GERTIE IS MYSTERIOUSLY CARED FOR--SAM NATLY DINES UNDER DIFFICULTIES IN
CONNEXION WITH THE BLOCK SYSTEM.
One day, not long after the half-yearly meeting described in the last
chapter, Mrs Marrot--being at the time engaged with the baby--received
a visit from an elderly gentleman, who introduced himself as a lawyer,
and said that he had been sent by a client to make a proposal to her--
"Of course," he said, with a bland smile, "I do not refer to a
matrimonial proposal."
Mrs Marrot felt and looked surprised, but waited for more in silence.
"To come to the point at once," continued the elderly gentleman, "my
client, who is rather eccentric, has taken a great fancy, it seems, to
your little daughter Gertrude--Gertie he calls her--and is desirous of
giving her a good education, if you have no objection."
Mrs Marrot, being under the impression that this would involve Gertie's
being taken away from her, and being put to a boarding-school, at once
looked her objections so plainly, that her visitor hastened to explain
that his client did not wish Gertie to quit her parents' house, but
merely to go for a few hours each day to the residence of a teacher in
the neighbourhood--a governess--whom he should provide.
This altered the case so much that Mrs Marrot expressed herself quite
ready to allow Gertie to undergo _that_ amount of education, and hoped
it would do her good, though, for her part she did not believe in
education herself, seeing that she had got on in life perfectly well
without it. She also expressed some curiosity to know who was so good
as to take such an interest in her child.
"That, my good woman, I cannot tell, for two reasons; first because my
client has enjoined me to give no information whatever about him; and,
secondly, because I do not myself know his name, his business with me
having been transacted through a young friend of mine, who is also a
friend of his. All I can say is, that his intentions towards your child
are purely philanthropic, and the teacher whom he shall select will not
be appointed, unless you approve. That teacher, I may tell you, is Miss
Tipps."
"What! Miss Netta teach my Gertie?" exclaimed Mrs Marrot in great
surprise--"never!"
"My good woman," said the lawyer with a perplexed look, "what is your
objection to Miss Tipps?"
"Objection? I've no objection to Miss Netta, but she will have some
objection to me and Gertie."
"I thought," said the lawyer, "that Miss Tipps had already taught your
child, to some extent, gratuitously."
"So she has, God bless her; but that was in the Sunday-school, where she
teaches a number of poor people's children for the sake of our dear
Lord--but that is a very different thing from giving or'nary schoolin'
to my Gertie."
"That may be," rejoined the lawyer; "but you are aware that Miss Tipps
already teaches in order to increase her mother's small income, and she
will probably be glad to get another pupil. We mean to pay her well for
the service, and I suppose that if _she_ has no objection _you_ will
have none."
"Cer'nly not!" replied Mrs Marrot with much emphasis.
Whenever Mrs Marrot said anything with unusual emphasis, baby Marrot
entertained the unalterable conviction that he was being scolded; no
sooner, therefore, did he observe the well-known look, and hear the
familiar tones, than he opened wide his mouth and howled with injured
feeling. At the same moment a train rushed past like an average
earthquake, and in the midst of this the man of law rose, and saying
that he would communicate with Mrs Marrot soon, took his leave.
Next evening Mrs Tipps was seated at tea with Netta, planning with
anxious care how to make the two ends meet, but, apparently, without
much success.
"It is dreadful, Netta," said Mrs Tipps; "I was never before brought to
this condition."
"It _is_ very dreadful," responded Netta, "but that renders it all the
more imperative that we should take some decided step towards the
payment of our debts."
"Yes, the liquidation of our debts," said Mrs Tipps, nodding slowly;
"that was the term your dear father was wont to use."
"You know, mamma, at the worst we can sell our furniture--or part of
it--and pay them off, and then, with a system of rigid economy--"
A postman's knock cut short the sentence, and in a few seconds Mrs
Durby--careworn and subdued--presented a letter to her mistress and
retired.
"My--my dear!" exclaimed Mrs Tipps, "th-this is positively miraculous.
Here is a cheque for fifty pounds, and--but read for yourself."