Men and Wives (20 page)

“I remember I failed you yesterday,” said Rachel. “But I have not changed in the night.”

“Ah, yes, that is how one feels. We must not speak about it. Tears would start to our eyes.”

“And yet you wanted me to. And Buttermere would be looking. Parents will sacrifice anyone to their children.”

“Oh, well, Rachel,” said Godfrey. “Well, tell us how long Percy will spare you to us.”

“Until after the working party. I have to explain that it won't be held again. I must be revenged on the women who work for Harriet's illness. All of them well and strong, and Harriet ill!”

“Well, they can't help it,” said Godfrey.

“They can,” said Rachel. “I am sure they take great care of themselves.”

“Who will be coming to the working party?” said Jermyn.

“Gregory's three, to see Gregory; and my two girls because I bring them; and Mrs. Christy to work; and Camilla because it is a kind of outing, and because it gives an effect of boldness to go where she meets Mr. Bellamy, which after all is better than the usual effect of wistfulness. And some more who have only names.”

“And who seem not to have even those,” said Jermyn. “'From him who hath not shall be taken away, even that which he hath.'”

“Yes, so it shall,” said Rachel. “I think the working party is all that Geraldine has. You will not come, Griselda, of course?”

“Ah, Rachel, no one but a woman can be a mother,” said Godfrey.

“True,” murmured Gregory.

“Isn't the working party necessary?” said Jermyn.

“Well, it is to clothe the poor,” said Rachel. “Your mother had it, and we are giving it up. Things depend on the point of view. Remind me to be early, Godfrey, for fear Agatha gets into Harriet's place. I am afraid she thinks it is she and not I, who is next to Harriet.”

Agatha Walked In an unconscious manner to Harriet's seat, drew up and smiled as an afterthought at its occupant, and putting her gloves on the adjoining chair, loosened her mantle and began to speak.

“It is heartrending tidings about poor Lady Haslam. I was afraid there might be more in it than appeared, when I saw her the other morning. I was in her house the day after the dinner, and she told me a little about herself. It all seems to have come on very suddenly.”

“It may not have, if there was more in it than appeared,” said Rachel. “I believe we all of us judged by appearances.”

“What kind of symptoms did she have?” said Geraldine.

“I am sure Lady Haslam is not a person to have symptoms,” said Kate. “We should all have symptoms before she would.”

“She seems to have stolen a march on us,” said Geraldine. “I plead guilty to being a victim of symptoms at times. We are not all of the fortunate, tough kind that give no trouble.”

“Then you and Lady Haslam are alike at the moment,” said Rachel.

“I feel there must be some fundamental connection!” said Geraldine, revealing a complacence in the comparison.

“I hope I shall never give anyone any trouble,” said Agatha.

“We shall regret you when you die!” said Geraldine. “That is one of the privileges of the eldest, to be regretted and not to have to regret.”

“We cannot foretell the future,” said Agatha. “It may bring us anything.”

“Yes, even the death of Geraldine, as Agatha means,” said Rachel.

“It must in the end,” said Mellicent.

“I don't think Agatha meant in the end,” said Rachel.

“Oh, no, she didn't!” said Polly, clasping her hands.

“You are staying in the house, are you not?” said Geraldine to Rachel.

“It must be a great thing for them to have you,” said Agatha, granting completely the deserts of a peer.

“Was Lady Haslam able to leave directions before she went?” said Geraldine.

“I am sure the Ladies Hardisty and Haslam understand each other without words,” said Kate.

“Lady Hardisty, we were so afraid we were late,” said Mrs. Christy. “It is such a relief to find you have not begun. This is the last day we should wish to show ourselves unresponsive. I have been saying to Camilla that you are the only person I could bear to see in Lady Haslam's place. ‘If Lady Hardisty can be Lady Haslam's deputy,' I said, ‘I can go to the working party in the spirit of effort for those poorer than ourselves, that the latter instilled into us.'”

“Is there anybody poorer?” said Camilla. “We ought to keep the things we make.”

“I wonder if we really do take so much interest in the poor,” said Geraldine. “I try to think I do, but I have a suspicion that I feel them to be on quite a different plane.”

“We shouldn't have working parties for people on the same plane,” said Mellicent.

“I see we ought to give the party up,” said Rachel.

“What about Lady Haslam's object in inaugurating it?” said Agatha.

“The best of us make mistakes,” said Kate, sending the glance of a fellow to Rachel.

“We prove that Lady Haslam is one of the best by giving it up,” said Rachel. “If we cling to it, it won't seem that she has made a mistake.”

“We don't want to cling to it, I am sure,” said Agatha. “We don't come to work for our own pleasure.”

“Isn't it a pleasure to work for those poorer than ourselves?” said Rachel. “Lady Haslam really did make a mistake.”

“Did I hear something about the eldest boy's going to London?” said Agatha, her tone holding retaliation rather than question.

“I cannot tell if you did,” said Rachel.

“There is some special reason for his going, is there not?” said Agatha. “Something about remorse for his relations with his mother? A hint of it came through to me.”

“Oh, then you did hear something?” said Rachel.

“I heard for certain that it was so. That there was something like a scene one morning, that ended in Lady Haslam's rushing out of the room. And an approach to remorse would follow that, it seems to me, when her illness came on so soon.”

“But you would have been sure if you had heard that. Especially if you heard for certain.”

“One does not give one's attention definitely to servants' gossip. The Haslams are not very fortunate in that little respect, it seems. I often feel thankful I am not able to keep what is called a trained staff.”

“A thankful spirit does help us through life's difficulties, though I have never thought of dealing with that one in that way. And of course you must know about sons leaving home.”

“They do not always leave home for the same reasons. My boy left to make his career.”

“That is why Matthew is leaving,” said Rachel. “I remember now. So they do sometimes leave for the same reasons. I am glad it was not for your reason.”

“Are we not going to begin working?” said Agatha.

“I don't know,” said Rachel. “I noticed you didn't begin. I haven't been here very often. I am only here to-day to take Lady Haslam's place.”

“That was hardly her spirit,” said Agatha.

“I did not mean in spirit,” said Rachel.

“At any rate you are in her seat,” said Geraldine.

“Yes, that is what I said,” said Rachel.

“Are the things we are doing in the drawer?” said Agatha.

“I will put them out, Lady Hardisty,” said Mrs. Christy, directing her words in accordance with discipline, and hastening across the room. “I am a person who never minds what I do. Usefulness to my mind gives dignity to everything. I am at one with Lady Haslam there. Come and help me to give the things round, Camilla.”

“No, I am a humble person; I won't share the dignity. Mine is the embroidered thing, Mother, not the petticoat. I don't feel any ambition to adhere to this apparel, in spite of my claim to it.”

“Now I think that was such a good thought of Lady Haslam's, to have some of the things embroidered,” said Mrs. Christy. “It shows a true sympathy with those less fortunate than ourselves, an understanding that they too may like a little touch of the beauty of life. There was something about the whole of her attitude with which I am so much in sympathy.”

“Poor Mother, you do cling to your illusions,” said her daughter.

“I direct that everything shall be embroidered,” said Rachel.

“Even the aprons?” said Geraldine, holding one up.

“Aren't they always embroidered?” said Rachel. “How like Lady Haslam to right a wrong! Yes, they must all be done.”

“These for standing at the wash-tub especially!” said Kate.

“Yes,” said Rachel. “Washing is so hard on clothes.”

“Is this thing finished, Mater?” said Polly, throwing a garment to her stepmother.

“Yes, my dear, except for the embroidery.”

“I can't embroider,” said Polly.

“But, my dear, you must. You are working for the poor.”

“The cutting out of things is more our problem than embroidering them,” said Agatha, adjusting her work.

“We must give that up, with Lady Haslam away,” said Rachel. “Things can't be cut out now, only embroidered.”

“They won't last us long on that basis,” said Geraldine.

“Won't they last for ninety minutes?” said Rachel, looking at the clock.

“Are we not to have the working parties after to-day?” said Geraldine with eyebrows raised.

“We can't, with Lady Haslam ill,” said Rachel.

“Of course not,” said Kate.

“How about the people who need the things?” said Geraldine.

“They can make shift without them,” said Camilla. “I have proved that it can be done.”

“Ought we to think of the poor as needing things?” said Rachel. “Isn't that rather out of the spirit of embroidery?”

“I think this spirit of embroidery is a wrong one,” said Agatha, seeming to call up her courage to speak. “There is nothing questionable in making necessary things for those who find them necessary. It is our duty to go on working as steadily as if Lady Haslam were with us. She is only a single member of our society, and as its founder would not wish us or allow us to think of her as anything else.”

“Oh, don't do what she would not allow,” said Rachel. “Whatever would be the good of my being here instead of her?”

“So we have to consider several things if we are to plan to continue,” said Agatha.

“But we are not to continue!” said Geraldine, keeping her mouth open after her words.

“Not in Lady Haslam's house of course,” said Agatha. “Lady Hardisty has one sincere supporter in me there.
It would not be suitable, or congenial to any of us. We must wait to use her house again until she is in it. But in the meantime we should continue our efforts for those who are dependent upon them. I don't know if anyone will volunteer to hold the meetings? Of course there is the cutting out to be considered. Will anyone volunteer for one thing or both?”

“I think you and I are both too far away, Lady Hardisty,” said Mrs. Christy.

“I felt we were somehow prevented,” said Rachel.

“There are some of us nearer of course,” said Agatha.

“Do you not cut out yourself, Mrs. Calkin?” said one of the members. “I am sure I remember seeing you.”

“I have had to do so many things in my life, that I have not been able to do quite without it. And anything that I can do, is at the service of the community of course. It goes without saying. But it is very likely that other people have had more experience.”

“Surely it is not,” said Rachel, “if you have not been able to do without it. Most people have definitely less in their lives. And if what you can do is at the service of the community, if that really goes without saying—it is the only instance of it I have met—surely the community had better behave naturally about it. Its going without saying will save them from embarrassing obligation. I wish services always went in that way.”

“Well, we will see what other people say,” said Agatha, with folded hands and an air of by no means hurrying the matter.

“We say we are most grateful,” someone said.

“You need not be that, you see,” said Rachel.

“You need not indeed,” said Agatha.

“It seems to be our duty to do it, as there are three of us,” said Geraldine.

“Qualities do run in families,” said Rachel.

“Don't let there be three of us. Let us leave it all on Agatha,” said Kate.

“You are a half-sister of course, my dear,” said Rachel.

“We shall have to be there,” said Geraldine almost absently.

“It is not at all necessary, if you do not wish to be,” said Agatha. “In taking something upon myself, I am not involving anyone else. That would be a most unreasonable thing. Well, shall we say then a week to-day at my house at the same time, and tea as usual after the two hours' work? I don't think we can better Lady Haslam's custom.”

“Yes, we will say that,” said Rachel. “About myself, you know I can't cut out, and I am sure you felt it right to discourage me about embroidery, so I had better just come to tea.”

“That will be very nice indeed, if we cannot have any more of you,” said Agatha, in a cordial tone.

“It will be better than wasting you over the work,” said Geraldine, going further. “Will Gregory come to tea as well?”

“I think perhaps he won't, as his mother cannot,” said Rachel.

“I can quite understand that,” said Agatha. “I know how my son would feel, if he had to see my place empty, Gregory will prefer to come and see us when we are alone. That will be what he has been accustomed to. He made that habit quite by himself. I shall be doubly anxious to do what I can for him now. I always say he is my boy, when my own is away.”

“I wish I could be that, Mrs. Calkin,” said the rector of the parish, looking round appealingly before he relinquished his hat to a willing hand. “I know you will say I am too old, and that you want Gregory for a boy and not me. And I am left to wish I could be a boy to someone.”