"Do you know what has struck me, in this matter of Mrs. Jones and
Mrs. Todd?" says one scandal-loving personage to another, whose
taste ran parallel with her own.
"No. What is it?" eagerly asks the auditor.
"I will tell you; but you mustn't speak of it, for your life."
"Never fear me."
The communication was made in a deep whisper.
"Bless me!" exclaims the recipient of the secret. "It surely cannot
be so!"
"There is not the least doubt of it. I had it from a source that
cannot be doubted."
"How in the world did you hear it?"
"In a way not dreamed of by Mrs. Jones."
"No doubt, Mrs. Todd has heard the same."
"Not the least in the world. But don't you think her to blame in
refusing to keep Mrs. Jones's company, or even to speak to her?"
"Certainly I do. It happened a long time ago, and no doubt poor Mrs.
Jones has suffered enough on account of it. Indeed, I don't think
_she_ ought to be blamed in the matter at all; it was her
misfortune, not her fault."
"So I think. In fact, I believe she is just as worthy of respect and
kindness as Mrs. Todd."
"No doubt of it in the world; and from me she shall always receive
it."
"And from me also."
In this way the circle spread, so that before two weeks had elapsed,
there were no less than twenty different notions held about Mrs.
Todd's behaviour to Mrs. Jones. Some talked very seriously about
cutting the acquaintance of Mrs. Jones also, while others took her
side and threatened to give up the acquaintance of Mrs. Todd.
Thus matters stood, when a mutual friend, who wished to do honour to
some visitors from a neighbouring city, sent out invitations for a
party. Before these invitations were despatched, it was seriously
debated whether it would do to invite both Mrs. Jones and Mrs. Todd,
considering how matters stood between them. The decision was in
favour of letting them take care of their own difficulties.
"If I thought Mrs. Todd would be there, I am sure I wouldn't go,"
said Mrs. Jones, on receiving her card of invitation.
"I hardly think that would be acting wisely," replied her husband.
"You are not conscious of having wronged Mrs. Todd. Why, then,
should you shun her?"
"But it is so unpleasant to meet a person with whom you have been
long intimate, who refuses to speak to you."
"No doubt it is. Still we ought not to go out of our way to shun
that person. Let us, while we do not attempt to interfere with the
liberties of others, be free ourselves. Were I in your place, I
would not move an inch to keep out of her way."
"I have not your firmness. I wish I had. It was only yesterday that
I crossed the street to keep from meeting her face to face."
"You were wrong."
"I can't help it; it is my weakness. Three times already have I put
myself about to avoid her; and if I could frame any good excuse for
staying away from this party, I certainly should do so. I would give
any thing for a good sick-headache on Tuesday next."
"I am really ashamed of you, Ellen. I thought you more of a woman,"
said Mr. Jones.
The night of the party at length came round. During the whole day
preceding it, Mrs. Jones could think of nothing but the unpleasant
feelings she would have upon meeting with Mrs. Todd, and her "heart
was in her mouth" all the time. She wished a dozen times that it
would rain. But her wishes availed nothing; not a cloud was to be
seen in the clear blue firmament from morning until evening.
"Oh, if I only had some good excuse for staying at home!" she said
over and over again; but no good excuse offered.
Mr. Jones saw that his wife was in a very unhappy state of mind, and
tried his best to cheer her, but with little good effect.
"It is no use to talk to me, I can't help it," she replied to his
remonstrance, in a husky voice. "I am neither a stock nor a stone."
"There's Mrs. Jones," said one friend to another, on seeing the lady
they named enter Mrs.--'s well-filled parlours.
"Where is Mrs. Todd?" asked the lady addressed.
"Sure enough! where is she?" replied the other. "Oh, there she is,
in the other room. I wonder why it is that she does not speak to
Mrs. Jones."
"No one knows."
"It's very strange."
"I'll tell you what I've heard."
"What?"
"That she's jealous of Mrs. Jones."
"Ridiculous!"
"Isn't it."
"I don't believe a word of it."
"Nor I. I only told you what I had heard."
"There must be some other reason."
"And doubtless is."
Meantime, Mrs. Jones found a seat in a corner, where she ensconced
herself, with the determination of keeping her place during the
evening, that she might avoid the unpleasantness of coming in
contact with Mrs. Todd. All this was, of course, very weak in Mrs.
Jones. But she had no independent strength of character, it must be
owned.
"Poor Mrs. Jones! How cut down she looks," remarked a lady who knew
all about the trouble that existed. "I really feel sorry for her."
"She takes it a great deal too much to heart," was the reply. "Mrs.
Todd might refuse to speak to me a dozen times, if she liked. It
wouldn't break my heart. But where is she?"
"In the other room, as gay and lively as ever I saw her. See, there
she is."
"Yes, I see her. Hark! You can hear her laugh to here. I must
confess I don't like it. I don't believe she has any heart. She must
know that Mrs. Jones is hurt at what she has done."
"Of course she does, and her manner is meant to insult her."
Seeing the disturbed and depressed state of Mrs. Jones's mind, two
or three of her friends held a consultation on the subject, and
finally agreed that they would ask Mrs. Todd, who seemed purposely
to avoid Mrs. Jones, why she acted towards her as she did. But
before they could find an opportunity of so doing, a messenger came
to say that one of Mrs. Todd's children had been taken suddenly ill.
The lady withdrew immediately.
Mrs. Jones, breathed more freely on learning that Mrs. Todd had gone
home. Soon after, she emerged from her place in the corner, and
mingled with the company during the rest of the evening.
Mrs. Todd, on arriving at home, found one of her children quite
sick; but it proved to be nothing serious. On the following morning,
the little fellow was quite well again.
On that same morning, three ladies, personal friends of Mrs. Todd,
met by appointment, and entered into grave consultation. They had
undertaken to find out the cause of offence that had occurred, of so
serious a character as to lead Mrs. Todd to adopt so rigid a course
towards Mrs. Jones, and, if possible, to reconcile matters.
"The sickness of her child will be a good excuse for us to call upon
her," said one. "If he is better, we can introduce the matter
judiciously."
"I wonder how she will take it?" suggested another.
"Kindly, I hope," remarked the third.
"Suppose she does not?"
"We have done our duty."
"True. And that consciousness ought to be enough for us."
"She is a very proud woman, and my fear is that, having taken an
open and decided stand, will yield to neither argument nor
persuasion. Last night she overacted her part. While she carefully
avoided coming in contact with Mrs. Jones, she was often near her,
and on such occasions talked and laughed louder than at any other
time. I thought, once or twice, that there was something of malice
exhibited in her conduct."
To this, one of the three assented. But the other thought
differently. After some further discussion, and an ineffectual
attempt to decide which of them should open the matter to Mrs. Todd,
the ladies sallied forth on their errand of peace. They found Mrs.
Todd at home, who received them in her usual agreeable manner.
"How is your little boy?" was the first question, after the first
salutations were over.
"Much better than he was last night, I thank you. Indeed, he is
quite as well as usual."
"What was the matter with him, Mrs. Todd?"
"It is hard to tell. I found him with a high fever, when I got home.
But it subsided in the course of an hour. Children often have such
attacks. They will be quite sick one hour, and apparently well the
next."
"I am very glad to hear that it is nothing serious," said one of the
ladies. "I was afraid it might have been croup, or something as
bad."
There was a pause.
"It seemed a little unfortunate," remarked one of the visitors, "for
it deprived you of an evening's enjoyment."
"Yes, it does appear so, but no doubt it is all right. I suppose you
had a very pleasant time?"
"Oh, yes. Delightful!"
"I hadn't seen half my friends when I was summoned away. Was Mrs.
Williams there?"
"Oh, yes."
"And Mrs. Gray?"
"Yes."
"And Mrs. Elder?"
"Yes."
"I didn't see either of them."
"Not a word about Mrs. Jones," thought the ladies.
A light running conversation, something after this style, was kept
up, with occasional pauses, for half an hour, when one of the
visitors determined to come to the point.
"Mrs. Todd--a-hem!" she said in one of the pauses that always take
place in uninteresting conversation.
The lady's tone of voice had so changed from what it was a few
moments before, that Mrs. Todd looked up at her with surprise. No
less changed was the lady's countenance. Mrs. Todd was mistified.
But she was not long in doubt.
"A-hem! Mrs. Todd, we have come to--to--as friends--mutual
friends--to ask you"--
The lady's voice broke down; but two or three "a-hems!" partially
restored it, and she went on. "To ask why you refused to--to--speak
to Mrs. Jones?"
"Why I refused to speak to Mrs. Jones?" said Mrs. Todd, her cheek
flushing.
"Yes. Mrs. Jones is very much hurt about it, and says she cannot
imagine the reason. It has made her very unhappy. As mutual friends,
we have thought it our duty to try and reconcile matters. It is on
this errand that we have called this morning. Mrs. Jones says she
met you for the last time about two weeks ago, and that you refused
to speak to her. May we ask the reason."
"You may, certainly," was calmly replied.
Expectation was now on tiptoe.
"What, then, was the reason?"
"_I did not see her_."
"What? Didn't you refuse to speak to her?"
"Never in my life. I esteem Mrs. Jones too highly. If I passed her,
as you say, without speaking, it was because I did not see her."
In less than half an hour, Mrs. Todd was at the house of Mrs. Jones.
What passed between the ladies need not be told.