Part 85 (1/2)
They had reached the top story of the house by this time, after climbing a long flight of stairs. Here there were a greater number of rooms, and indeed furnished as bedrooms; but they were low, and immediately under the roof. The air was less dank than in the first story, but excessively close.
”Is this all the choice I have?” Rotha asked.
”Unless us was to give you our room.”
”But n.o.body else sleeps in all this part of the house!”
”No,” said Mrs. Purcell, with an action that answered to a Frenchman's shrug of the shoulders; ”you can have 'em all, and sleep in 'em all, one after the other, if you like. There's n.o.body to object.”
”But suppose I wanted something in the night?” said Rotha, who did not in the least relish this liberty.
”You'd have to holler pretty loud, if you wanted I to do anything for you. I guess you'll have to learn to wait on yourself.”
”O it isn't that,” said Rotha; ”I can wait on myself; but if I wanted-- something I couldn't do for myself--if I was frightened--”
”What's to frighten you?”
”I do not know--”
”If you got frightened, all you'd have to do would be to take your little feet in your hand and run down to we; that's all you could do.”
Rotha looked somewhat dismayed.
”I could ha' told you, it wasn't a very pleasant place you was a comin'
to,” Mrs. Purcell went on. ”Sick o' your bargain, aint ye?”
”What bargain?”
”I don' know! Which o' these here rooms will you take? You've seen the whole now.”
Rotha was very unwilling to make choice at all up there. Yet a thought of one of those great echoing drawing rooms was dismissed as soon as it came. At last she fixed upon a room near the head of the stairs; a corner room, with outlook in two directions; flung open the windows to let the air and the light come, in; and locked up her bag in a closet.
”There aint n.o.body to meddle with your things,” observed Mrs. Purcell, noticing this action,--”without it's me; and I've got enough to do down stairs. There's nothin' worse than rats in the house.”
”Have you some sheets and towels for me?” said Rotha. ”And can you give me some water by and by?”
”I've got no sheets and towels but them as us uses,” replied Mrs.
Purcell. ”Mrs Busby haint said nothin' about no sheets and towels. Those us has belongs to we. They aint like what rich folks has.”
”I have brought none with me, of course. Mrs. Busby will pay you for the use of them, I have no doubt.”
”Mrs. Busby don't pay for nothin',” said the woman.
”Will you bring me some water?”
”I'll give you a pail, and you can fetch some for your own self. I can't go up and down them stairs. It gives me a pain in my back. I'll let you have some o' us's sheets, if you like.”
”If you please,” said Rotha.
”But I can't come up with 'em. I'd break in two if I went up and down there a few times. I'll let you have 'em whenever you like to come after 'em.”