A NEW FRIEND.
Margaret's presents of fruit, flowers, and game conciliated Mrs.
Colwyn's good-will, and she made no objection when Janetta informed her
a few days later that Miss Adair's singing lessons were about to begin.
There was time for two lessons only before Christmas Day, but they were
to be continued after the first week in the New Year until Margaret went
to town. Janetta was obliged, out of sheer shame, to hide from Mrs.
Colwyn the fact that Lady Caroline had tried to persuade her to lower
the already very moderate terms of payment, on the ground that her
daughter would have to visit Gwynne Street for her lessons.
However, the first lesson passed off well enough. Margaret brought more
gifts of flowers and game, and submitted gracefully to Janetta's
instructions. There was no time for conversation, for the carriage came
punctually when an hour had elapsed, and Margaret, as she dutifully
observed, did not like to keep the horses waiting. She embraced Janetta
very affectionately at parting, and was able to assure Lady Caroline
afterwards that she had not seen any other member of the family.
Just as Miss Adair's carriage drove away from Mrs. Colwyn's door,
another--a brougham this time--was driven up. "The Colwyns must be
having a party," said a rather censorious neighbor, who was sitting with
a friend in the bow-window of the next house. "Or else they are having
very fine pupils indeed." "That's not a pupil," said her companion,
craning forward to get a better view of the visitor; "that's Lady
Ashley, Sir Philip Ashley's mother. What's she come for, I wonder?"
Janetta wondered too.
She was greatly impressed by Lady Ashley's personality. The lofty
forehead, the aquiline nose, the well-marked eyebrows, the decided chin,
the fine dark eyes, all recalled Sir Philip to her mind, and she said to
herself that when his hair became silvery too, the likeness between him
and his mother would be more striking still. The old lady's dignified
manner did not daunt her as Lady Caroline's caressing tones often did.
There was a sincerity, a grave gentleness in Lady Ashley's way of
speaking which Janetta thoroughly appreciated. "Lady Ashley is a true
_grande dame_, while Lady Caroline is only a fine lady," she said to
herself, when analyzing her feelings afterwards. "And I know which I
like best."
Lady Ashley, on her side, was pleased with Janetta's demeanor. She liked
the plainness of her dress, the quiet independence of her manner, and
the subdued fire of her great dark eyes. She opened proceedings in a
very friendly way.
"My son has interested me in your career, Miss Colwyn," she said, "and I
have taken the liberty of calling in order to ask what sort of teaching
you are willing to undertake. I may hear of some that will suit you."
"You are very kind," Janetta answered. "I was music governess at Miss
Polehampton's, and I think that music is my strong point; but I should
be quite willing to teach other things--if I could get any pupils."
"And how is it that you do not get any pupils?"
Janetta hesitated, but a look into the old lady's benevolent face
invited confidence. She answered steadily--
"I am afraid that my sudden departure from Miss Polehampton's school has
prejudiced some people against me."
"And could not somebody write to Miss Polehampton and get her to give
you a testimonial?"
"I am afraid she would refuse."
"And that is all Margaret Adair's fault, is it not?" said Lady Ashley,
shrewdly but kindly.
She was amused to see the flush of indignation in Janetta's face.
"Margaret's fault? Oh no, Lady Ashley. It was not _Margaret's_ fault any
more than mine. We were both not very--not very respectful, perhaps, but
I was, if anything, much worse than Margaret. And she shared my fate
with me; she left when I did."
"You are a staunch friend, I see. And are you friendly with her still?"
"Oh yes," said Janetta, with enthusiasm. "She is so good--so kind--so
beautiful! She has been here to-day to have a singing lesson--perhaps
you saw her drive away just as you came up? She brought me these lovely
flowers this afternoon."
There was a kindly look in Lady Ashley's eyes.
"I am very glad to hear it," she said. "And now, my dear, would you mind
singing me something? I shall be better able to speak of your
qualifications when I have heard you."
"I shall be very pleased to sing to you," said Janetta, and she sat down
to the piano with a readiness which charmed Lady Ashley as much as the
song she sang, although she sang it delightfully.
"That is very nice--very nice indeed," murmured Lady Ashley. Then she
deliberated for a moment, and nodded her head once or twice. "You have
been well taught," she said, "and you have a very sympathetic voice.
Would you mind singing at an evening party for me in the course of the
winter? You will be seen and heard; and you may get pupils in that way."
Janetta could but falter out a word of thanks. An introduction of this
sort was certainly not to be despised.
"I will let you know when it takes place," said Lady Ashley, "and give
you a hint or two about the songs. Will two guineas an evening satisfy
you as you are a beginner?--for two songs, I mean? Very well, then, I
shall count upon you for my next evening party."
She was rising to go, when the door was suddenly thrown open, and a
tall, untidy figure made its appearance in the aperture. The daylight
had almost faded, and the fire gave a very uncertain light--perhaps it
was for that reason that Mrs. Colwyn took no notice of Lady Ashley, and
began to speak in a thick, broken voice.
"It's shameful, shameful!" she said. "Visitors all afternoon--never
brought them--t'see me--once. Singing and squalling all the time--not
able to get a wink--wink o' sleep----"
"Oh, please, come away," said Janetta, going hurriedly up to the swaying
figure in the faded dressing-gown, and trying gently to force her
backwards. "I will tell you all about it afterwards; please come away
just now."
"I'll not come away," said Mrs. Colwyn, thickly. "I want some
money--money--send Ph[oe]be for a drop o' gin----"
"I'll go, my dear Miss Colwyn," said Lady Ashley, kindly. She was
touched by the despair in Janetta's face. "I can't do any good, I am
afraid. You shall hear from me again. Don't come to the door. Shall I
send my servants to you?"
"Who's that? Who's that?" screamed the half-maddened woman, beginning to
fling herself wildly out of Janetta's restraining arms. "Let me get at
her, you bad girl! letting people into my house----"
"Can you manage? Do you want help?" said Lady Ashley, quickly.
"No, no, nothing; I can manage if you will only please go," Janetta
cried, in her desperation. And Lady Ashley, seeing that her departure
was really wished for, hurried from the house. And Janetta, after some
wrestling and coaxing and argument, at last succeeded in putting her
stepmother to bed, and then sat down and wept heartily.
What would Lady Ashley think? And how could she now recommend pupils to
go to a house where a drunken woman was liable at any moment to appear
upon the scene?
As a matter of fact, this was just what Lady Ashley was saying at that
moment to her son.
"She is a thorough little gentlewoman, Philip, and a good musician; but,
with _such_ a connection, how can I send any one to the house?"
"It was unlucky, certainly," said Sir Philip, "but you must remember
that you came unexpectedly. Her pupils' hours will be guarded, most
probably, from interruption."
"One could never be sure. I have been thinking of sending Miss Bevan to
her. But suppose a _contretemps_ of this kind occurred! Poor Mary Bevan
would never get over it."
"It is her stepmother, not her own mother," said Sir Philip, after a
little pause. "Not that that makes it much better for her, poor little
thing!"
"I assure you, Philip, it went to my heart to see that fragile girl
struggling with that big woman. I would have helped her, but she
entreated me to go, and so I came away. What else could I do?"
"Nothing, I suppose. There may be murder committed in that house any
day, if this state of things goes on."
Lady Ashley sighed. Sir Philip walked about the room, with his hands in
his pockets and his head bent on his breast.
"Margaret Adair had been there to-day," said his mother, watching him.
Sir Philip looked up.
"Why?" he said, keenly.
"To take a singing lesson. She had brought flowers. Miss Colwyn spoke of
her very warmly, and when I touched on the subject of Miss Polehampton's
treatment, would not allow that Margaret had anything to do with it. She
is a very faithful little person, I should think."
"Far more generous than Margaret," muttered her son. Then, sombrely, "I
never told you what happened at Helmsley Court the other day. Margaret
refused me."
"Refused you--entirely?"
"No appeal possible."
"On what grounds?"
"Chiefly, I think, because I wanted her to make reparation to Miss
Colwyn."
"Then, Philip, she is not worthy of you."
"She has had a bad training," he said, slowly. "A fine nature ruined by
indulgence and luxury. She has never been crossed in her life."
"She will find out what it is to be crossed some day. My poor Phil! I am
very sorry."
"We need not talk about it, mother, dear. You will be all in all to me
now."
He sat down beside her, and took her hand in his, then kissed it with a
mingling of tenderness and respect which brought the tears to Lady
Ashley's eyes.
"But I do not want to be all in all to you, you foolish boy," she
assured him. "I want to see you with a wife, with children of your own,
with family ties and interests and delights."
"Not yet, mother," he answered in a low tone. "Some day, perhaps."
And from the pained look in his dark eyes she saw that he suffered more
than he would have liked to own for the loss of Margaret. She said no
more, but her heart ached for her boy, and she was hardly able to
comfort herself with the recollection that Time heals all wounds--even
those that have been made by Love.
Sir Philip had accepted Margaret's refusal as final. He had no reason to
hope that she would ever change her mind towards him. Perhaps if he had
known how large a part of her thoughts he occupied, in spite of her
declaration that she did not like him, he might have had some hope of a
more favorable hearing in the future. But he had no conception of any
under-current of feeling in Margaret Adair. She had always seemed to him
so frank, with a sweet, maidenly frankness, so transparent--without
shallowness, that he was thrown into despair when she dismissed him. He
was singularly ignorant of the nature of women, and more especially of
young girls. His mother's proud, upright, rather inflexible character,
conjoined with great warmth of affection and rare nobility of mind, had
given him a high standard by which to judge other women. He had never
had a sister, and was not particularly observant of young girls. It was
therefore a greater disappointment to him than it would have been to
many men to find that Margaret could be a little bit obstinate, a little
bit selfish, and not at all disposed to sacrifice herself for others.
She lowered his whole conception of womankind.
At least, so he said to himself, as he sat that evening after dinner
over his library fire, and fell into a mood of somewhat sombre hue. What
poets and philosophers had said of the changeful, capricious, shallow,
and selfish nature of women was then true? His mother was a grand
exception to the rule, 'twas true; but there were no women like her now.
These modern girls thought of nothing but luxury, comfort,
self-indulgence. They had no high ideals, no thought of the seriousness
of life.
But even as he made his hot accusation against women of the present day,
his heart smote him a little for his injustice. He certainly did know
one girl who was eminently faithful and true; who worked hard, and, as
he had just found out, suffered greatly--a girl whose true nobility of
mind and life was revealed to him as if by a lightning flash of
intuition.
What a helpmate Janetta Colwyn would be to any man! Her bright
intelligence, her gift of song, her piquante, transitory beauty, her
honesty and faithfulness, made up an individuality of distinct
attractiveness. And yet he was not very much attracted. He admired her,
he respected her; but his pulses did not quicken at the thought of her
as they quickened when he thought of Margaret. Why should they indeed?
She was a country surgeon's daughter, of no particular family; she had
very undesirable connections, and she was very poor--there was nothing
in Janetta's outer circumstances to make her a fitting wife for him. And
yet the attraction of _character_ was very great. He wanted a wife who
would be above all things able to help him in his work--work of reform
and of philanthropy: a selfish, luxurious, indolent woman could be no
mate for him. Janetta Colwyn was the woman that he had been seeking
since first he thought of marriage; and yet--ah, there was nothing wrong
with her except that she was not Margaret. But of Margaret he must think
no more.
Lady Ashley would have been very much astonished if she had known how
far her idolized son had gone that night along the road of a resolution
to ask Janetta Colwyn to be his wife.