Miss Mackenzie had declared that she must have a fortnight to think about it, and Miss Todd therefore knew that she had nearly a fortnight for her inquiries. The reader may be sure that she did not allow the gra.s.s to grow under her feet. With Miss Mackenzie the time pa.s.sed slowly enough, for she could only sit on her sofa and doubt, resolving first one way and then another; but Miss Todd went about Littlebath, here and there, among friends and enemies, filling up all her time; and before the end of the fortnight she certainly knew more about Mr Maguire than did anybody else in Littlebath.
She did not see Miss Mackenzie till the Sat.u.r.day, the last Sat.u.r.day before the all-important Monday; but on that day she went to her.
"I suppose you know what I"m come about, my dear," she said.
Miss Mackenzie blushed, and muttered something about Miss Baker.
"Yes, my dear; Miss Baker was speaking to me about Mr Maguire. You needn"t mind speaking out to me, Miss Mackenzie. I can understand all about it; and if I can be of any a.s.sistance, I shall be very happy.
No doubt you feel a little shy, but you needn"t mind with me."
"I"m sure you"re very good."
"I don"t know about that, but I hope I"m not very bad. The long and the short of it is, I suppose, that you think you might as well--might as well take Mr Maguire."
Miss Mackenzie felt thoroughly ashamed of herself. She could not explain to Miss Todd all her best motives; and then, those motives which were not the best were made to seem so very weak and mean by the way in which Miss Todd approached them. When she thought of the matter alone, it seemed to her that she was perfectly reasonable in wishing to be married, in order that she might escape the monotony of a lonely life; and she thought that if she could talk to Miss Todd about the subject gently, for a quarter of an hour at a time every day for two or three months, it was possible that she might explain her views with credit to herself; but how could she do this to anyone so very abruptly? She could only confess that she did want to marry the man, as the child confesses her longing for a tart.
"I have thought about it, certainly," she said.
"Quite right," said Miss Todd; "quite right if you like him. Now for me, I"m so fond of my own money and my own independence, that I"ve never had a fancy that way,--not since I was a girl."
"But you"re so different, Miss Todd; you"ve got such a position of your own."
And Miss Mackenzie, who was at present desirous of marrying a very strict evangelical clergyman, thought with envy of the social advantages and pleasant iniquities of her wicked neighbour.
"Oh, I don"t know. I"ve a few friends, but that comes of being here so long. And then, you see, I ain"t particular as you are. I always see that when a lady goes in to be evangelical, she soon finds a husband to take care of her; that is, if she has got any money. It all goes on very well, and I"ve no doubt they"re right. There"s my friend Mary Baker, she"s single still; but then she began very late in life. Now about Mr Maguire."
"Well, Miss Todd."
"In the first place, I really don"t think he has got much that he can call his own."
"He hasn"t got anything, Miss Todd; he told me so himself."
"Did he, indeed?" said Miss Todd; "then let me tell you he is a deal honester than they are in general."
"Oh, he told me that. I know he"s got no income in the world besides his curacy, and that he has thrown up."
"And therefore you are going to give him yours."
"I don"t know about that, Miss Todd; but it wasn"t about money that I was doubting. What I"ve got is enough for both of us, if his wants are not greater than mine. What is the use of money if people cannot be happy together with it? I don"t care a bit for money, Miss Todd; that is, not for itself. I shouldn"t like to be dependent on a stranger; I don"t know that I would like to be dependent again even on a brother; but I should take no shame to be dependent on a husband if he was good to me."
"That"s just it; isn"t it?"
"There"s quite enough for him and me."
"I must say you look at the matter in the most disinterested way. I couldn"t bring myself to take it up like that."
"You haven"t lived the life that I have, Miss Todd, and I don"t suppose you ever feel solitary as I do."
"Well, I don"t know. We single women have to be solitary sometimes--and sometimes sad."
"But you"re never sad, Miss Todd."
"Have you never heard there are some animals, that, when they"re sick, crawl into holes, and don"t ever show themselves among the other animals? Though it is only the animals that do it, there"s a pride in that which I like. What"s the good of complaining if one"s down in the mouth? When one gets old and heavy and stupid, one can"t go about as one did when one was young; and other people won"t care to come to you as they did then."
"But I had none of that when I was young, Miss Todd."
"Hadn"t you? Then I won"t say but what you may be right to try and begin now. But, law! what am I talking of? I am old enough to be your mother."
"I think it so kind of you to talk to me at all."
"Well, now about Mr Maguire. I don"t think he"s possessed of much of the fat of the land; but that you say you know already?"
"Oh yes, I know all that."
"And it seems he has lost his curacy?"
"He threw that up himself."
"I shouldn"t be surprised--but mind I don"t say this for certain--but I shouldn"t be surprised if he owed a little money."
Miss Mackenzie"s face became rather long.
"What do you call a little, Miss Todd?"
"Two or three hundred pounds. I don"t call that a great deal."
"Oh dear, no!" and Miss Mackenzie"s face again became cheerful. "That could be settled without any trouble."
"Upon my word you are the most generous woman I ever saw."
"No, I"m not that."
"Or else you must be very much in love?"
"I don"t think I am that either, Miss Todd; only I don"t care much about money if other things are suitable. What I chiefly wanted to know was--"
"About that Miss Floss?"
"Yes, Miss Todd."
"My belief is there never was a greater calumny, or what I should call a stronger attempt at a do. Mind I don"t think much of your St Stumfolda, and never did. I believe the poor man has never said a word to the woman. Mrs Stumfold has put it into her head that she could have Mr Maguire if she chose to set her cap at him, and, I dare say, Miss Floss has been dutiful to her saint. But, Miss Mackenzie, if nothing else hinders you, don"t let that hinder you." Then Miss Todd, having done her business and made her report, took her leave.
This was on Sat.u.r.day. The next day would be Sunday, and then on the following morning she must make her answer. All that she had heard about Mr Maguire was, to her thinking, in his favour. As to his poverty, that he had declared himself, and that she did not mind. As to a few hundred pounds of debt, how was a poor man to have helped such a misfortune? In that matter of Miss Floss he had been basely maligned,--so much maligned, that Miss Mackenzie owed him all her sympathy. What excuse could she now have for refusing him?
When she went to bed on the Sunday night such were her thoughts and her feelings.