"Camberwell? And I was so unreasonable as to ask you to come all this
way."
I did not know how it was, but I somehow felt as if I had come to visit
some very old friends, and in quite a short time we were chatting
confidentially about our affairs. They soon knew all about my own home,
and my life since I left school so suddenly; and on my side I learned
that Mrs John Dempster had had a very serious illness, but was
recovering slowly, and that they were contemplating going abroad, the
doctors having said that she must not stay in our damp climate for
another winter.
I learned, too, that, as Mr John Dempster said, when things came to the
worst they improved. It had been so here, for the night after his visit
to his cousin in the city, a letter had come from Mrs John Dempster's
brother, who was in the North-west--wherever that might be--and their
temporary troubles were at an end.
That would have been a delightfully pleasant meal but for one thing. No
allusion was made to the visit to the city, and though I sat trembling,
for fear they should both begin to thank me for my offer, not a word was
said. The tea was simple. The flowers on the table and in the window
smelled sweetly, and the birds sang, while there was something about
Mrs John that fascinated me, and set me thinking about the happy old
days at home.
The one unpleasantly was the conduct of the little maid they kept. She
was a round rosy-faced girl of about fifteen, I suppose, but dressed in
every respect, cap and apron and all, like a woman of five-and-twenty.
In fact she looked like a small-sized woman with very hard-looking shiny
dark eyes.
Upon her first entrance into the room bearing a bright tin kettle, for
the moment I thought that as she looked so fierce, it was she who
uttered little snorts, hisses, and sputtering noises. But of course it
was only the kettle, for she merely looked at me angrily and gave a
defiant sniff. As the evening went on, I found that this was Maria, and
it soon became evident that Maria did not like me, but looked upon me as
a kind of intruder, of whom she was as jealous as a girl of her class
could be.
Pleasant evenings always pass too rapidly, and it was so here; I could
not believe it when the hands of the little clock on the chimney-piece
pointed to nine, and I rose to go.
"How soon it seems!" sighed Mrs John. "Well, Mayne,"--it had soon come
to that--"you must call and see us again very soon--while we are here,"
she added, slowly.
"Ah, and who knows but what he may come when we are far away!" said Mr
John. "The world is only a small place after all."
"Where should you go?" I said, earnestly. "I would come if I could."
"Possibly to Canada," said Mr John. "But there, we are not gone yet.
You will not feel lonely, dear, if I walk a little way with our
visitor?"
She gave him a very gentle smile, and as I held out my hand, she drew me
to her and kissed me.
I could not say "Good-bye" then, for there was a strange choking feeling
in my throat which made me hurry away, and the last thing I heard as I
went out was the sharp banging and locking of the little gate, followed
by another defiant sniff.
"Come and see us as often as you can, Mayne," said my new friend at
parting. "We never had any children, and it is a pleasure to us to have
young people about us, for since my misfortunes we have lived very much
to ourselves. In fact, my dear wife's health has made it necessary that
she should be much alone."
"But she is getting better, sir?"
"Oh, rapidly now; and if I can get her abroad--Ah, we must talk about
this another time. Goodnight."
"Good-night."
It was like the opening out of a new life to me, and I walked back to
Camberwell as if the distance was nothing, thinking as I was all the
time about the conversation, of Mrs John's sweet, patient face, and the
constantly attentive manner of Mr John, every action of his being
repaid by a grateful smile. "I wonder," I thought, "how it is possible
that Mr Dempster and Mr John could be cousins;" and then I went on
thinking about the interview at the office when Mr Dempster was so
harsh.
This kept my attention till I reached the Deans', and then I walked
straight in to find Mrs Dean making believe to read, while Esau was
bending his head slowly in a swaying motion nearer and nearer to the
candle every moment. In fact I believe if I had not arrived as I did,
Esau's hair would have been singed so as to need no cutting for some
time. As it was, he leaped up at a touch.
"Oh, here you are!" he said. "If you hadn't come I believe I should
soon have dropped asleep."