KING SOLOMON
John Hooper, Esquire, barrister-at-law, of Fountain Court, Inner
Temple, was the employer of Mr. Eustace Gibb, who was the brother of
Miss Gibb. It is not easy to define the relation which Mr. Gibb
occupied with regard to Mr. Hooper. Mr. Hooper, although, presumably,
learned in the law, had never held a brief in his life, and, to be
frank, did not particularly want one; only his uncle worried. He had a
small income of his own, and great expectations from his uncle; as his
expenditure always exceeded his income, he regarded it as of the first
importance that he should continue to stand in what he called his
uncle's "good books," since he looked to that gentleman for sufficient
financial assistance to enable him to what he termed "rub along." To
please his uncle, who appeared to think he ought, very shortly, to be
sitting on the woolsack, since he could get no briefs of his own he
worked on those of other people; in other words he devilled for a
gentleman who was always promising to do more work than, as he knew
very well, he could do, and who, therefore, allowed Mr. Hooper, among
others, to do some of the work which he was paid to do, but for which
he paid Mr. Hooper nothing; there was not so much of this as Mr.
Hooper chose to allow his uncle to imagine; still, from his point of
view, there was emphatically enough.
What position Mr. Gibb filled in his chambers he himself occasionally
wondered. To those whom he wished to impress with his legal standing
he spoke of him as his clerk; to those whom it was impossible to
impress, and they were many, as his office boy; while in his own
circle of intimates, which was of rather a peculiar kind, he generally
referred to him as King Solomon. Mr. Gibb generally referred to
himself as Mr. Hooper's right-hand man.
"I'm his right hand man, that's what I am," he was wont to tell any
one who showed interest in the subject; whereat the listener whistled,
or did worse, and wondered, if he stopped at that. His duties appeared
chiefly to consist in sitting, if Mr. Hooper was in his chambers, in a
sort of lobby, which opened on to the staircase, which he called his
office, and where he did nothing; or if Mr. Hooper was not in his
chambers, he went out, as far out as he thought was discreet, and did
nothing there. Sometimes when, as was not infrequently the case, both
employer and employed had nothing to do, Mr. Hooper would summon Mr.
Gibb into his inner room, and would talk to him--and Mr. Gibb would
talk to him. It was the words of wisdom which Mr. Gibb would casually
let drop in the course of these conversations which induced Mr. Hooper
to allude to him, in the privacy of his own circle, as King Solomon;
the barrister declared that it was worth his while to pay Mr. Gibb ten
shillings a week, which he with difficulty did, merely on account of
the benefit which he derived from hearing him talk.
It was during one of these conversations that Mr. Gibb touched on a
subject which was foremost both in his heart and head. He had taken a
strenuous part in the family endeavours to find for Miss Lindsay some
employment by means of which she could at least provide herself with
the wherewithal to keep herself alive. He had entered on the search
with sanguine zest. Apart from any feeling which he might himself
entertain for the lady he felt that his reputation was at stake. He
had pledged himself to find for her at least half-a-dozen ways of
earning a living in a ridiculously short space of time; and as yet he
had not found her one; and she herself still searched. He was aware of
the visits to Mr. Thompson; they troubled him nearly as much as they
troubled Nora; he felt almost as if he was himself responsible for
their continuation. He knew that any day another might have to be
paid; the knowledge made him desperate. He had had, for some time, a
vague intention of speaking to his employer on the matter; but he was
aware that Mr. Hooper did not always take him seriously, and he was
curiously unwilling to have Miss Lindsay made the subject of that
gentleman's chaff. Yet the thought of that further impending visit
pressed heavily on his mind; so that presently the barrister perceived
that in his air there was something singular.
"You're not up to your usual mark, Mr. Gibb; those pearls of wisdom
which I love to cherish as they drop from your lips don't seem
dropping; stock run out?"
Mr. Gibb looked up at the ceiling, then down to Mr. Hooper.
"The fact is, sir, I've got something on my mind."
"Is it possible? My good Mr. Gibb, do I ever allow anything to stop on
my mind? Get it off!"
"It's easy to talk, sir, but I don't seem as though I can."
"Perhaps it would do your mind good to tell me what's on it; I have
known that prescription work a cure. Give your mind its head, Mr.
Gibb, let her go."
Mr. Gibb hesitated; he was trying to find fitting words in which to
express what he had to say.
"It's like this, sir; I know somebody who very much wants to find the
means of earning a living."
"Not an uncommon character, Mr. Gibb. I suppose there are the usual
requirements, large salary wanted, and very little work."
"Not at all, sir, not in this case. The person to whom I'm alluding
would be only too glad to do any amount of work, for very little
wages."
"That is unusual; I fear an effort has been made to impose upon your
innocence. Who's the gentleman?"
"It's not a gentleman, sir, it's a lady."
"A lady? I say, Mr. Gibb! warnings out all along that coast; if at
this period of your existence you get yourself mixed up with a lady,
especially one who is on the look out for means of earning a living,
your whole career may be blighted. She may look upon you as her
living, and then where are you?"
"No fear of that, sir; this is a lady born and bred; she's as high as
the heavens above me."
"Is she? Then she's tallish. Old?"
"No, sir; in her early prime."
"Meaning?"
"I couldn't say exactly, sir; I should say somewhere about twenty. You
could tell better than me.
"What on earth do you mean?"
"If you saw her."
"If I saw her! Look here, Mr. Gibb, have you got anything at the back
of your head?" Mr. Gibb sighed. "Is she hideous?"
"No, sir; she's the most beautiful young lady ever I set eyes on; and
I've seen a few."
"You have, Mr. Gibb, I admit it; still as I don't know what your type
of beauty really is your remark conveys little to me."
"It would convey more, sir, if you were to see her. You wouldn't want
to see her twice to know that she's the most beautiful young lady ever
you set eyes on. I feel sure of it. I wish you would see her, sir."
"May I ask, Mr. Gibb, what it is you're driving at? Why should I see
her?"
"So that you might understand."
"Understand what?"
"How it is."
"How what is? I'll trouble you, Mr. Gibb, to be a trifle more
explicit. Where's this lady of birth and breeding, who's as high as
the heavens above you, to be found?"
"She's lodging at my mother's. Yes, sir, I don't wonder you look
surprised; I know it's no place for a lady, especially one like her;
and that's the trouble, she is a lady; I know a lady when I see one as
well as I know a gentleman."
"You must forgive me, Mr. Gibb, but I'm wondering if you do; it's not
every one who can tell a lady by the look of her."
"Perhaps not, sir; but you can. If you saw her you'd soon tell. She'd
have found something long ago she could have turned her hand to if
she'd been one of your common sort; but that's the mischief, she's a
lady; and I happen to know that she's in a very bad way. She lost her
father and her mother, and she doesn't seem to have a friend in the
world; if she doesn't find something soon by which she can earn a
little money I don't know what will become of her. I wish you would
see her, sir."
"What good do you suppose will be gained by my seeing her? What sort
of work does she want?"
"She has been trying for a secretaryship; but she's tried, and tried,
and nothing's come of it; and now she'd be only too glad to do
anything by which she could earn money. You see, sir, you know all
kinds of people, and I thought that if you saw her, so that you might
know what she's like, and how it is with her, you might think of some
one who could give her work; I know you wouldn't regret it if you
did."
"Mr. Gibb, you're a--you're a person of a Mephistophelian habit! Mind
you, I've no more chance of putting anything in the way of your lady
born and bred, who's as high as the heavens above you, than the man in
the moon; but I've got plenty of time on my hands; I'm always ready to
see any one; and I've no objection to see her."
"Thank you, sir. Will you see her to-morrow morning?"
"Look here, Mr. Gibb, are you trying to bustle me?"
"Well,' sir, you see she's pawning her things----"
"Pawning her things! and you say she's a lady."
"Yes, sir, she is pawning her things, and she is a lady; and it's
because I've reason to know that she may have to pawn something else
either to-day or to-morrow that I've mentioned her to you at all;
because when she's pawned all she's got what will she do?"
"Do you want me to lend her some money? or to give her some?"
Mr. Gibb smiled.
"When you've seen her, sir, you won't need to ask me that. Then you'll
see her to-morrow morning?"
"Now don't you go putting any false hopes in her head, you'll only be
doing her a disservice if you do; nothing will come of my seeing her,
I'm only doing it to oblige you; let that be clearly understood."
"Yes, sir; thank you very much."
When Mr. Gibb got home he rushed straight up to Miss Lindsay, who was
commencing the nondescript apology for a meal which served her as tea
and supper.
"Miss Lindsay, I believe I've found you something which may lead to
something."
"Oh, Eustace! have you? what is it?"
"It's my chief." Mr. Gibb never would refer to him as "governor," as
other clerks did; he thought it vulgar. "It's Mr. Hooper!"
"Mr. Hooper?"
"I happened to mention to him to-day that you were looking out for a
secretaryship, and he said would you call round and see him to-morrow
morning."
"Oh, Eustace! how shall I ever thank you? Is it for himself he wants a
secretary?"
"That I can't say; but if you'll take my advice you'll call and see
him."
"Of course I'll call and see him; I'm--I'm all trembling! as if I
wouldn't call and see him! Do you think I've any chance?"
"That also I can't say; but if you'll allow me to give you what I
should describe as a hint----"
"Please do! What is it? You are so clever!"
"If I were you I should put on your prettiest frock, and your
prettiest hat, and the prettiest everything you've got."
"Eustace! Why?"
Mr. Gibb put his hand up to his mouth, and coughed discreetly.
"Fact is, Mr. Hooper's more of an eye for female beauty than he
thinks, and if you come to him looking as I've seen you look, you'll
knock him."
"Knock him?"
Mr. Gibb was apologetic.
"It's not often that I do use words of that kind, but, asking your
pardon, this time I mean it."
"But--I don't understand what you do mean. You can't mean that Mr.
Hooper would engage me as his secretary merely because I happened to
be wearing my prettiest frock?"
"I don't say anything of the kind; not at all. I don't know that he
wants a secretary; I only know he told me to ask you to call. You want
to make a good impression when you do call, don't you?"
"Of course I do."
"Exactly; of course you do! What I say is don't leave anything undone
which will help you to make a good impression; and that's all I do
say."
When Mr. Gibb went Nora was left blushing, trembling, excited, and
slightly bewildered; she continued her meal without having any clear
idea of what it was that she was eating.
"That's a queer boy," she said to herself, more than once.
Mr. Gibb was a queer boy; which was why his "chief" occasionally
alluded to him as King Solomon.