whatyouwant,\"answeredWilliamClodd,\"isanoffice—boy。\"
\"Howwillourhavinganoffice—boyincreaseourcirculation?\"
demandedPeterHope。\"Besides,itwasagreedthatwecoulddowithoutoneforthefirstyear。Whysuggestmoreexpense?\"
\"Idon’tmeananordinaryoffice—boy,\"explainedClodd。\"ImeanthesortofboythatIrodewithinthetraingoingdowntoStratfordyesterday。\"
\"Whatwasthereremarkableabouthim?\"
\"Nothing。HewasreadingthecurrentnumberofthePennyNovelist。
Overtwohundredthousandpeoplebuyit。Heisoneofthem。Hetoldmeso。Whenhehaddonewithit,hedrewfromhispocketacopyoftheHalfpennyJoker——theyguaranteeacirculationofseventythousand。HesatandchuckledoverituntilwegottoBow。\"
\"But——\"
\"Youwaitaminute。I’mcomingtotheexplanation。Thatboyrepresentsthereadingpublic。Italkedtohim。Thepapershelikesbestarethepapersthathavethelargestsales。Henevermadeasinglemistake。Theothers——thoseofthemhehadseen——hedismissedas’rot。’Whathelikesiswhatthegreatmassofthejournal—buyingpubliclikes。Pleasehim——Itookhisnameandaddress,andheiswillingtocometousforeightshillingsaweek——andyoupleasethepeoplethatbuy。Notthepeoplethatglancethroughapaperwhenitislyingonthesmoking—roomtable,andtellyouitisdamnedgood,butthepeoplethatplankdowntheirpenny。That’sthesortwewant。\"
PeterHope,ableeditor,withideals,wasshocked——indignant。
WilliamClodd,businessman,withoutideals,talkedfigures。
\"There’stheadvertisertobethoughtof,\"persistedClodd。\"I
don’tpretendtobeaGeorgeWashington,butwhat’stheuseoftellingliesthatsoundlikelies,eventoone’sselfwhileone’stellingthem?Givemeagenuinesaleoftwentythousand,andI’llundertake,withoutcommittingmyself,toconveyanimpressionofforty。Butwhentheactualfiguresareundereightthousand——well,ithampersyou,ifyouhappentohaveaconscience。
\"Givethemeveryweekadozencolumnsofgood,soundliterature,\"
continuedCloddinsinuatingly,\"butwrapitupintwenty—fourcolumnsofjam。It’stheonlywaythey’lltakeit,andyouwillbedoingthemgood——educatingthemwithouttheirknowingit。Allpowderandnojam!Well,theydon’topentheirmouths,that’sall。\"
Cloddwasamanwhoknewhowtogethisway。Flipp——spelledPhilip——Tweetelarrivedinduecourseoftimeat23,CraneCourt,ostensiblytotakeupthepositionofGoodHumour’soffice—boy;inreality,andwithouthisbeingawareofit,toactasitsliterarytaster。StoriesinwhichFlippbecameabsorbedwereaccepted。
Petergroaned,butcontentedhimselfwithcorrectingonlytheirgrossergrammaticalblunders;theexperimentshouldbetriedinallgoodfaith。HumouratwhichFlipplaughedwasprinted。Petertriedtoeasehisconsciencebyincreasinghissubscriptiontothefundfordestitutecompositors,butonlypartiallysucceeded。
PoetrythatbroughtateartotheeyeofFlippwasgivenleadedtype。PeopleoftasteandjudgmentsaidGoodHumourhaddisappointedthem。Itscirculation,slowlybutsteadily,increased。
\"See!\"criedthedelightedClodd;\"toldyouso!\"
\"It’ssadtothink——\"beganPeter。
\"Alwaysis,\"interruptedCloddcheerfully。\"Moral——don’tthinktoomuch。\"
\"Tellyouwhatwe’lldo,\"addedClodd。\"We’llmakeafortuneoutofthispaper。Thenwhenwecanaffordtolosealittlemoney,we’lllaunchapaperthatshallappealonlytotheintellectualportionofthepublic。Meanwhile——\"
Asquatblackbottlewithalabelattached,standingonthedesk,arrestedClodd’sattention。
\"Whendidthiscome?\"askedClodd。
\"Aboutanhourago,\"Petertoldhim。
\"Anyorderwithit?\"
\"Ithinkso。\"Petersearchedforandfoundaletteraddressedto\"WilliamClodd,Esq。,AdvertisingManager,GoodHumour。\"Cloddtoreitopen,hastilydevouredit。
\"Notclosedupyet,areyou?\"
\"No,nottilleighto’clock。\"
\"Good!Iwantyoutowritemeapar。Doitnow,thenyouwon’tforgetit。Forthe’WalnutsandWine’column。\"
Petersatdown,headedasheetofpaper:’ForW。andW。Col。’
\"Whatisit?\"questionedPeter——\"somethingtodrink?\"
\"It’sasortofport,\"explainedClodd,\"thatdoesn’tgetintoyourhead。\"
\"Youconsiderthatanadvantage?\"queriedPeter。
\"Ofcourse。Youcandrinkmoreofit。\"
Petercontinuedtowrite:’Possessesallthequalitiesofanoldvintageport,withoutthosedeleteriousproperties——’\"Ihaven’ttastedit,Clodd,\"hintedPeter。
\"That’sallright——Ihave。\"
\"Andwasitgood?\"
\"Splendidstuff。Sayit’s’deliciousandinvigorating。’They’llbesuretoquotethat。\"
Peterwroteon:’PersonallyIhavefounditdeliciousand——’Peterleftoffwriting。\"Ireallythink,Clodd,Ioughttotasteit。
Yousee,Iampersonallyrecommendingit。\"
\"Finishthatpar。Letmehaveittotakeroundtotheprinters。
Thenputthebottleinyourpocket。Takeithomeandmakeanightofit。\"
Cloddappearedtobeinamightyhurry。Now,thismadePeteronlythemoresuspicious。Thebottlewasclosetohishand。Cloddtriedtointercepthim,butwasnotquickenough。
\"You’renotusedtotemperancedrinks,\"urgedClodd。\"Yourpalateisnotaccustomedtothem。\"
\"Icantellwhetherit’s’delicious’ornot,surely?\"pleadedPeter,whohadpulledoutthecork。
\"It’saquarter—pageadvertisementforthirteenweeks。Putitdownanddon’tbeafool!\"urgedClodd。
\"I’mgoingtoputitdown,\"laughedPeter,whowasfondofhisjoke。Peterpouredouthalfatumblerful,anddrank——someofit。
\"Likeit?\"demandedClodd,withasavagegrin。
\"Youaresure——youaresureitwastherightbottle?\"gaspedPeter。
\"Bottle’sallright,\"Cloddassuredhim。\"Trysomemore。Judgeitfairly。\"
Peterventuredonanothersip。\"Youdon’tthinktheywouldbesatisfiedifIrecommendeditasamedicine?\"insinuatedPeter——
\"somethingtohaveaboutthehouseincaseofaccidentalpoisoning?\"
\"Bettergoroundandsuggesttheideatothemyourself。I’vedonewithit。\"Cloddtookuphishat。
\"I’msorry——I’mverysorry,\"sighedPeter。\"ButIcouldn’tconscientiously——\"
Cloddputdownhishatagainwithabang。\"Oh!confoundthatconscienceofyours!Don’titeverthinkofyourcreditors?
What’stheuseofmyworkingoutmylungsforyou,whenallyoudoistohampermeateverystep?\"
\"Wouldn’titbebetterpolicy,\"urgedPeter,\"togoforthebetterclassofadvertiser,whodoesn’taskyouforthissortofthing?\"
\"Goforhim!\"snortedClodd。\"DoyouthinkIdon’tgoforhim?
Theyarejustsheep。Getone,yougetthelot。Untilyou’vegottheone,theotherswon’tlistentoyou。\"
\"That’strue,\"musedPeter。\"IspoketoWilkinson,ofKingsley’s,myself。HeadvisedmetotryandgetLandor’s。HethoughtthatifIcouldgetanadvertisementoutofLandor,hemightpersuadehispeopletogiveustheirs。\"
\"AndifyouhadgonetoLandor,hewouldhavepromisedyoutheirsprovidedyougotKingsley’s。\"
\"Theywillcome,\"thoughthopefulPeter。\"Wearegoingupsteadily。Theywillcomewitharush。\"
\"Theyhadbettercomesoon,\"thoughtClodd。\"Theonlythingscomingwitharushjustnowarebills。\"
\"ThosearticlesofyoungMcTear’sattractedagooddealofattention,\"expoundedPeter。\"Hehaspromisedtowritemeanotherseries。\"
\"Jowettistheonetogetholdof,\"musedClodd。\"Jowett,alltheothersfollowlikeaflockofgeesewaddlingaftertheoldgander。
IfonlywecouldgetholdofJowett,therestwouldbeeasy。\"
JowettwastheproprietorofthefamousMarbleSoap。Jowettspentonadvertisingeveryyearaquarterofamillion,itwassaid。
Jowettwasthestayandpropofperiodicalliterature。NewpapersthatsecuredtheMarbleSoapadvertisementlivedandprospered;thenewpapertowhichitwasdeniedlanguishedanddied。Jowett,andhowtogetholdofhim;Jowett,andhowtogetroundhim,formedthechieftopicofdiscussionatthecouncil—boardofmostnewpapers,GoodHumouramongstthenumber。
\"Ihaveheard,\"saidMissRamsbotham,whowrotetheLettertoClorindathatfilledeachweekthelasttwopagesofGoodHumour,andthattoldClorinda,wholivedsecludedinthecountry,thedailyhistoryofthehighestclasssociety,amongwhomMissRamsbothamappearedtoliveandhaveherbeing;whotheywere,andwhattheywore,thewiseandotherwisethingstheydid——\"Ihaveheard,\"saidMissRamsbothamonemorning,Jowettbeingasusualthesubjectunderdebate,\"thattheoldmanissusceptibletofemaleinfluence。\"
\"WhatIhavealwaysthought,\"saidClodd。\"Aladyadvertising—
agentmightdowell。Atallevents,theycouldn’tkickherout。\"
\"Theymightintheend,\"thoughtPeter。\"Femaledoor—porterswouldbecomeaprofessionformuscularladiesifevertheideatookroot。\"
\"Thefirstonewouldgetagoodstart,anyhow,\"thoughtClodd。
Thesub—editorhadprickedupherears。Onceuponatime,longago,thesub—editorhadsucceeded,whenallotherLondonjournalistshadfailed,insecuringaninterviewwithacertaingreatstatesman。Thesub—editorhadneverforgottenthis——norallowedanyoneelsetoforgetit,\"IbelieveIcouldgetitforyou,\"saidthesub—editor。
Theeditorandthebusiness—managerbothspoketogether。Theyspokewithdecisionandwithemphasis。
\"Whynot?\"saidthesub—editor。\"Whennobodyelsecouldgetathim,itwasIwhointerviewedPrince——\"
\"We’veheardallaboutthat,\"interruptedthebusiness—manager。
\"IfIhadbeenyourfatheratthetime,youwouldneverhavedoneit。\"
\"HowcouldIhavestoppedher?\"retortedPeterHope。\"Sheneversaidawordtome。\"
\"Youcouldhavekeptaneyeonher。\"
\"Keptaneyeonher!Whenyou’vegotagirlofyourown,you’llknowmoreaboutthem。\"
\"WhenIhave,\"assertedClodd,\"I’llmanageher。\"
\"Weknowallaboutbachelor’schildren,\"sneeredPeterHope,theeditor。
\"Youleaveittome。I’llhaveitforyoubeforetheendoftheweek,\"crowedthesub—editor。
\"Ifyoudogetit,\"returnedClodd,\"Ishallthrowitout,that’sall。\"
\"Yousaidyourselfaladyadvertising—agentwouldbeagoodidea,\"
thesub—editorremindedhim。
\"Soshemightbe,\"returnedClodd;\"butsheisn’tgoingtobeyou。\"
\"Whynot?\"
\"Becausesheisn’t,that’swhy。\"
\"Butif——\"
\"Seeyouattheprinter’sattwelve,\"saidCloddtoPeter,andwentoutsuddenly。
\"Well,Ithinkhe’sanidiot,\"saidthesub—editor。
\"Idonotoften,\"saidtheeditor,\"butonthispointIagreewithhim。Cadgingforadvertisementsisn’tawoman’swork。\"
\"Butwhatisthedifferencebetween——\"
\"Allthedifferenceintheworld,\"thoughttheeditor。
\"Youdon’tknowwhatIwasgoingtosay,\"returnedhissub。
\"Iknowthedriftofit,\"assertedtheeditor。
\"Butyouletme——\"
\"IknowIdo——agooddealtoomuch。I’mgoingtoturnoveranewleaf。\"
\"AllIproposetodo——\"
\"Whateveritis,you’renotgoingtodoit,\"declaredthechief。
\"Shallbebackathalf—pasttwelve,ifanybodycomes。\"
\"Itseemstome——\"ButPeterwasgone。
\"Justlikethemall,\"wailedthesub—editor。\"Theycan’targue;
whenyouexplainthingstothem,theygoout。Itdoesmakemesomad!\"
MissRamsbothamlaughed。\"Youareadowntroddenlittlegirl,Tommy。\"
\"AsifIcouldn’ttakecareofmyself!\"Tommy’schinwashighupintheair。
\"Cheerup,\"suggestedMissRamsbotham。\"Nobodyevertellsmenottodoanything。IwouldchangewithyouifIcould。\"
\"I’dhavewalkedintothatofficeandhavehadthatadvertisementoutofoldJowettinfiveminutes,IknowIwould,\"braggedTommy。
\"Icanalwaysgetonwitholdmen。\"
\"Onlywiththeoldones?\"queriedMissRamsbotham。
Thedooropened。\"Anybodyin?\"askedthefaceofJohnnyBulstrode,appearinginthejar。
\"Can’tyouseetheyare?\"snappedTommy。
\"Figureofspeech,\"explainedJohnnyBulstrode,commonlycalled\"theBabe,\"enteringandclosingthedoorbehindhim。
\"Whatdoyouwant?\"demandedthesub—editor。
\"Nothinginparticular,\"repliedtheBabe。
\"Wrongtimeofthedaytocomeforit,half—pasteleveninthemorning,\"explainedthesub—editor。
\"What’sthematterwithyou?\"askedtheBabe。
\"Feelingverycross,\"confessedthesub—editor。
ThechildlikefaceoftheBabeexpressedsympatheticinquiry。
\"Weareveryindignant,\"explainedMissRamsbotham,\"becausewearenotallowedtorushofftoCannonStreetandcoaxanadvertisementoutofoldJowett,thesoapman。Wefeelsurethatifweonlyputonourbesthat,hecouldn’tpossiblyrefuseus。\"
\"Nocoaxingrequired,\"thoughtthesub—editor。\"Oncegetintoseetheoldfellowandputtheactualfiguresbeforehim,hewouldclamourtocomein。\"
\"Won’theseeClodd?\"askedtheBabe。
\"Won’tseeanybodyonbehalfofanythingnewjustatpresent,apparently,\"answeredMissRamsbotham。\"Itwasmyfault。IwasfoolishenoughtorepeatthatIhadheardhewassusceptibletofemalecharm。TheysayitwasMrs。SarkittthatgottheadvertisementforTheLampoutofhim。But,ofcourse,itmaynotbetrue。\"
\"WishIwasasoapmanandhadgotadvertisementstogiveaway,\"
sighedtheBabe。
\"Wishyouwere,\"agreedthesub—editor。
\"Youshouldhavethemall,Tommy。\"
\"Myname,\"correctedhimthesub—editor,\"isMissHope。\"
\"Ibegyourpardon,\"saidtheBabe。\"Idon’tknowhowitis,butonegetsintothewayofcallingyouTommy。\"
\"Iwillthankyou,\"saidthesub—editor,\"togetoutofit。\"
\"Iamsorry,\"saidtheBabe。
\"Don’tletitoccuragain,\"saidthesub—editor。
TheBabestoodfirstononelegandthenontheother,butnothingseemedtocomeofit。\"Well,\"saidtheBabe,\"Ijustlookedin,that’sall。NothingIcandoforyou?\"
\"Nothing,\"thankedhimthesub—editor。
\"Goodmorning,\"saidtheBabe。
\"Goodmorning,\"saidthesub—editor。
ThechildlikefaceoftheBabeworeachastenedexpressionasitslowlydescendedthestairs。MostofthemembersoftheAutolycusClublookedinaboutonceadaytoseeiftheycoulddoanythingforTommy。Someofthemhadluck。Onlythedaybefore,Porson——aheavy,mostuninterestingman——hadbeensentdownallthewaytoPlaistowtoinquireafterthewoundedhandofamachine—boy。YoungAlexander,whosepoetrysomepeoplecouldnotevenunderstand,hadbeencommissionedtosearchLondonforasecond—handeditionofMaitland’sArchitecture。Sinceafortnightnearlynow,whenhehadbeensentouttodriveawayanorganthatwouldnotgo,Johnnyhadbeengivennothing。
JohnnyturnedthecornerintoFleetStreetfeelingbitterwithhislot。Aboycarryingaparcelstumbledagainsthim。
\"Begyerpardon——\"thesmallboylookedupintoJohnny’sface,\"miss,\"addedthesmallboy,dodgingtheblowanddisappearingintothecrowd。
TheBabe,byreasonofhischildlikeface,wasaccustomedtoinsultsofthischaracter,butto—dayitespeciallyirritatedhim。
Whyattwenty—twocouldhenotgrowevenamoustache?Whywasheonlyfivefeetfiveandahalf?WhyhadFatecursedhimwithapink—and—whitecomplexion,sothatthemembersofhisownclubhadnicknamedhim\"theBabe,\"whilestreet—boysastheypassedpleadedwithhimforakiss?Whywashisveryvoice,aflute—likealto,moresuitable——Suddenlyanideasprangtolifewithinhisbrain。
Theideagrew。Passingabarber’sshop,Johnnywentin。
\"’Aircut,sir?\"remarkedthebarber,fittingasheetroundJohnny’sneck。
\"No,shave,\"correctedJohnny。
\"Begpardon,\"saidthebarber,substitutingatowelforthesheet。
\"Doyoushaveup,sir?\"laterdemandedthebarber。
\"Yes,\"answeredJohnny。
\"Pleasantweatherwearehaving,\"saidthebarber。
\"Very,\"assentedJohnny。
Fromthebarber’s,JohnnywenttoStinchcombe’s,thecostumier’s,inDruryLane。
\"Iamplayinginaburlesque,\"explainedtheBabe。\"Iwantyoutorigmeoutcompletelyasamoderngirl。\"
\"Peetho’luck!\"saidtheshopman。\"Goththeverybundleforyou。
Juthcomein。\"
\"Ishallwanteverything,\"explainedtheBabe,\"fromthebootstothehat;stays,petticoats——thewholebagoftricks。\"
\"Regulartroutheauthere,\"saidtheshopman,emptyingoutthecanvasbaguponthecounter。\"Thry’emon。\"
TheBabecontentedhimselfwithtryingonthecostumeandtheboots。
\"Juthmadeforyou!\"saidtheshopman。
Alittlelooseaboutthechest,suggestedtheBabe。
\"Thath’sallright,\"saidtheshopman。\"Coupleo’thmalltowelths,allthath’swanted。\"
\"Youdon’tthinkittooshowy?\"queriedtheBabe。
\"Thowy?Sthylish,thath’sall。\"
\"Youaresureeverything’shere?\"
\"Everythinkththere。’Theptthebito’meatinthide,\"assuredhimtheshopman。
TheBabeleftadeposit,andgavehisnameandaddress。Theshopmanpromisedthethingsshouldbesentroundwithinanhour。
TheBabe,whohadenteredintothespiritofthething,boughtapairofglovesandasmallreticule,andmadehiswaytoBowStreet。
\"Iwantawoman’slightbrownwig,\"saidtheBabetoMr。Cox,theperruquier。
Mr。Coxtriedontwo。ThedeceptiveappearanceofthesecondMr。
Coxpronouncedasperfect。
\"Looksmorenaturalonyouthanyourownhair,blessedifitdoesn’t!\"saidMr。Cox。
Thewigalsowaspromisedwithinthehour。ThespiritofcompletenessdescendedupontheBabe。OnhiswaybacktohislodgingsinGreatQueenStreet,hepurchasedaladylikeumbrellaandaveil。
Now,aquarterofanhourafterJohnnyBulstrodehadmadehisexitbythedoorofMr。Stinchcombe’sshop,one,HarryBennett,actorandmemberoftheAutolycusClub,pusheditopenandentered。Theshopwasempty。HarryBennetthammeredwithhisstickandwaited。
Apiled—upbundleofclotheslayuponthecounter;asheetofpaper,withanameandaddressscrawledacrossit,restedonthebundle。HarryBennett,giventoidlecuriosity,approachedandreadthesame。HarryBennett,withhisstick,pokedthebundle,scatteringitsitemsoverthecounter。
\"Donthdothath!\"saidtheshopman,comingup。\"Juthbeenputting’emtogether。\"
\"Whatthedevil,\"saidHarryBennett,\"isJohnnyBulstrodegoingtodowiththatrig—out?\"
\"HowthoudIknow?\"answeredtheshopman。\"Privatetheathricals,I
suppoth。Friendo’yourth?\"
\"Yes,\"repliedHarryBennett。\"ByJove!heoughttomakeagoodgirl。Shouldliketoseeit!\"
\"Wellarthkhimforaticket。Donthmake’emdirty,\"suggestedtheshopman。
\"Imust,\"saidHarryBennett,andtalkedabouthisownaffairs。
Therig—outandthewigdidnotarriveatJohnny’slodgingswithinthehouraspromised,butarrivedtherewithinthreehours,whichwasasmuchasJohnnyhadexpected。IttookJohnnynearlyanhourtodress,butatlasthestoodbeforetheplate—glasspanelofthewardrobetransformed。Johnnyhadreasontobepleasedwiththeresult。Atall,handsomegirllookedbackathimoutoftheglass—
—alittleshowilydressed,perhaps,butdecidedlychic。
\"WonderifIoughttohaveacloak,\"musedJohnny,asarayofsunshine,streamingthroughthewindow,fellupontheimageintheglass。\"Well,anyhow,Ihaven’t,\"thoughtJohnny,asthesunlightdiedawayagain,\"soit’snogoodthinkingaboutit。\"
Johnnyseizedhisreticuleandhisumbrellaandopenedcautiouslythedoor。Outsideallwassilent。Johnnystealthilydescended;inthepassagepausedagain。Voicessoundedfromthebasement。
Feelinglikeanescapedburglar,Johnnyslippedthelatchofthebigdoorandpeepedout。Apoliceman,pasting,turnedandlookedathim。Johnnyhastilydrewbackandclosedthedooragain。
Somebodywasascendingfromthekitchen。Johnny,caughtbetweentwoterrors,nearertothefrontdoorthantothestairs,havingnotime,chosethestreet。ItseemedtoJohnnythatthestreetwasmakingforhim。Awomancamehurriedlytowardshim。Whatwasshegoingtosaytohim?Whatshouldheanswerher?Tohissurpriseshepassedhim,hardlynoticinghim。Wonderingwhatmiraclehadsavedhim,hetookafewstepsforward。Acoupleofyoungclerkscomingupfrombehindturnedtolookathim,butonencounteringhisansweringstareofangryalarm,appearedconfusedandwenttheirway。Itbegantodawnuponhimthatmankindwaslessdiscerningthanhehadfeared。Gainingcourageasheproceeded,hereachedHolborn。Herethelargercrowdsweptaroundhimindifferent。
\"Ibegyourpardon,\"saidJohnny,comingintocollisionwithastoutgentleman。
\"Myfault,\"repliedthestoutgentleman,as,smiling,hepickeduphisdamagedhat。
\"Ibegyourpardon,\"repeatedJohnnyagaintwominuteslater,collidingwithatallyounglady。
\"Shouldadviseyoutotakesomethingforthatsquintofyours,\"
remarkedthetallyoungladywithseverity。
\"What’sthematterwithme?\"thoughtJohnny。\"Seemstobeasortofmist——\"Theexplanationflashedacrosshim。\"Ofcourse,\"saidJohnnytohimself,\"it’sthisconfoundedveil!\"
JohnnydecidedtowalktotheMarbleSoapoffices。\"I’llbemoreusedtothehangofthingsbythetimeIgetthereifIwalk,\"
thoughtJohnny。\"Hopetheoldbeggar’sin。\"
InNewgateStreet,Johnnypausedandpressedhishandsagainsthischest。\"FunnysortofpainI’vegot,\"thoughtJohnny。\"WonderifIshouldshockthemifIwentinsomewhereforadropofbrandy?\"
\"Itdon’tgetanybetter,\"reflectedJohnny,withsomealarm,onreachingthecornerofCheapside。\"HopeI’mnotgoingtobeill。
Whatever——\"Theexplanationcametohim。\"Ofcourse,it’sthesedamnedstays!Nowondergirlsareshort—tempered,attimes。\"
AttheofficesoftheMarbleSoap,Johnnywastreatedwithmarkedcourtesy。Mr。Jowettwasout,wasnotexpectedbacktillfiveo’clock。Wouldtheladywait,orwouldshecallagain?Theladydecided,nowshewasthere,towait。Wouldtheladytaketheeasy—
chair?Wouldtheladyhavethewindowopenorwouldshehaveitshut?HadtheladyseenTheTimes?
\"OrtheHa’pennyJoker?\"suggestedajuniorclerk,whothereuponwaspromptlysentbacktohiswork。
Manyoftheseniorclerkshadoccasiontopassthroughthewaiting—
room。Twooftheseniorclerksheldviewsabouttheweatherwhichtheyappearedwishfultoexpressatlength。Johnnybegantoenjoyhimself。Thisthingwasgoingtobegoodfun。Bythetimetheslammingofdoorsandthehurryingoffeetannouncedtheadventofthechief,Johnnywaslookingforwardtohisinterview。
Itwasbrieferandlesssatisfactorythanhehadanticipated。Mr。
Jowettwasverybusy——didnotasaruleseeanybodyintheafternoon;butofcourse,alady——WouldMiss——\"
\"Montgomery。\"
\"WouldMissMontgomeryinformMr。Jowettwhatitwashemighthavethepleasureofdoingforher?\"
MissMontgomeryexplained。
Mr。Jowettseemedhalfangry,halfamused。
\"Really,\"saidMr。Jowett,\"thisishardlyplayingthegame。