"Very much occupied to-day. Can I do anything for you?"
"We are thinking of coming to you to-morrow for a week, Dinah; I and my two girls. They are wild to go to the Easter ball. Which rooms can you give us?"
"Not any rooms," spoke Miss Dinah, decisively. "We cannot take you in."
"Not take me in! When the servant opened the door to us she said the house was not full. I put the question to her."
"But we are expecting it to be full," said Miss Dinah, curtly. "The Beales generally come over to the ball; and we must keep rooms for them."
"You don"t know that they are coming, I expect. And in a boarding-house the rule holds good, "First come, first served.""
"A boarding-house holds its own rules, and is not guided by other people"s. Very sorry: but we cannot make room this time for you and your daughters."
"I"ll soon see that," retorted Mrs. Lewis, getting hot. "Where"s Emma Lake? I am her cousin, and shall insist on being taken in."
"She can"t take you in without my consent. And she won"t: that"s more.
Look here, Mrs. Podd--I beg your pardon--the new name does not always come pat to me. When you were staying here before, and kept us so long out of our money, it put us to more inconvenience than you had any idea of. We----"
"You were paid at last."
"Yes," said Miss Dinah; "with poor Dr. Lewis"s money, I expect. We made our minds up then, Mrs. Lewis, not to take you again. At least, _I_ did; and Mrs. Lake agreed with me."
"You will not have to wait again: I have money in my pocket now. And the girls must go to the ball on Thursday."
"If your pockets are all full of money, it can make no difference to me.
I"m sorry to say I cannot take you in, Mrs. Lewis: and now I have said all I mean to say."
Mrs. Lewis went about the house, looking for Mrs. Lake, and did not find her. She, not as strong-minded as Miss Dinah, had bolted herself into the best bedroom, just then unoccupied. So Mrs. Lewis, not to be baffled as to the ball, went out to look for other lodgings, and found them in Foregate Street.
"But we shall be home on Sat.u.r.day," she said to Anne, as they were starting this second time for Worcester, on the Wednesday morning, the finery for the ball behind them in two huge trunks. "I have to pay a great deal for the rooms, and can"t afford to stay longer than that.
And mind that you and Sally get the house in order whilst we are away; it"s a beautiful opportunity to clean it thoroughly down: and get on as quickly as you can with the needlework."
"Why, my dear young la.s.sie, I am not able to help you in such a thing as this. You had better see the master himself."
Anne had lost no time. Leaving Sally to the cleaning, she dressed and walked over on the Wednesday afternoon to Bellwood, Sir Robert Tenby"s seat. She explained her business to Mrs. Macbean, the old family housekeeper, and asked whether she could help her into any good family.
"Nae, nae, child. I live down here all my days, and I know nothing of the gentlefolks in the great world. The master knows them all."
"I did think once of asking if I might see Sir Robert; but my courage fails me now," said Anne.
"And why should it?" returned the old lady. "If there"s one man more ready than another to do a kindness, or more sociable to speak with, it"s Sir Robert Tenby. He takes after his mother for that, my late dear lady; not after his father. Sir George was a bit proud. I"ll go and tell Sir Robert what you want."
Sir Robert was in his favourite room; a small one, with a bright fire in it, its purple chairs and curtains bordered with gold. It was bright altogether, Anne thought as she entered: for he said he would see her.
The windows looked out on a green velvet lawn, with beds of early flowers, and thence to the park; and, beyond all, to the chain of the Malvern Hills, rising against the blue sky. The baronet sat near one of the windows, some books on a small table at his elbow. He came forward to shake hands with Anne, and gave her a chair opposite his own. And, what with his good homely face and its smile of welcome, and his sociable, unpretending words, Anne felt at home at once.
In her own quiet way, so essentially that of a lady in its unaffected truth, she told him what she wanted: to find a home in some good family, who would be kind to her in return for her services, and pay her as much as would serve to buy her gowns and bonnets. Sir Robert Tenby, no stranger to the gossip rife in the neighbourhood, had heard of the unjust will, and of Anne"s treatment by the new wife.
"It is, I imagine, impossible for a young lady to get into a good family without an introduction," said Anne. "And I thought--perhaps--you might speak for me, sir: you do know a little of me. I have no one else to recommend me."
He did not answer for the moment: he sat looking at her. Anne blushed, and went on, hoping she was not offending him.
"No one else, I mean, who possesses your influence, and mixes habitually with the great world. I should not care to take service in an inferior family: my poor father would not have liked it."
"Take service," said he, repeating the word. "It is as governess that you wish to go out?"
"As nursery governess, I thought. I may not aspire to any better position, for I know nothing of accomplishments. But little children need to be taught French and German; I could do that."
"You speak French well, of course?"
"As a native. German also. And I think I speak good English, and could teach it. And oh, sir, if you did chance to know of any family who would engage me, I should be so grateful to you."
"French, English, and German," said he, smiling. "Well, I can"t tell what the great world, as you put it, may call accomplishments; but I think those three enough for anybody."
Anne smiled too. "They are only languages, Sir Robert. They are not music and drawing. Had my dear mamma suspected I should have to earn my own living, she would have had me educated for it."
"I think it is a very hard thing that you should have to earn it," spoke Sir Robert.
Anne glanced up through her wet eye-lashes: reminiscences of her mother always brought tears. "There"s no help for it, sir; I have not a shilling in the world."
"And no home but one that you are ill-treated in--made to do the work of a servant? Is it not so?"
Anne coloured painfully. How did he know this? Generous to Mrs. Lewis in spite of all, she did not care to speak of it herself.
"And if people did not think me clever enough to teach, sir," she went on, pa.s.sing over his question, "I might perhaps go out to be useful in other ways. I can make French cakes and show a cook how to make French dishes; and I can read aloud well, and do all kinds of needlework. Some old lady, who has no children of her own, might be glad to have me."
"I think many an old lady would," said he. The remark put her in spirits. She grew animated.
"Oh, do you! I am so glad. If you should know of one, sir, would you please to tell her of me?"
Sir Robert nodded, and Anne rose to leave. He rose also.
"If I could be so fortunate as to get into such a home as this, with some kind old lady for my friend and mistress, I should be quite happy,"
she said, in the simplicity of her heart. "How pleasant this room is!
and how beautiful it is outside!"--pausing to look at the early flowers, as she pa.s.sed the window.
"Do you know Bellwood? Were you ever here before?"
"No, sir, never."
Sir Robert put on his hat and went out with her, showing her some pretty spots about the grounds. Anne was enchanted, especially with the rocks and the cascades. Versailles, she thought, could not be better than Bellwood.
"And when you hear of anything, sir, you will please to let me know?"
she said, in parting.
"Yes. You had better come again soon. This is Wednesday: suppose you call on Friday. Will you?"