BLEAK HOUSE HOSTEL.
'What are we going to do with those two girls to-day, Amy?' demanded Eva
at breakfast, which, being Sunday, they were having late.
'Entertain them,' responded Amy.
'Don't be tiresome; you know quite well what I mean. What are we to do
to entertain them? They will get here at half-past twelve, after they
have been to church. We can't go to church in the afternoon; besides, we
don't know what kind of church they go to, and dinner can't last longer
than a quarter to two, because the servants like to have the tables all
cleared by two o'clock, and I suppose they won't go away till after tea
at four o'clock,' argued Eva.
'I hope they won't go away until after supper. I want them to have a
nice day; they are very lonely, Eva. You know what we felt like when we
first came to town, and how we determined we would always be friendly to
other lonely girls from the country, and I thought you liked the Misses
Wharton so much that you wanted to live with them!' cried Amy Overall in
surprise at this change of front.
'That's just it, I do want to live with them; at least I want to have a
house to myself again.'
'A house to yourself! Is that your latest? That is more ridiculous than
your last idea, and still less likely to come about,' said Amy.
'It is the same idea. I call it "to myself," with only three others in
it, especially when I am part-owner; and the reason I don't want the
Whartons to stay too long to-day is for fear that they should be bored,
and find that we are not their sort, and not want to take a house with
us after all,' explained Eva.
'Well, really, Eva, your way of looking at things does surprise me
sometimes; and I hope you won't be angry, but it does not always seem to
me to be quite straight.'
'What isn't quite straight?' demanded Eva, flushing up.
Amy was a little slow in expressing herself; but she said hesitatingly,
'I mean that it would be honest, in my opinion, to face facts, and if we
were likely to bore each other to find it out before we entered upon a
plan which would throw us together for a great many Sundays as well as
other days.'
'That is quite a different thing. We shall not have to entertain each
other for a whole day; we shall go our own ways, and read books, or
write letters; but we can't ask the Misses Wharton to read books to-day,
and one can't talk for hours together--at least I can't; perhaps you
can, as you are so very righteous,' retorted Eva, who was annoyed.
'I thought we might go to a picture-gallery after dinner, and then come
back for tea and a talk, and there is always some nice music here in the
evening,' suggested Amy, taking no notice of Eva's last remark.
Eva recovered her temper as quickly as she lost it. 'That will be a good
plan; but--they are Scotch, and I don't believe they allow music on
Sundays,' she suddenly bethought herself.
'You are thinking of that story we read the other day. Those were strict
people; I don't believe the Whartons are like that.' But she looked
rather doubtful.
Eva smiled wickedly. 'So perhaps, after all, we shall have to talk all
the time.'
'I don't think Miss Wharton and I will get tired of each other, even if
such a dreadful thing happened as our being obliged to entertain each
other for a few hours,' said Amy calmly.
But when the Whartons came it turned out that they had no objection to
music nor to a picture-gallery, provided they had been to church first.
Vava and Eva paired off, and the latter began at once, 'Tell me, are you
as sick of lodgings as ever?'
'Yes, of course; I should never like them. But why do you ask?' demanded
Vava, who looked so pretty in her prettily made Sunday-frock that Eva
was more than ever attracted to her.
'Because Amy and I have decided that we are quite ready if you two are,'
said Eva.
Vava flushed with pleasure. 'Really? Then Miss Overall doesn't think it
a mad idea? Stella did not believe you were serious, or that Miss
Overall would like it; but if she does I shouldn't wonder if Stella
would agree to doing it. She said it might be possible some day; but not
yet, of course.'
'Some day may mean years hence, when we are all dead, or too old to
enjoy a garden of our own. Just fancy sowing flower-seeds and watching
them growing every day, and having our own vegetables! We could have
salad every evening in the summer, and lettuces freshly picked from a
dear little bed!' urged Eva.
Vava listened with growing enthusiasm. 'It would be almost like home
again. I have grown radishes in my little garden, because nursie liked
them for tea. If only nursie were with us I should be quite happy, I
think!' she exclaimed.
The two younger girls were in Eva's little bedroom, taking off Vava's
outdoor things, a process which they had prolonged so as to talk
confidentially together. Stella Wharton and Amy Overall, on the
contrary, had long since gone down to the big drawing-room, where about
thirty girls of various ages were sitting about, reading or talking.
It seemed to Stella, who was not used to crowds, that the babel was
terrific, and Amy, seeing this, rose, saying, 'If you don't mind staying
here alone for a few minutes I will ask the housekeeper to let us have a
private sitting-room for an hour or so? We can talk better there.'
Amy had arranged for the private sitting-room, and was just going to
tell Vava and Eva that there was no need for them to sit in a cold
bedroom, when Eva appeared in the passage.
'I was just coming to you, Amy. I want to speak to you alone for a
moment,' said Eva hurriedly, taking her friend's arm; and, turning back
with her to the latter's room, she added, 'What do you think, Amy, the
Whartons are quite ready to start housekeeping if only you will, and as
they are cautious Scotch people it's sure to be all right!'
'Who told you that, Eva? You mean that Vava is quite ready, don't you? I
can scarcely believe that Miss Wharton, who really seems a very
thoughtful, serious person, has said she is ready to start a house with
strangers. It seems incredible!' objected Amy, and she looked rather
curiously at Eva.
'There's nothing so incredible in wanting to live in a house instead of
horrid lodgings. They are miserable where they are, and jump at the
thought of making other arrangements, which they can only do if you chum
with them. And, after all, what's all the fuss and caution about? What
is there so very serious in taking a little house for a year? Of course
we may get tired of it and each other, though I don't think that likely;
but twelve months is not so long to put up with what we don't like, and,
anyway, it will be great fun at first. What is your objection now?'
demanded Eva, who poured out all this eloquence so rapidly and
energetically as to overwhelm the slow-thinking Amy.
'It's--it's not such a light or easy matter, Eva. There are the weekly
bills to be thought of, and the furnishing, and the rent, and a servant,
and--oh! a hundred things,' wound up the elder girl, with knitted brows.
'The weekly bills won't come to more than we can pay weekly, and as for
a servant--what do we want with one? We will each do our own room before
we start, and we are out all day, and only sleep there, except on
Saturday and Sunday; and then, among the four of us, surely we can
manage a little house. We will lead the simple life; every one is
talking about the simple life, and how one goes in for too many luxuries
and is over-civilised, and we will just go back to primitive ways. Now,
Amy, be a Christian and say "Yes." You are always telling me that one
must be self-sacrificing in this world; sacrifice yourself, and make
those two lonely girls happy, to say nothing of me, who am stifled in
this crowded barracks of a place,' declared Eva.
Eva did not look very stifled, and in justice to the ladies' hostel it
should be stated that it was not in the least crowded or stifling; this
was a mere figure of speech on Eva's part, who, as will have been seen,
was apt to turn things round to suit herself. She was only sixteen; very
young to be thrown upon the world and her own resources. With the
exception of Amy, she was unfortunately not under very good influences,
and when she wanted to believe a thing was true she generally managed to
do so, and though she would have scorned to tell a lie she made things
appear to be what she wished them to be. At any rate, she managed to
deceive both Vava and Amy, and make each of them believe that consent
had been given on both sides; and, as unfortunately often happened, she
succeeded in getting her own way.
However, for the moment there was no talk about future plans; it would
not have been possible in the public dining-room, and almost immediately
after early dinner the four went off to the Tate Gallery, and the talk
turned upon pictures, and Eva noticed with satisfaction that the elders
were getting on famously.
'Do you know what I have been thinking?' inquired Eva of Vava.
They were standing before a picture by Burne-Jones as she said this.
Vava replied promptly, 'I don't know, unless it is that the ladies in
this picture have all got the same mouths.'
'Oh the picture! I wasn't thinking about it at all; I don't care very
much for art. Amy does, and she is always dragging me here with her, so
that I know them all by heart, and am quite sick of them. No, what I was
thinking was that those two are getting on A1, and that it's all
providential!' announced Eva.
Vava looked puzzled for a minute, and then laughed as she said, 'You
mean that it is providential that they like one another? Then, I
suppose, it's providential that we get on together, or that any one ever
likes any one else?'
'I mean that, as we want to live together, it's a good thing we suit
each other,' replied Eva.
'Oh but that may not be for a long time; still, we can be friends, can't
we?' asked Vava.
'Yes, but why need it be a long time? Your sister is quite ready; so is
Amy'----she began.
But Vava interrupted her in surprise. 'Stella quite ready! To take a
house with you, do you mean? Oh is she really?'
'Why, of course she is! Didn't you tell me so?' cried Eva.
'I?' replied Vava, in such tones of astonishment that Eva coloured up.
'You certainly said that if Amy would agree your sister would, and that
she thought it a good idea. And as Amy does agree--why, your sister will
too,' she affirmed.
Eva had quite persuaded herself that the two elder girls were ready, and
that it only needed some keeping up to the mark on her part to bring the
new plan about.
Vava was quite silent for a time; she was very impulsive and outspoken,
but she was also very straightforward, and somehow it struck her that
Eva's speech was not so. In spite of her impulsiveness, she could on
occasion hold her peace, and she did so now.
'Of course, if you've changed your mind, and don't care so much for me,
now that you know me better, that ends the matter; we must go on living
in our barracks, and you in your dirty lodgings!' Eva cried, vexed at
Vava's silence.
Vava was half-inclined to be angry at Eva's plain speaking; but, after
all, the lodgings were dirty, and it was she herself who had told Eva
so, and, besides, it was rather flattering to be wanted as a house-mate.
So she forgot her suspicion as to Eva's truthfulness, and answered
heartily enough, 'I do want to live with you, and I am just as tired of
our dirty lodgings as you can be of your hostel, which is ever so much
nicer than where we live, if only there wasn't such a noise all the time
with people talking all at the one time. And as for Stella, I'm sorry if
I gave you the wrong idea. She is not one to make up her mind in a
hurry--we Scotch never are, I think; but I will try and persuade her.'
Eva said no more; privately she thought her own persuasion would be more
powerful. They were now called by the other two to come with them, as
the gallery was just closing.
'And I haven't seen half the pictures!' exclaimed Vava.
'Never mind; I will bring you again another day,' said Stella, smiling;
and Vava thought she had not seen her look so bright and happy since
they had left Lomore.
'We might make it our next Saturday treat,' agreed Vava.
'We had another plan for Saturday,' replied Stella, smiling again in a
half-ashamed manner.
'Another treat? Are we going anywhere all together?' Vava inquired,
looking from Stella to Amy.
'We are going house-hunting,' announced Amy, who looked pleased at the
demonstration of delight the announcement called forth.
'House-hunting?' echoed Vava, while Eva gave a little cry of delight;
then, having got over their surprise, the two younger girls began asking
eager questions.
'We have not made our calculations yet; but we are going to have a
council of war, or rather of peace, at the Enterprise Club next week to
talk things over. At any rate, we can just go and look at some little
houses in a suburb which Miss Overall thinks possible,' Stella observed.
There was little else talked of till they parted; and Amy said after
they were gone, 'I hope I have done right. Miss Wharton did not seem
quite so ready when I spoke to her. I suppose upon reflection her Scotch
caution came to the fore, and indeed I am half-frightened myself; but
their gratitude at our being so friendly was reward enough for running a
little risk, and we are not pledged to anything even now,' she wound up.
'Oh but you mustn't draw back; you are really doing a kind deed, and it
will turn out splendidly, you will see!' cried Eva quickly.
Vava meanwhile walked home with her sister in the gayest of spirits, and
yet a doubt would keep coming into her mind. Hadn't Eva rather managed
them all, and hadn't she rather twisted what she (Vava) had said? Then
the remembrance of Eva's affectionate parting made her ashamed of her
doubts, and she banished them from her mind.
'Anyway, we sha'n't get tired of them, for we have spent a whole day
doing nothing but talk to each other, and if you can do that you can
spend your whole life with any one nearly; at any rate, you can live in
the same house, especially when you are all out in separate parts all
the day,' opined Vava.
'We can but try; and, at any rate, it is not settled, and I shall do
nothing without consulting Mr. Stacey,' declared Stella as they said
good-night to each other.