"And therefore the owner of the cottages?"
"What cottages?" asked Tussie, eagerly. He was manifestly so violently interested in Mr. Neumann-Schultz that his mother could only gaze at him in wonder. He actually seemed to hang on that odd person"s lips.
"My dear Tussie, Mr. Neumann-Schultz has been trying to persuade me to sell him the pair of cottages up by the church, and I have been trying to persuade him to believe me when I tell him I won"t."
"But why won"t you, mother?" asked Tussie.
Lady Shuttleworth stared at him in astonishment. "Why won"t I? Do I ever sell cottages?"
"Your esteemed parent"s reasons for refusing," said Fritzing, "reasons which she has given me with a brevity altogether unusual in one of her s.e.x and which I cannot sufficiently commend, do more credit, as was to be expected in a lady, to her heart than to her head. I have offered to build two new houses for the disturbed inhabitants of these. I have offered to give her any price--any price at all, within the limits of reason. Your interests, young gentleman, are what will suffer if this business is not concluded between us."
"Do you want them for yourself?" asked Tussie.
"Yes, sir, for myself and for my niece."
"Mother, why do you refuse to do a little business?"
"Tussie, are we so poor?"
"As far as I"m concerned," said Tussie airily to Fritzing, "you may have the things and welcome."
"Tussie?"
"But they are not worth more than about fifty pounds apiece, and I advise you not to give more for them than they"re worth. Aren"t they very small, though? Isn"t there any other place here you"d rather have?"
"Tussie?"
"Do you mind telling me why you want them?"
"Young man, to live in them."
"And where are the people to live who are in them now?" asked Lady Shuttleworth, greatly incensed.
"Madam, I promised you to build."
"Oh nonsense. I won"t have new red-brick horrors about the place.
There"s that nice good old Mrs. Shaw in one, so clean and tidy always, and the shoemaker, a very good man except for his enormous family, in the other. I will not turn them out."
"Put "em in the empty lodge at the north gate," suggested Tussie.
"They"d be delighted."
Lady Shuttleworth turned angrily on Fritzing--she was indeed greatly irritated by Tussie"s unaccountable behaviour. "Why don"t you build for yourself?" she asked.
"My niece has set her heart on these cottages in such a manner that I actually fear the consequences to her health if she does not get them."
"Now, mother, you really can"t make Mr. Neumann-Schultz"s niece ill."
"Dearest boy, have you suddenly lost your senses?"
"Not unless it"s losing them to be ready to do a kindness."
"Well said, well said, young man," said Fritzing approvingly.
"Tussie, have I ever shirked doing a kindness?" asked Lady Shuttleworth, touched on her tenderest point.
"Never. And that"s why I can"t let you begin now," said Tussie, smiling at her.
"Well said, well said, young man," approved Fritzing. "The woman up to a certain age should lead the youth, and he should in all things follow her counsels with respect and obedience. But she for her part should know at what moment to lay down her authority, and begin, with a fitting modesty, to follow him whom she has. .h.i.therto led."
"Is that what your niece does?" asked Lady Shuttleworth quickly.
"Madam?"
"Is she following you into these cottages, or are you following her?"
"You must pardon me, madam, if I decline to discuss my niece."
"Do have a cigarette," said Tussie, delighted.
"I never smoke, young man."
"Something to drink, then?"
"I never drink, young man."
"If I decide to let you have these cottages--_if_ I do," said Lady Shuttleworth, divided between astonishment at everything about Fritzing and blankest amazement at her son"s behaviour, "you will understand that I only do it because my son seems to wish it."
"Madam, provided I get the cottages I will understand anything you like."
"First that. Then I"d want some information about yourself. I couldn"t let a stranger come and live in the very middle of my son"s estate unless I knew all about him."
"Why, mother--" began Tussie.
"Is not the willingness to give you your own price sufficient?"
inquired Fritzing anxiously.
"Not in the least sufficient," snapped Lady Shuttleworth.
"What do you wish to know, madam?" said Fritzing stiffly.
"I a.s.sure you a great deal."
"Come, mother," said Tussie, to whom this was painful, for was not the man, apart from his strange clothes and speeches, of a distinctly refined and intellectual appearance? And even if he wasn"t, was he not still the uncle of that divine niece?--"these are things for Dawson to arrange."
Fritzing started at the hated name, and began to frown dreadfully. His frown was always very impressive because of his bushy eyebrows and deep-set eyes. "Dawson, as you call him," he said, "and he certainly has no claim to any prefix of politeness, is not a person with whom I will consent to arrange anything. Dawson is the most offensive creature who ever walked this earth clad in the outer semblance of one of G.o.d"s creatures."
This was too much for Lady Shuttleworth. "Really--" she said, stretching out her hand to the bell.
"Didn"t I tell you so, mother?" cried Tussie triumphantly; and that Tussie, her own dear boy, should in all things second this madman completely overwhelmed her. "I knew he was a brute behind your back.