Jane's Sister
'I have made up my mind, Charles, never to go and see Hyacinth again!'
'Indeed! What's the matter? What has happened?' Sir Charles looked up
rather wearily from his book and took off his gold-rimmed spectacles.
'Why should I wear myself out giving advice that is never followed?'
indignantly said the lady.
'Why, indeed?'
Lady Cannon looked more than ever like a part of her own furniture,
being tightly upholstered in velvet and buttons, with a touch of gold
round the neck. She was distinctly put out. Her husband glanced at her
and then at the door, as she poured out tea with an ominous air.
'You know how gratified I was, how thankful to see no more of that
odious Miss Yeo. I always disapproved of her. I felt she had a bad
influence--at any rate not a good one--in the household. I was simply
delighted to hear that Hyacinth never saw her now. Well, today I called
in to give Hyacinth a suggestion about her under-housemaid--I knew she
wanted a new one; and Jane has a sister out of a situation who, I felt
certain, would be the very person for her; when, who do I find sitting
chatting with Hyacinth, and taking the lead in the conversation in the
same odious way she always did, but Miss Yeo!'
'Oh, she has come back, has she? Well, I'm glad she's all right. Poor
old Anne! How is she looking?'
'Looking!' almost screamed Lady Cannon. 'As if it mattered how she
looked! What did she ever look like? She looked the same as ever.
Although it's a lovely day, she had on a mackintosh and a golf-cap and
dogskin riding-gloves. She was dressed for a country walk in the rain,
but hardly suitable for a visit to Hyacinth. How ever, that is not the
point. The point is her extraordinary impertinence and disrespect to
_me_. I naturally took scarcely any notice of her presence beyond a
slight bow. I made no reference whatever to her sudden disappearance,
which, though exceedingly ill-bred and abrupt, I personally happened to
be very glad of. I merely said what I had come to say to Hyacinth: that
Jane's sister was looking for a situation, and that Hyacinth's was the
very one to suit her. Instead of allowing Hyacinth to speak, what does
Miss Yeo do but most impertinently snap me up by saying--what do you
suppose she asked me, Charles?'
'How on earth could I possibly guess?'
'She asked me, in a hectoring tone, mind, what I knew about Jane's
sister! Daring to ask _me a thing like that_!'
'What did you say?'
'I answered, in a very proper and dignified way, of course, that I
personally knew nothing whatever about her, but that I was always glad
to get a good place for a relative of any domestic of mine; so Miss Yeo
answered that she thought her sister--I mean Jane--having been with me
five years was a circumstance not in her favour at all, quite the
contrary, and she would strongly advise Hyacinth not to take Jane's
sister on so flimsy recommendation. I was thunderstruck. But this is not
all. Before I left Miss Yeo dared to invite me to go to see her and her
friends, and even went so far as to say she could get me an invitation
to a musical party they are giving in a boarding-house in Bloomsbury!
She says they have charming musical evenings every Sunday, and sometimes
play dumb crambo! It was really almost pathetic. To ask _me_ to play
dumb crambo! The woman can have no sense of humour!'
'I'm not so sure of that,' murmured Sir Charles.
'I merely replied that I had a great deal to do, and could make no
engagements at present. I did not like to hurt her feelings by pointing
out the glaring incongruity of her suggestion, but really I was
astonished; and when I said this about the engagements, she answered,
"Oh well, never mind; no doubt we shall often meet here," almost as if
she guessed my strong aversion to seeing her at Hyacinth's house. Then
she went away; and I took the opportunity to advise Hyacinth against
encouraging her. Hyacinth seemed extremely vexed and did not take my
suggestion at all well. So now, if I know I am to run the risk of
meeting that person there and, as I say, am to give advice to no
purpose, I prefer to keep away altogether.'
'Did you ask Hyacinth how it was Miss Yeo turned up again?'
'I did; and she answered that Anne could not live without her I Did you
ever hear of anything so ridiculous in your life?'
'One can understand it,' said Sir Charles.
'I can't. What use can she possibly be to Hyacinth?'
'It isn't only a question of use, I suppose. They've been great friends
for years, but as far as that goes, there's not the slightest doubt Anne
could be of great use if she chose. Hyacinth isn't practical, and has
never learnt to be, and Anne is.'
'Then you approve?' said Lady Cannon in a low voice of anger; 'you
defend my being insulted, contradicted, and--and--asked to play dumb
crambo by such a person as Miss Yeo!'
'Oh, no, my dear; of course I don't. But I daresay she didn't mean to be
rude; she was always rather eccentric, and she can be very tactful when
she likes. She never was in the slightest degree in the way when she was
Hyacinth's companion and actually lived with her, so I don't see how she
possibly can be now by going to see her occasionally. Really, I rather
like Anne Yeo.'
'Oh, you do,' said his wife furiously; 'then I regret to say we differ
very radically. It is _most_ unnecessary that you should like her
at all.'
'No doubt it is unnecessary, but how can it possibly hurt you? When I
say I like her, I mean that I have a friendly sort of feeling for her. I
think she's a very good sort, that's all.'
'Then perhaps if _you_ were Cecil Reeve you would like her to live in
the house altogether?'
'Oh, I don't go so far as that,' said Sir Charles.
'What I _can't_ get over,' continued Lady Cannon, who could never
forgive the slightest opposition, and was intensely annoyed and
surprised at her husband for once being of a different opinion, 'what I
_can't_ forgive is her astonishing interference on the question of
Jane's sister! When I know that it is the very situation to suit the
girl! Now, in future, whatever difficulty Hyacinth may be in, I shall
never come forward again with _my_ help and experience. I wash my hands
of it. It was bad enough before; Hyacinth forgot every single thing I
told her, but she never contradicted me and seemed grateful for my
advice. But now--now that she has that creature to make her believe that
my opinions are not worth considering, of course it is all over. I am
sorry for Hyacinth, very sorry. By this, by her own folly, she loses a
chance that very few young married women have--a chance of getting an
under-housemaid, whose sister has been with me for five years! I have no
doubt whatever in my own mind that it would have been arranged today,
and that I should have brought the good news back to Jane, if it hadn't
been for that unpleasant and unnecessary Miss Yeo. Poor thing! It is
very hard on her.'
'What extraordinary creatures women are!' said Sir Charles.
'May I ask whom you are pitying now, Anne or Hyacinth?'
'Neither,' said Lady Cannon, with dignity as she left the room.
'I was pitying Jane's sister.'