CHANGE OF SITUATION.
I was naturally rather curious to know how my family would take the
discovery of my flight, and for some time afterwards I used to look
in the newspapers with a half-expectation of seeing a paragraph
headed "Mysterious disappearance of a young lady;" or else an offer
of a reward for information concerning me; or else, perhaps (but this
I considered as being merely _possible_, and not at all _likely_), an
entreaty to me to return, and all should be forgiven. As nothing of
the kind appeared, however, I perceived that my relatives had the
good sense to understand the wisdom of washing their dirty clothes at
home, and that they did not intend to draw a needless amount of
attention to the fact that I had run away from them. It was
inevitable that my having done so would be a nine day's wonder and
topic of gossip in the immediate neighbourhood of Castle Manor; but
it did not follow that our domestic want of harmony need be
proclaimed to all the world and his wife also; and so the matter
was not published in the papers.
Mrs. Green's little girl Fanny, to whom I was engaged to give
instruction, was heavy and uninteresting enough to have driven
well-nigh distracted any governess who cared about shoving on her
pupils, and deriving credit from them; so it was lucky that I was
less energetic and devoted to my work. As it was for only a very
brief period that I meant to superintend Fanny's studies, it was
perfectly immaterial to me whether she progressed in them or not;
and I did not attempt to teach her anything beyond what was to be
got into her head without much trouble--which limitation reduced our
educational labours to a surprisingly small compass. Her stupidity
did not prevent us from getting on together most harmoniously; for
though I did not do much towards increasing her stock of knowledge,
yet I atoned for that deficiency by opening her mind with an amount
of general and varied entertainment with which no previous governess
had ever provided her. Sometimes I told her any marvellous stories
that I knew, adding touches, as I went on, to heighten the interest
of whatever parts seemed to astonish her especially. Or else I would
say or do something extravagantly absurd, just as gravely as though
it were the most matter-of-fact speech or action possible, and amuse
myself by watching the look of absolute bewilderment that would come
over her face at first, and speculating on how long an interval would
elapse before it would be followed by the succeeding grin which
betokened that her slowly-working brain had at last awakened to
the fact of there being a joke afoot. By such methods as these I
contrived to find amusement for both myself and her, and I have very
little doubt that she approved of me highly, and regarded me as being
far and away the pleasantest teacher she had ever had to do with.
That portion of my time which was not occupied either in giving or
receiving lessons I spent chiefly in attending to the necessities of
my wardrobe, loafing about in the parks and streets, and doing
whatever sight-seeing was to be had gratuitously. I did not indulge
in any amusement costing money, except theatres, to which I allowed
myself a few visits as a treat and reward for my self-denial in
other respects--theatrical performances being a form of entertainment
to which I have always been particularly partial.
Thus three or four weeks passed quickly away, and by the end of that
time I had mastered the art of hairdressing sufficiently to enable me
to undertake the duties of a lady's-maid; for I was far more
industrious in the capacity of pupil than in that of teacher, and
laboured a great deal more zealously to profit by M. Candot's
instructions than I did to make Fanny Green profit by mine. It is
wonderful how much easier it is to take trouble when one wishes to
secure value for money spent, than it is when the object of one's
exertions is merely to give an equivalent for money received!
Having qualified myself for the calling I meant to adopt, the next
thing was to take steps to hear of a situation; and to that end I put
an advertisement in the _Times_, _Morning Post_, and _Guardian_,
offering C. J.'s services to any lady going abroad who required a
thoroughly efficient maid, capable of acting as courier if necessary.
This notice bore fruit speedily in the shape of a note addressed to
C. J., which I found awaiting me on my return from Mrs. Green's one
afternoon, and which ran as follows:--
"2000 EATON SQUARE, _Thursday_.
"Lady Mervyn writes in answer to C. J.'s advertisement, as she
wishes to meet with a good travelling-maid. Lady Mervyn will be
glad if C. J. will call at her house to-morrow evening at 5.30
_punctually_."
How strange that my notice should happen to have been seen and
answered by Lady Mervyn--a person between whom and myself there was a
remote connection, and whom I had met years ago when I was a child!
Would it be safe for me to enter her service? or should I be running
too great a risk of recognition? No, I did not think I need be
afraid. Kitty was the only one of the family who was at all likely to
remember me, as I had been much more in her company than in theirs on
the occasion of our previous meeting at Lugano. And that she had no
recollection of me I had already proved at Sparkton Station; which
forgetfulness on her part, by the by, I did not now feel the least
bit inclined to resent, having quite got over the little soreness and
irritation which it had caused me at the moment.
Yes; I believed I should be as safe from discovery at Lady Mervyn's
as anywhere else, and determined that I would take the situation. I
was pleased with the idea of being under the same roof as Kitty
Mervyn, on account of the opportunities which I should then have of
observing this girl, whose character had interested me and excited
my curiosity. And then, too, I might reasonably look forward to
discovering some explanation of her having chosen to keep Captain
Edward Norroy's photograph hidden away in her purse as she had
done. A _carte-de-visite_ is ordinarily stuck into an album, and
I wanted to know why she should have treated this particular _carte_
differently to that of any other acquaintance.
These anticipations were checked by the sudden recollection that I
was counting my chickens before they were hatched; that I had not yet
got the place I was looking forward to; and that perhaps Lady Mervyn
might not think fit to engage me after all. When did she say I was to
go there? Looking again at the note I saw that it was dated the day
before. Yesterday was Thursday, and to-day Friday, so I must wait
upon her ladyship this very same afternoon, and had no time to lose
in providing myself with that necessary article--a character.
About two months before there had died a certain Lady Brown, who was
rather a well-known person on account of her having lived much abroad
and published a large number of books containing her experiences of
the Riviera, the Dolomites, the Alps, the Rhine, and other foreign
places. Her husband, Sir Bartholomew Brown, had gone to the East
since her death, and was supposed to be wandering about somewhere in
Persia at the present moment. As, therefore, no reference was
possible to either the deceased Lady Brown or her husband, and as
they had been childless, it occurred to me that if I asserted myself
to have been her maid up to the time of her death, there was no one
to disprove the statement. Accordingly, I indited a character
purporting to be written by Sir Bartholomew, wherein it was set forth
that Caroline Jill had been for two years in his late wife's service;
had only left on account of that lady's death; had given entire
satisfaction during the whole time of her service; was a first-rate
traveller; and was a trustworthy, sober, steady, exemplary, and
in-all-ways-to-be-recommended-maid.
I wasted several sheets of paper over this composition before I could
please myself; and when I had succeeded in getting it to my mind I
copied it out in a feigned hand--bold, rather scrawling, legible, and
masculine-looking. Of course there was a danger of the forgery being
detected, if Lady Mervyn should happen to be acquainted with Sir
Bartholomew's handwriting. But then it was quite likely that she was
_not_; and I would try to find out if she knew him before I produced
the character; and, even if the worst came to the worst, the chances
were that she would not take the trouble to prosecute me, and
I should have just as good a prospect as before of obtaining a
situation with some one else.
By the time my preparations were completed it was later than I
thought, and as the underlining of the word "punctually" in the note
made me think it important not to be late, I started off in such a
hurry that I tumbled downstairs and bruised myself unpleasantly.
However, I did not stay to doctor my hurts then, but hurried on, and
arrived at my destination just as the Eaton Square Church clock was
striking half-past five.
It then appeared that my fear of being late had been quite
uncalled-for, and that I might have spared myself the bruises which
my haste had caused me, for Lady Mervyn had not yet returned from
driving. The fact was she had followed the usual plan of fashionable
ladies and gentlemen, who, when they make an appointment with an
inferior, take care that they themselves shall not be kept waiting,
but do not the least object to inflicting that annoyance on the other
party. No doubt such people consider that the time of a servant,
tradesman, farmer, or poor person is much less valuable than their
own, and a thing of so little importance that it may be wasted at
pleasure.
On stating the object of my visit, and that Lady Mervyn had directed
me to call at that time, I was told to sit down and wait till she
came in. It was past 6 o'clock when she returned, and even then she
did not send for me immediately, but delayed doing so till she had
leisurely examined the cards that had been left for her whilst she
was out, refreshed herself with a cup of tea, and written a couple of
notes. Having accomplished these things, she at last gave orders for
me to be shown into her presence.
She was about middle height, slightly made, and aristocratic looking.
As she was rather short-sighted she wore a _pince-nez_, and this she
put up, and coolly stared at me through, as soon as I entered the
room. After a prolonged survey she dropped it, but had recourse to it
again several times during the interview, always putting it up with
an air of having suddenly bethought her of some feature, limb,
or other part of me which she had hitherto omitted to study
sufficiently, and at which she wanted to have another good look. I
must say I thought that she used the _pince-nez_ in a manner which
would have been considered intolerably rude if it had been directed
at any one in her own rank of life; but then she regarded a servant
as being a different sort of animal from herself, and would have
laughed at the idea of a maid's not liking to be stared at as if she
were made of wood or stone, instead of flesh and blood.
She began by inquiring my name and age; to which I replied that I was
called Caroline Jill; and that I was just twenty-two. For, though my
real age was eighteen, yet I thought that that seemed rather too
young for a person representing herself as having been a lady's-maid
for the last two years, and that therefore I had better give myself
credit for a few more years than I was actually entitled to.
"Twenty-two!" she repeated; "you don't look your age. I should not
have thought you so old as that. How long were you in your last
situation? and what was the cause of your leaving?"
"I was there two years, and I only left on account of the lady's
death," I replied. "Did your ladyship know the late Lady Brown?"
She shook her head.
"Perhaps your ladyship may have heard of her," I continued; "she
was the wife of Sir Bartholomew Brown, and used to write books
sometimes?"
"Oh yes; I did not know her, but I know who you mean now," answered
Lady Mervyn; "was hers your last place?"
"Yes," I replied, feeling that the ground was safe, and that I might
produce my false testimonial. "Ever since her death, two months ago,
Sir Bartholomew has been away from England; but, before going, he
kindly gave me a character, for fear of my having any difficulty
about getting another situation through there being no one from my
last place for me to refer to. Here is what he wrote. He was good
enough to tell me, when last I saw him, that he considered me to be
the best maid his wife had ever had to travel with, and that I did
just as well as a courier."
So saying I handed over my forgery to Lady Mervyn, who perused it
carefully, and then returned it to me.
"I always prefer a personal reference if possible," she said;
"but perhaps I might consent to dispense with it for once, in an
exceptional case like this, where it evidently cannot be had.
Certainly Sir Bartholomew speaks of you in very high terms. I do not
want you for myself, but for one of my daughters, who is going abroad
with my sister, Mrs. Rollin. You would have to attend partly on Mrs.
Rollin also; but she will not want much done for her, as she does not
care about a maid's assistance in most things. As they do not intend
taking a courier, they must have a really efficient travelling-maid,
who can see to their luggage, take tickets, and all that sort of
thing. I suppose you have had plenty of experience in that way with
Lady Brown? Can you talk French and German pretty easily?"
I replied in the affirmative, that I also knew Italian, Spanish, a
little Dutch, and a few words of Greek, and that I could keep
accounts in some foreign coins.
"En verité, vous ne vous vantez pas mal!" she returned, looking
insultingly sceptical as to my accomplishments being as extensive as
I claimed them to be. "Voyons d'abord pour le français." And she then
continued the conversation in French, whilst I replied in the same
tongue. The question of wages was propounded next. I had no intention
of depreciating my value by demanding too little for my services, and
I knew that courier-maids were always paid very high, so I said that
I should not like to take less than what I had received from Lady
Brown, which was £35 and all found. That was very high Lady Mervyn
said; still, she would not object to give it to a maid who was really
worth it. After a few more questions she observed that my French was
satisfactory, at all events; and that, as she was not herself a very
good German scholar, she would get her eldest daughter to test my
proficiency in that line. Ringing the bell she told the footman, who
answered it, to request Miss Mervyn to come to her. When that young
lady arrived her mother desired her to find out how I talked German.
As I came triumphantly out of her examination, and also translated
accurately an Italian quotation which happened to be in one of the
newspapers lying on the table, Lady Mervyn's incredulity as to my
accomplishments evidently diminished. I could see that she began to
think my pretensions to knowledge were better founded than she had at
first supposed them to be, and that she was now inclined to take upon
trust the skill in foreign moneys, and in Spanish, Dutch, and Greek,
to which I laid claim.
She hesitated, considered and reconsidered, and scrutinised me
through the _pince-nez_ for some time before she could make up her
mind whether to engage me or not, and finally decided to do so. Mrs.
Rollin and Miss Mervyn were going abroad in another ten days, she
said, and as it would be well for them and me to have a few days at
home in which to get used to one another before starting on our
travels, she wished me to return to her house and begin my engagement
on that day week. This I was quite ready to do, as I had no doubt of
quickly getting free from Mrs. Green whenever I chose.
One thing which I had evolved during the conversation with Lady
Mervyn was a grievous disappointment to me; and that was, that I was
not--at all events for a while--to become a member of her own
establishment. I had been confidently reckoning on being brought near
Kitty; but it appeared that this was not to be my destiny after all,
unless, by some piece of luck, she should chance to be the daughter
who was to accompany Mrs. Rollin, and whose especial attendant I was
to be. My mind was set at rest on this point before I left Lady
Mervyn's room, for, just as I was about to depart, she exclaimed,
"Wait a moment! I forgot that the young lady whom you will wait on
may like to see you if she is at home. Perhaps, however, she is not,
as she was to dine out early to-night before going to the theatre.
Has Kitty started yet, do you know?" she continued, turning to the
daughter who had been experimenting on my German.
"Yes," was the answer; "she went ten minutes ago, just before I came
to you."
"Ah, never mind then, Jill; you can go now," returned Lady Mervyn.
Whereupon I took myself off, mightly pleased at having discovered
that the Miss Mervyn whom I was to serve was just the one whom I
wanted it to be.
The next thing was to terminate my engagement with Mrs. Green, and
I meant to make her do this herself. For this purpose I informed her
next morning that I was sorry to say that I found the daily walk to
her house was more than I could manage, therefore I must ask her to
permit me to come by omnibus in future.
She replied (as I had felt very sure she would do) that she could not
on any account consent to expose herself and her household to such a
risk of infection. Could I not change my residence, and come to live
nearer her house? I answered that I did not wish to do that, as I
was quite comfortable in my lodging, and should probably have a
difficulty in finding another to suit me equally well.
She returned that it was most annoying, and that in that case there
was no choice but to conclude our connection together. That would
necessitate her looking out for another governess, which she greatly
disliked doing because there was always _some_ danger of infection
from strangers coming to the premises, notwithstanding all the
precautions she could take. She would never have engaged me if she
had thought there was a chance of the engagement lasting so short a
time; but I had seemed so anxious for a permanent place that she
thought I was as averse to constant changes as she was herself.
However, there was no help for it if I declined to change my abode,
for it was out of the question for her to allow any one coming daily
to her house to make use of an omnibus.
Poor woman! I think she would have had a fit if she had known that
I had done that very thing day after day since I had been teaching
her child; and she was certainly an excellent illustration of the
truth of the old proverb, "Where ignorance is bliss 'tis folly to
be wise." Yet I don't think she was very singular in this after
all. How many of us are there--especially of those who are heads of
houses--whose peace of mind might not be considerably disturbed if
we did but know the extent to which other people are in the habit of
setting at naught and ignoring some particular pet prejudice of our
own?
It amused me to affect deep sympathy with a piece of folly which I
was laughing at in my sleeve all the time; so I replied that I fully
recognised the truth of what she said, and that I was truly grieved
to be the means of exposing her to fresh peril from germs of disease
clinging to the clothes of applicants for my situation; but that
since _she_ objected to my coming by a 'bus, and _I_ objected to
leave my present lodging, there was unfortunately no option about my
ceasing to instruct Fanny.
She sighed, and answered that she was afraid that was true. At the
same time, she could not in justice omit to say that she considered
me to have behaved very well in at once telling her honestly of my
inability to continue to attend to my duties without travelling by
that dangerous conveyance which she had expressly prohibited me from
using. She feared there were some people who would have been less
straightforward, and who would, in such a case, have slily disobeyed
her, and endeavoured to conceal from her what they were doing. But
then no one was likely to be guilty of such unprincipled conduct as
that whose views were as sound as she knew mine to be on the subject
of infection! Could I go on coming to her house as before for a few
days longer? If so she would be very glad, as, perhaps, by then she
might be able to hear of a successor for me. But if the walk was too
far for me to manage, why, of course, the engagement must come to an
end at once, as she could not consent to my coming by omnibus for
even one single day.
To this I made answer, with perfect truth, that I should be most
happy to go on coming in the same way as I had hitherto done till the
following Thursday. After that, however, I could undertake it no
longer, and supposed, therefore, that she would wish our engagement
to conclude then.
She assented to this, and we parted on the best of terms with one
another.
Perhaps it may be thought odd that I did not pursue the ordinary
method of simply giving notice, and taking myself off, when I wanted
to go to another situation. Of course I could easily have done so if
I had liked; but in that case I should have lost all the fun that I
got out of the matter by the other plan. It amused me to make her act
as I chose, and herself dismiss me when I wished her to do so; and I
enjoyed feeling that her weak point rendered her in my hands an
unsuspecting puppet, that would kick or not, according to how I chose
to pull the strings. Be it remembered that love of fun has always
been a much stronger element in my character than amiability.