'You see now where thanks are due, Nancy,' I said softly.
'Yes;' drawing a deep breath.
When a loud clanging bell warned us that the time for my leaving her
had come, I was more demonstrative in my manner than is customary with
me. Several of the other inmates and their visitors were congregated in
the yard, and I chose them to see that Nancy Dean had at anyrate one
friend who believed in her. The sudden flush which covered her face,
the expression of the eyes turned towards the other women, as though
to say 'You see!' sufficiently thanked me. It was a very pleasant walk
home.
I was not a little surprised as well as disappointed to find that
Philip did not take kindly to the idea of my last protégée. He came
down with Robert Wentworth towards the evening, and Lilian mentioned my
afternoon's errand to the Home to the latter, who had been extremely
interested in Nancy's case.
Philip asked several questions about it; but I could not get him to
shew any interest in Nancy, if he felt any. Indeed I could not help
seeing that the idea of my visiting the Home was distasteful to him.
It was all the more noticeable because Robert Wentworth had entered so
warmly into the subject, taking my proceedings quite for granted.
'What led you to go there, Mary?'
What led me to go there?--what but the happiness his own letter had
brought me. But that was not a question to be replied to just then,
if ever; so I murmured something about having met Nancy in a state of
desperation, and persuaded her to return to the Home, &c.
He said very little; his disapproval was more expressed in his manner
than anything else. Seeing that he objected, and did not care to give
his reasons for so doing, I did not attempt to discuss the point with
him. I must trust to Nancy. If by-and-by she proved to be a success,
it would be a better argument in my favour than any I could advance.
Besides, I was too happy to allow a slight divergence of opinion
between us to disturb me. Of course he knew that he would find me
ready enough to yield whenever he shewed me a reason for so doing; he
would find too, that in my heart of hearts I preferred his gaining the
victory when it came to reasoning, though it must be a fair field and
no favour between us.
But if Philip did not very favourably regard my visits to Nancy, he
entered warmly enough into our scheme for improving the cottage homes.
He not only approved but helped us in workmanlike fashion with a
little carpentering and what not, which we had been unable to compass,
beginning with a bracket and shelves, and launching out into more
ambitious attempts. We began to contemplate improving the architectural
effect with porches to the doors, over which climbing plants were to
be trained, placing a seat at the side, and so forth; and if it was
not all of the very highest art as to shape and make, it would be, we
flattered ourselves, picturesque and comfortable-looking. If the porch
proved as attractive as the village ale-house to sit and smoke in, in
the summer evenings, it would be something gained.
With regard to the interior arrangements, we were altogether satisfied.
Our protégés were beginning to take some little pride in their homes,
and to brighten up such parts of them as did not match well with our
efforts. We still always took care to leave some part of the room as
we found it, to serve as a contrast; and the challenge was now more
generally accepted than at first. It must, however, be acknowledged
that we still met with occasional opposition. When Jemmy Rodgers, for
instance, found that his tobacco jar was not refilled after being
suggestively placed in our way, he began to shew his independence
again; taking to his old ways and using the table for a kettle-stand.
But we looked upon ourselves as successful enough to be as independent
as he was now, and we took no further trouble about him or his table.
At which Sally Dent informed us he gave it as his opinion that we had
more 'grit' in us than he had given us credit for having; and that he
wasn't sure he should not give in and clean the table himself. To his
astonishment a clean table did not open our hearts; the tobacco jar
remained unfilled.
In all our other schemes Philip joined heartily with purse and hand,
and yet he so markedly stopped short when Nancy and the Home were in
question. How was it? Was his remark about 'the impossibility of a
woman retaining the delicate grace and refinement of thought--the, so
to speak, bloom of her nature--which is her greatest charm, if she
became too familiar with scenes of misery and sin,' intended as a
gentle warning to me?
For whomsoever it was intended, she found a ready and able advocate in
Robert Wentworth. He very decidedly gave it as his opinion that the
delicate grace and bloom and all the rest of it could not be got rid of
too quickly, if they were to prevent a woman holding out her hand to
any of her own sex who needed help. 'But fortunately, or unfortunately,
since there are not too many possessed of it, it is just the delicate
grace of a refined woman which is required in such cases.'
'All very well in theory, Wentworth; but if it came to practice? I am
sure you would be as desirous as I should be to guard a wife or sister
from contact with the degraded?'
'My dear fellow, not I; unless I feared the possibility of some of her
virtues being rubbed off by the contact; in that case she would of
course require very careful guarding. But I should be very proud of a
sister who could go _safely_ amongst those who needed her, be they whom
they might.'
Philip waived further discussion with a 'By-and-by, Wentworth.' I
believe he thought that it was not complimentary to Lilian and me to
carry on the conversation in our presence.
I could not but be grateful for the chivalrous respect which both
shewed towards women, though I could not help contrasting their very
opposite ways of shewing it. One seemed to represent the chivalry
of the past, and the other that of the present. I could appreciate
both: the poetry and romance of the old chivalry, and the reason and
respect in the new; and I did not ask myself which was most really
complimentary to women, or whether each was not a little the worse for
being so dissevered from the other. It might be that in my heart I
should have preferred Philip representing the present rather than the
past; but I did not acknowledge so much to myself.
But all this was only a faint ripple on our stream, not sufficient to
prevent the current from running smooth.