Part 22 (1/2)
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.
GERTIE IS MYSTERIOUSLY CARED FOR--SAM NATLY DINES UNDER DIFFICULTIES IN CONNEXION WITH THE BLOCK SYSTEM.
One day, not long after the half-yearly meeting described in the last chapter, Mrs Marrot--being at the time engaged with the baby--received a visit from an elderly gentleman, who introduced himself as a lawyer, and said that he had been sent by a client to make a proposal to her--
”Of course,” he said, with a bland smile, ”I do not refer to a matrimonial proposal.”
Mrs Marrot felt and looked surprised, but waited for more in silence.
”To come to the point at once,” continued the elderly gentleman, ”my client, who is rather eccentric, has taken a great fancy, it seems, to your little daughter Gertrude--Gertie he calls her--and is desirous of giving her a good education, if you have no objection.”
Mrs Marrot, being under the impression that this would involve Gertie's being taken away from her, and being put to a boarding-school, at once looked her objections so plainly, that her visitor hastened to explain that his client did not wish Gertie to quit her parents' house, but merely to go for a few hours each day to the residence of a teacher in the neighbourhood--a governess--whom he should provide.
This altered the case so much that Mrs Marrot expressed herself quite ready to allow Gertie to undergo _that_ amount of education, and hoped it would do her good, though, for her part she did not believe in education herself, seeing that she had got on in life perfectly well without it. She also expressed some curiosity to know who was so good as to take such an interest in her child.
”That, my good woman, I cannot tell, for two reasons; first because my client has enjoined me to give no information whatever about him; and, secondly, because I do not myself know his name, his business with me having been transacted through a young friend of mine, who is also a friend of his. All I can say is, that his intentions towards your child are purely philanthropic, and the teacher whom he shall select will not be appointed, unless you approve. That teacher, I may tell you, is Miss Tipps.”
”What! Miss Netta teach my Gertie?” exclaimed Mrs Marrot in great surprise--”never!”
”My good woman,” said the lawyer with a perplexed look, ”what is your objection to Miss Tipps?”
”Objection? I've no objection to Miss Netta, but she will have some objection to me and Gertie.”
”I thought,” said the lawyer, ”that Miss Tipps had already taught your child, to some extent, gratuitously.”
”So she has, G.o.d bless her; but that was in the Sunday-school, where she teaches a number of poor people's children for the sake of our dear Lord--but that is a very different thing from giving or'nary schoolin'
to my Gertie.”
”That may be,” rejoined the lawyer; ”but you are aware that Miss Tipps already teaches in order to increase her mother's small income, and she will probably be glad to get another pupil. We mean to pay her well for the service, and I suppose that if _she_ has no objection _you_ will have none.”
”Cer'nly not!” replied Mrs Marrot with much emphasis.
Whenever Mrs Marrot said anything with unusual emphasis, baby Marrot entertained the unalterable conviction that he was being scolded; no sooner, therefore, did he observe the well-known look, and hear the familiar tones, than he opened wide his mouth and howled with injured feeling. At the same moment a train rushed past like an average earthquake, and in the midst of this the man of law rose, and saying that he would communicate with Mrs Marrot soon, took his leave.
Next evening Mrs Tipps was seated at tea with Netta, planning with anxious care how to make the two ends meet, but, apparently, without much success.
”It is dreadful, Netta,” said Mrs Tipps; ”I was never before brought to this condition.”
”It _is_ very dreadful,” responded Netta, ”but that renders it all the more imperative that we should take some decided step towards the payment of our debts.”
”Yes, the liquidation of our debts,” said Mrs Tipps, nodding slowly; ”that was the term your dear father was wont to use.”
”You know, mamma, at the worst we can sell our furniture--or part of it--and pay them off, and then, with a system of rigid economy--”
A postman's knock cut short the sentence, and in a few seconds Mrs Durby--careworn and subdued--presented a letter to her mistress and retired.
”My--my dear!” exclaimed Mrs Tipps, ”th-this is positively miraculous.
Here is a cheque for fifty pounds, and--but read for yourself.”
Netta seized the letter and read it aloud. It ran thus:--