The Paying Guest - George Gissing (story read aloud txt) 📗

‘He’ll be here at ten in the morning, and I know he will give me leave. So there’s an end of it. And you can go to bed and sleep in peace, Mrs. Mumford.’

It was not at all unamiably said. But for Mrs. Higgins’s presence, Emmeline would have responded with a certain kindness. Still smarting under the stout lady’s accusations, which continued to sound in sniffs and snorts, she answered as austerely as possible.

‘I must leave you to judge, Miss Derrick, how soon you feel able to go. I don’t wish you to do anything imprudent. But it will be much better if Mrs. Higgins regards me as a stranger during the rest of her stay here. Any communication she wishes to make to me must be made through a servant.’

Having thus delivered herself; Emmeline quitted the room. From the library, of which the door was left ajar, she heard Louise and her mother pass upstairs, both silent. Mumford, too well aware that yet another disturbance had come upon his unhappy household, affected to read, and it was only when the door of Louise’s room had closed that Emmeline spoke to him.

‘Mrs. Higgins will breakfast by herself tomorrow,’ she said severely. ‘She may perhaps go before lunch; but in any case we shall not sit down at table with her again.’

‘All right,’ Mumford replied, studiously refraining from any hint of curiosity.

So, next morning, their breakfast was served in the library. Mrs. Higgins came down at the usual hour, found the dining-room at her disposal, and ate with customary appetite, alone. Had Emmeline’s experience lain among the more vigorously vulgar of her sex she would have marvelled at Mrs. Higgins’s silence and general self-restraint during these last hours. Louise’s mother might, without transgressing the probabilities of the situation, have made this a memorable morning indeed. She confined herself to a rather frequent ringing of the bedroom bell. Her requests of the servants became orders, such as she would have given in a hotel or lodging-house, but no distinctly offensive word escaped her. And this was almost entirely due to Louise’s influence for the girl impressed upon her mother that ‘to make a row’ would be the sure and certain way of proving that Mrs. Mumford was justified in claiming social superiority over her guests.

The doctor, easily perceiving how matters stood, made no difficulty about the patient’s removal in a closed carriage, and, with exercise of all obvious precautions, she might travel as soon as she liked. Anticipating this, Mrs. Higgins had already packed all the luggage, and Louise, as well as it could be managed, had been clad for the journey.

‘I suppose you’ll go and order the cab yourself?’ she said to her mother, when they were alone again.

‘Yes, I must, on account of making a bargain about the charge. A nice expense you’ve been to us, Louise. That man ought to pay every penny.’

‘I’ll tell him you say so, and no doubt he will.’

They wrangled about this whilst Mrs. Higgins was dressing to go out. As soon as her mother had left the house Louise stole downstairs and to the door of the drawing-room, which was half open. Emmeline, her back turned, stood before the fireplace, as if considering some new plan of decoration; she did not hear the girl’s light step. Whitewashers and paperhangers had done their work; a new carpet was laid down; but pictures had still to be restored to their places, and the furniture stood all together in the middle of the room. Not till Louise had entered did her hostess look round.

‘Mrs. Mumford, I want to say good-bye.’

‘Oh, yes,’ Emmeline answered civilly, but without a smile. ‘Good-bye, Miss Derrick.’

And she stepped forward to shake hands.

‘Don’t be afraid,’ said the girl, looking into her face good-humouredly. ‘You shall never see me again unless you wish to.’

‘I’m sure I wish you all happiness,’ was the embarrassed reply. ‘And—I shall be glad to hear of your marriage.’

‘I’ll write to you about it. But you won’t talk—unkindly about me when I’ve gone—you and Mr. Mumford?’

‘No, no; indeed we shall not.’

Louise tried to say something else, but without success. She pressed Emmeline’s hand, turned quickly, and disappeared. In half-an-hour’s time arrived the vehicle Mrs. Higgins had engaged; without delay mother and daughter left the house, and were driven off. Mrs. Mumford kept a strict retirement. When the two had gone she learnt from the housemaid that their luggage would be removed later in the day.

A fortnight passed, and the Mumfords once more lived in enjoyment of tranquillity, though Emmeline could not quite recover her old self. They never spoke of the dread experiences through which they had gone. Mumford’s holiday time approached, and they were making arrangements for a visit to the seaside, when one morning a carrier’s cart delivered a large package, unexpected and of unknown contents. Emmeline stripped off the matting, and found—a drawing-room screen, not unlike that which she had lost in the fire. Of course it came from Louise, and, though she professed herself very much annoyed, Mrs. Mumford had no choice but to acknowledge it in a civil little note addressed to Coburg Lodge.

They were away from home for three weeks. On returning, Emmeline found a letter which had arrived for her the day before; it was from Louise, and announced her marriage. ‘Dear Mrs. Mumford,—I know you’ll be glad to hear it’s all over. It was to have been at the end of October, when our house was ready for us. We have taken a very nice one at Holloway. But of course something happened, and mother and Cissy and I quarrelled so dreadfully that I went off and took a lodging. And then Tom said that we must be married at once; and so we were, without any fuss at all, and I think it was ever so much better, though some girls would not care to go in their plain dress and without friends or anything. After it was over, Tom and I had just a little disagreement about something, but of course he gave way, and I don’t think we shall get on together at all badly. My stepfather has been very nice, and is paying for all the furniture, and has promised me a lot of things. Of course he is delighted to see me out of the house, just as you were. You see that I write from Broadstairs, where we are spending our honeymoon. Please remember me to Mr. Mumford, and believe me, very sincerely yours, Louise L. Cobb.’

Enclosed was a wedding-card.

‘Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Cobb,’ in gilt lettering, occupied the middle, and across the right-hand upper corner ran ‘Louise E. Derrick,’ an arrow transfixing the maiden surname.

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