A NEW HOME.
At an early hour the next morning Miss Manning, accompanied by Rufus and
Rose, ascended Mrs. Clayton's steps, and rang the bell.
The summons was answered directly by a servant.
"Is Mrs. Clayton at home?" inquired Miss Manning.
"Yes; you're Mrs. Colman's new governess, aint you?"
"I am; but I would like to see Mrs. Clayton first."
"Come in, and I'll call her."
The three remained standing in the hall, awaiting the appearance of the
landlady.
Rufus surveyed the interior of the house, so far as he could see it,
with evident approval. Not that the house compared with the homes of
many of my young readers who are favored by fortune. It was not
magnificent, but it was neat, and well furnished, and looked bright and
cheerful. To Rufus it appeared even elegant. He had a glimpse of the
parlor through the half-opened door, and it certainly was so, compared
with the humble boarding-house in Franklin Street, not to mention the
miserable old tenement house on Leonard Street, which the readers of
"Rough and Ready" will easily remember.
"I say, Miss Manning, this is jolly," said Rufus, in a tone of
satisfaction.
"Isn't it a nice house, Rufie?" said little Rose.
"Yes, it is, Rosie;" and Rough and Ready, to call him for once by his
old name, felt happy in the thought that his little sister, whose life,
thus far, had been passed in a miserable quarter of the city, would now
be so much more favorably situated.
At this moment Mrs. Clayton made her appearance.
"Good-morning, Miss Manning," she said, cordially; "I am sorry the
servant left you standing in the hall. Good-morning, my dear,"
addressing Rose; "is this young man your brother?"
"He is my brother," said Rose; "but he isn't a young man. He's a boy."
Rufus smiled.
"Maybe I'll be a young man in twenty or thirty years," he said. "Miss
Manning tells me," he continued, "that you have a small room which you
will let for five dollars a week with board."
"Yes," said the landlady; "my price has always been five and a half, but
as your sister would like to have you here, I will say five to you."
"Can I look at it?"
"Yes, I will go up and show it to you at once."
They followed Mrs. Clayton up two flights of stairs. The door of the
vacant room was already open. It was a hall bedroom of ordinary size.
The head of the bed was on the same side as the door, the room being
just wide enough for it. Between the foot of the bed and the window, but
on the opposite side, was a bureau with a mirror. There were a washstand
and a couple of chairs beside it. A neat carpet covered the floor, and
the window was screened by a shade.
"You see it is pretty good size for a hall bedroom," said the landlady.
"There is no closet, but you can hang your clothes on that row of pegs.
If there are not enough, I will have some more put in."
"I think there will be enough," said Rufus, thinking, as he spoke, of
his limited wardrobe. He was not much better off than the man who
carried all his clothes on his back, and so proclaimed himself
independent of trunk-makers.
"Well, Rufus, what do you think of the room?" asked Miss Manning.
"I'll take it," said our hero, promptly. He had been on the point of
calling it _bully_, when it occurred to him that perhaps such a word
might not be the most appropriate under the circumstances.
"When will you come, Mr. ----?" here the landlady hesitated, not having
been made acquainted with the last name of our new boarder. Here it
occurs to me that as yet our hero has not been introduced by his full
name, although this is the second volume of his adventures. It is quite
time that this neglect was remedied.
"Rushton," said Rufus.
"When will you take possession of the room, Mr. Rushton?"
"I'll be here to-night to dinner," said Rufus, "Maybe I won't send my
trunk round till to-morrow."
"I didn't know you had a trunk, Rufie," said Rose, innocently.
"I don't carry my trunk round all the time like an elephant, Rosy," said
her brother, a little embarrassed by his sister's revelation, for he
wanted to keep up appearances in his new character as a boarder at an
up-town boarding-house.
"Rufus, wouldn't you like to go up and see my room?" interposed Miss
Manning; "it's on the next floor, but, though rather high up, I think
you will like it."
This opportune interruption prevented Rose from making any further
reference to the trunk.
So they proceeded upstairs.
Though Mr. Colman had not yet sent in the additional furniture promised
by his wife, the room was looking bright and pleasant. The carpet had a
rich, warm tint, and everything looked, as the saying is, as neat as a
pin.
"This is to be my room," said Miss Manning, with satisfaction,--"my room
and Rosy's. I hope you will often come up to visit us. How do you like
it?"
"Bully," said Rufus, admiringly, unconsciously pronouncing the forbidden
word.
"I think we shall be very comfortable here," said Miss Manning.
Here a child's step was heard upon the stairs, and Jennie Colman
entered.
"Mamma would like to see you downstairs, Miss Manning," she said.
"Good-morning, my dear," said her new governess. "Rufus, this is one of
my pupils."
"Is that your husband, Miss Manning?" asked Jennie, surveying Rufus with
attention.
Rufus laughed, and Miss Manning also.
"He would be rather a young husband for me, Jennie," she said. "He is
more suitable for you."
"I am not old enough to be married yet," she answered, gravely; "but
perhaps I will marry him some time. I like his looks."
Rufus blushed a little, not being in the habit of receiving compliments
from young ladies.
"Have you got that doll for me, Jennie?" asked Rose, introducing the
subject which had the greatest interest for her.
"Yes, I've got it downstairs, in mamma's room."
They went down, and at the door of Mrs. Colman's room Miss Manning said,
"Won't you come in, Rufus? I will introduce you to Mrs. Colman."
"Yes, come in," said Jennie, taking his hand.
But Rufus declined, feeling bashful about being introduced.
"It's time for me to go to the office," he said; "some other time will
do."
"You'll be here in time for dinner, Rufus?"
"Yes," said our hero, and putting on his hat he made his escape, feeling
considerably relieved when he was fairly in the open air.
"I s'pose I'll get used to it after a while," he said to himself.
"I am glad you have come, Miss Manning," said Mrs. Colman, extending her
hand. "You will be able to relieve me of a great deal of my care. The
children are good, but full of spirits, and when I have one of my
nervous headaches, the noise goes through my head like a knife. I hope
you won't find them a great deal of trouble."
"I don't anticipate that," said the new governess, cheerfully; "I am
fond of children."
"Do you ever have the headache?"
"Very seldom."
"Then you are lucky. Children are a great trial at such a time."
"Have you the headache this morning, Mrs. Colman?" asked Miss Manning,
in a tone of sympathy.
"Not badly, but I am seldom wholly free from it. Now suppose we talk a
little of our plans. It is time the children were beginning to learn to
read. Can your little girl read?"
"A little; not very much."
"I suppose it will be better not to require them to study more than an
hour or two a day, just at first. The rest of the time you can look
after them. I am afraid you will find it quite an undertaking."
"I am not afraid of that," said Miss Manning, cheerfully.
"The children have no books to study from. Perhaps you had better take
them out for a walk now, and stop on your way at some Broadway
bookseller's, and get such books as you think they will need."
"Very well."
"Are we going out to walk?" said Jennie. "I shall like that."
"And I too," said Carrie.
"I hope you won't give Miss Manning any trouble," said their mother.
"Here is some money to pay for the books;" and she handed the new
governess a five-dollar bill.
The children were soon ready, and their new governess went on with them.
She congratulated herself on the change in her mode of life. When solely
dependent on her labors as a seamstress, she had been compelled to sit
hour after hour, from early morning until evening, sewing steadily, and
then only earned enough to keep soul and body together. What wonder if
she became thin, and her cheek grew pale, losing the rosy tint which it
wore, when as a girl she lived among the hills of New England! Better
times had come to her at length. She would probably be expected to
spend considerable time daily out of doors, as her pupils were too young
to study much or long at a time. It was a blessed freedom, so she felt,
and she was sure that she should enjoy the society of the two little
girls, having a natural love for children. She did not expect to like
them as well as Rose, for Rose seemed partly her own child, but she
didn't doubt that she should ere long become attached to them.
Then, again, she would not only enjoy an agreeable home, but for the
first time would receive such compensation for her services as to be
quite at ease in her pecuniary circumstances. Five dollars a week might
not be a large sum to a lady with expensive tastes; but Miss Manning had
the art of appearing well dressed for a small sum, and, as she made her
own clothes, she estimated that three dollars a week would clothe both,
and enable her to save two dollars weekly, or a hundred dollars a year.
This was indeed a bright prospect to one who had been engaged in a
hand-to-hand struggle with poverty for the last five years.
She went into a Broadway bookstore, and purchased primers for her new
pupils, and a more advanced reading-book for Rose. At the end of an hour
they returned home. They found an express wagon at the door. Two men
were lifting out a sofa and a rocking-chair.
"They are for your room, Miss Manning," said Jennie. "I heard ma tell pa
this morning, to stop at a furniture place and buy them."
Mr. Colman had certainly been prompt, for, though it was still early,
here they were.
When they were carried upstairs, and placed in her room, Miss Manning
looked about her with pardonable pride and satisfaction. Though the room
was on the fourth floor, it looked quite like a parlor. She felt that
she should take great comfort in so neat and pleasant a room. It was a
great contrast to her dull, solitary, laborious life in the shabby room,
for which, poor as it was, she oftentimes found it difficult to provide
the weekly rent.
There were no lessons that morning, for Miss Manning had her trunk to
unpack, and Rose's clothes and her own to lay away in the
bureau-drawers. She had about completed this work when the bell rang
for lunch. Taking Rose by the hand, she led her downstairs to the
basement, where, as is common in New York boarding-houses, the
dining-room was situated.
There were five ladies and children at the table, the gentlemen being
obliged, on account of the distance, to take their lunch down town,
somewhere near their places of business.
"You may take this seat, Miss Manning," said the landlady, indicating
one near herself. "Your little girl can sit between us, and Jennie and
Carrie on the other side. I will trouble you to take care of them. Their
mother seldom comes down to lunch."
The repast was plain but plentiful, the principal meal, dinner, being at
six, an hour more convenient for men of business. I state this for the
benefit of those of my readers who live in the country, and are
accustomed to take dinner in the middle of the day.
Miss Manning was introduced to Mrs. Pratt, a stout, elderly lady, with a
pleasant face, who sat opposite her; to Mrs. Florence, a young lady
recently married, who sat at her left; and to Mrs. Clifton, formerly
Miss Peyton, who, as well as her husband, will be remembered by the
readers of the second and third volumes of this series. Mr. Clifton kept
a dry goods store on Eighth Avenue.
In the afternoon, Miss Manning gave her first lesson, and succeeded in
interesting her young pupils, who proved quite docile, and seemed to
have taken a fancy to their new governess.
Meanwhile Rufus had succeeded in making an arrangement which promised to
add to his weekly income. Of this an account will be given in the next
chapter.