Elsie's Situation
It was not mere fancy on Jane's part that Elsie was ill and unhappy.
She had magnanimously made up her mind to go to work with industry and
spirit, and Mrs. Dunn was perfectly satisfied with her. But she missed
Jane's society far more than her sister could miss hers. Jane was
constantly employed in occupations that demanded intelligence and
thought. She had access to books; she went to theatres and places of
public amusement even more than she cared for; she had the society of
Mr. Phillips constantly, and that of Mr. Brandon and several other
Australians, who were either retired on a competency or home on a
visit, very frequently, and she certainly thought them generally
pleasant and intelligent, and more agreeable company than the
provincial people in and about Swinton. Their frank acknowledgment of
the early struggles which they had had with fortune, the hearty manner
in which they enjoyed the prosperity they had earned, and their kindly
feeling towards each other, made Jane have a favourable impression of
colonial people. Mr. Phillips had become acquainted with several people
from other colonies than Victoria, partly on board ship, and partly
from other introductions. A curious and ignorant suspicion that somehow
all Australians have a sort of convict origin, made it more difficult
at that time for them than for retired Indians to get into general
society. There was no nice distinction drawn between the different
colonies; between New South Wales and Victoria, or South Australia and
Tasmania in those days--a slight savour of Botany Bay was supposed to
hang about them all. But they formed a pleasant little clique of their
own, less exclusive than most cliques, and generally disposed to hold
up each one his own particular colony as preferable to the others. They
might contrast it unfavourably with Britain, but as compared with the
other colonies, it ought to bear the palm.
Elsie felt the want of this intelligence and this variety of character
that Jane described to her so minutely in her frequent letters, and
regretted that she could write nothing interesting in return. When she
came home after a long day's work, she thought she ought to try to keep
up a little of her sister's discipline with the Lowries, and went over
their lessons with them. Tom used to bring to her the most puzzling
questions, which she thought she ought to be able to answer, and made
great efforts to do so; but instead of the intellectual work refreshing
her after the sedentary needlework, she felt all the more exhausted by
it. As for her poetry, she appeared to be unable to write a line, and
though she sometimes could read an old book, she seemed quite unfit to
pay attention to anything new.
She missed the long walks she had daily taken in Jane's pleasant
company. It was not far from Peggy's house to Mrs. Dunn's place of
business, and it was a very monotonous walk. The white regular houses,
all of one size and height, with their thousands of windows exactly on
the same model, seemed always staring her out of countenance, and made
her feel depressed even in the early morning. She felt the keen
piercing east winds of an Edinburgh spring as she had never done at
Cross Hall, where they were sheltered from them by a beautiful
plantation of trees; and the continued poor living and the hurried
meals began to tell upon a constitution naturally much less robust than
Jane's, so that she began to look pale and thin, and coughed a good
deal, and lost her appetite.
With all these drawbacks she improved so much in taste and skill that
Mrs. Dunn raised her wages--or salary, as she genteelly called it--and
put her at the head of the department in which she so much excelled, so
that she could not bear to give up her contribution to the little fund
that Jane was putting into the Savings Bank.
Miss Rennie had persuaded her mamma to try Mrs. Dunn's establishment,
and had told that lady that it was all on Miss Elsie Melville's
account, so she often saw her and Laura Wilson there, and made bonnets
for both of them with her own hands; and the Chalmerses and Jardines
had also come to see how Elsie got on, and other people from the
neighbourhood of Swinton. Elsie would rather not have had dealings with
so many old acquaintances, but Mrs. Dunn thought it was a just reward
for her kindness that she had this increase of custom.
One day, about four months after she had been engaged in this business,
Miss Rennie and Miss Wilson came in with most important-looking faces.
While Miss Wilson was busied turning over the fashion-books, her friend
whispered to Elsie:
"It is really a case; Laura is engaged to Mr. Dalzell, your old friend
and neighbour, and she is going to give one of her wedding orders here.
Mrs. Dunn should be greatly obliged to you, for we never would have
come to the house but for you. But this marriage amuses me a good deal.
I'm sure your sister was fifty times too good for him, and Laura and he
will just suit each other. He is very much attached to her fortune, and
she will have it settled upon herself; at least, papa will see that is
done as tightly as she could wish, and Laura has a sharp eye to number
one, I can assure you. She is quite delighted at the idea of being
married at eighteen, to such a handsome man, of such a good family.
Mrs. Dalzell has been to see us, and been so gracious. After all, what
better luck could she look for than to be married for her money? with
such a temper as she has, too. He certainly is handsome; but for my
part, I would rather have a man who is downright ugly than one who
grins and bows like William Dalzell. I will be quite glad when this
affair is over. Lovers are very tiresome when one does not quite
believe in the love."
"Well, Laura dear, have you made up your mind about the dresses?"
continued Miss Rennie, in a louder voice.
"You had better go to Mademoiselle Defour about the dresses," said
Elsie. "I must keep to my own department."
"Oh, Laura wants your taste to help us to decide; you know better what
suits than mademoiselle," said Miss Rennie.
"But I am going to be busy here," said Elsie, who never felt much
disposed to wait on Miss Wilson, and at this time less than ever; and
she turned to an elderly lady, of a very pleasing countenance, who,
with a pretty girl of thirteen, entered the showroom at that moment.
"Oh, Miss Thomson," said Miss Rennie, shaking hands with the new comer,
"how do you do? Are you in Edinburgh just now? You must come to see
mamma; she will be so disappointed if you leave her out. Have you come
to hear Dr. B----? He preaches for the last time in Edinburgh on
Sunday."
"I am to be in Edinburgh for a few days," said Miss Thomson, "and will
certainly call on your mother."
"This is one of your nieces, I suppose?" said Miss Rennie.
"Yes, this is Grace Forrester, my youngest niece, who has been doing so
well at school, and been such a good girl altogether, that I must needs
give her a new frock for a party she is invited to next week, and get
it fashionably made, too, no doubt."
"This is not the dressmaking-room--Miss Melville is the milliner. We
must go to the next room for Grace's frock," said Miss Rennie.
"But I am in want of a new cap and bonnet for myself, and I must teach
Grace that old people must be served first, and that young folks must
wait with patience," said Miss Thomson, looking very kindly on the
girl. "Miss Melville can take my order, I suppose? You are the sister
of the young lady who called on me some time ago?"
"Yes, ma'am," said Elsie.
"I can see a very slight likeness. I was very glad to hear such good
accounts of your sister getting a situation with some rich colonial
people in London; and I hear, too, that you are a remarkably good hand
in your own line, so I have come to ask you to make me a cap and a
bonnet that will keep on my head; and that is what I cannot get the
fashionable milliner I have employed so long to make me this year back."
"I can make to please Peggy Walker," said Elsie, smiling; "but you will
wish for more style--a compromise between fashion and comfort."
"With a decided leaning towards comfort," said Miss Thomson. "Are you
still living with Peggy Walker? An admirable woman she is, and one whom
I have the greatest respect for; but does she take good care of you?
You look thin and ill."
"I am not very well, but Peggy is everything that is kind and careful.
I have missed my sister, sadly. I hope, however, to see her soon, for
Mrs. Phillips has been so good as to ask me to spend a few weeks in
London, and Mrs. Dunn is going to spare me."
"Well, I am glad to hear it," said Miss Thomson, "for it seems to me
you want a change and a rest. Your cousin is making great alterations
at Cross Hall."
"Alterations for the better," said Elsie. "He told us about them."
"Well, I'm not clear about the allotments; but the cottages I do most
highly approve of, and I am coming upon my landlord to build me eight
or nine, after the same plan, as near as may be. The Allendale
cot-houses are very old, and I will never consent to have my workpeople
as badly lodged as they have been. If I asked for five hundred pounds
to add to the farmhouse, I would get it at once, for I am a good
tenant; but my landlord demurred at such an expenditure for cot-houses.
I think I will carry my point, however."
"You know," said Miss Rennie to Miss Thomson, "of the new neighbour you
are likely to get at Moss Tower? Mamma wants to have a talk with you
about Laura's marriage, as you know the Dalzells."
"Oh, yes, certainly, I'll call on your mother. I don't forget any of my
cousins, though they are a few times removed. But, dear me, Eliza, that
poor girl Melville looks ill; the brae she has had to climb has been
owre stey for her. I must look in on Peggy Walker, and hear what she
says about her," said Miss Thomson, as they moved into mademoiselle's
department and gave orders about Grace's frock, while Miss Wilson
looked over dresses, made and unmade, and received hints and
suggestions from any quarter she could.
Elsie wished that she could be out of the establishment before Miss
Wilson's wedding order came to it; so she was very glad when, after a
longer day than usual, in which she had exercised her utmost skill for
Miss Thomson's behoof, and certainly pleased herself with her work, she
returned home and found Mr. Brandon sitting talking in his usual
cheerful way to Peggy and the old man.
Dr. Phillips had wished that Elsie should join her sister before she
left Derbyshire, and spend a week or so at his house, for he had been
so delighted with Jane that he had a desire to become acquainted with
Elsie also; so that Mr. Brandon had come sooner than he had intended,
and proposed an early departure. Elsie looked so glad, so very glad to
see him; expressed herself so grateful to him for all the trouble he
was taking for her; and after asking for Jane and the Phillipses, began
to inquire about his own relations, and how he had enjoyed his visit to
Ashfield, with so much interest, that Mr. Brandon thought her manner
more pleasant than ever.