Part 16 (1/2)
The morning after her arrival Sophy was awakened by a soft tremulous touch on her hand; she opened her eyes and beheld her aunt stooping over her. She was clad in a shabby, splendidly embroidered red kimono, and appeared to have made a temporary recovery.
Mrs. Krauss offered her niece a warmly affectionate welcome and many caresses, and then, sitting on the side of the bed, asked eager questions respecting her mother and sister, their mutual relations, and all the family news; but made no allusion to the state of her own health, or to the dirty and neglected condition of her establishment.
”So Karl met you himself,” she said, ”although he is so busy; that was nice. He has a kind heart and I do hope you will like one another.”
”Yes, I hope we shall,” a.s.sented Sophy, but her conscience protested that this hope was vain--already she disliked him.
”He looks to you to step into Fernanda's shoes; but of course I won't have that. Fernanda had enormous wages. Oh, dear child, I can't tell you how I miss her,” and tears stood in her dark eyes. ”Karl has such odd, old-fas.h.i.+oned German ideas--you must not mind him--though he is getting more German every day. He says a woman is just a hausfrau, who must sew and cook and do whatever a man orders. She is to have no mind of her own--and very little amus.e.m.e.nt.”
”Then, Aunt Flora, one thing is certain--I shall never marry a German.”
”I dare say it strikes you as strange that I should have done so; but Karl has always been devoted to me. I suppose your mother has told you that, when I was eighteen, I ran away to marry Charlie Bellamy, whose regiment was under orders for Hong Kong; we were fearfully poor and fearfully happy; then in a dog-cart accident, Charlie was killed and I was taken up for dead. But I recovered, as you see. The Hong Kong people were angels to me--one's own country folks always _are_, when you are in trouble abroad. I was laid up for months. When I was better, Karl came forward and implored me to marry him; I was almost penniless and loathed the idea of going home, so that was how it happened. Karl was wealthy in those days, but afterwards he lost his money--our fortunes go up and down like a see-saw. I am afraid he is too fond of speculating and taking huge risks; he likes to be a man or a mouse. Just now he is not a mouse, but very, very rich. Well, my dear, I'll leave you to have a bath and dress; we shall meet at breakfast; it is many a day since I appeared there. Do you know I feel as if you'd done me good already!” and with a clinging embrace she departed.
As hours and days wore on, Mrs. Krauss became more and more charmed with her companion; it did not take her long to discover her unselfish character, amazing adaptability to these strange surrounding's and, above all, her gift of music. The invalid would lie p.r.o.ne on her sofa with a handkerchief over her face--rather suggesting the idea of a laid-out corpse--motionless and spell-bound, and when she spoke it was merely to murmur:
”Please go on, please go on, Sophy darling; your music is wonderful; you are my David and I am gloomy Saul. Oh, my dearest child, your exquisite gift has given me new thoughts, and opened the door of many delicious and half-forgotten memories!”
Besides soothing her aunt with dreamy and enthralling melodies, Sophy remembered her ”job,” and endeavoured to interest her in patience, in puzzles and the latest st.i.tch; but Frau Krauss had no taste for cards or puzzles. She was, however, profoundly interested in Sophy's pretty frocks, examined them, priced them, and tried them on; otherwise she preferred to lounge among her cus.h.i.+ons and talk, whilst her niece, who busied herself mending table linen, proved an invaluable listener.
”You are a treasure, my sweet child,” she remarked; ”I have so often longed for a companion of my own cla.s.s and nation. All my neighbours are German; here in Kokine is a German colony; they all dine and have music, and gossip together, and I am rather out of it. Of course, I speak German, but not very fluently. There are two or three uncommonly smart women who speak English as well as you do, and their children have English names; but all the same, they hate us in their secret hearts and often give me a nasty scratch; so I needn't tell you that I don't open my heart to _them_. The English live in another direction--down the Halpin Road, or out by the Royal lakes, and I have really grown too lazy and careless to go among them. Besides, what is the good? My friends return to England, new people come, but as for poor me--I stay on for ever.”
”And, of course, you would like to go home, Aunt Flora, would you not?”
”For some things, yes! But how can I leave Karl? Also, I feel that this country has got such a hold upon me--oh, such a hold!” And she closed her eyes and sighed profoundly.
Three whole weeks had elapsed since Sophy arrived, and during that time she had not been outside the compound. Herr Krauss had departed up country and taken the car with him; in the meanwhile Sophy had contrived to carry out some improvements, and induced her aunt to dismiss and replace several worthless servants. There had been a grand cleaning, dusting, and polis.h.i.+ng; the drawing-room was rearranged, the compound cleared and tidied, flowers decorated the sitting-rooms--and the hens had been interned.
All this Sophy had not contrived to manage without a.s.sistance and advice; several German ladies had been to call, to inspect, to offer instruction, and to criticise. There was Mrs. Muller, a remarkably pretty, smart young woman (wife of the head of an important firm, who spoke English perfectly, played bridge and the violin). She and Sophy had an interesting musical talk, and arranged about duets and practisings; it was she who helped with regard to weeding out the staff, finding subst.i.tutes, and engaging a _dirzee_ to mend and make.
Augusta Muller was a born administrator, and the head of the neighbouring community. Another visitor was Frau Wendel, a dowdy middle-aged woman, who wore a hideous check cotton gown (much too short), green spectacles, and velvet boots; she stared hard at Sophy and asked her many personal questions. There was also the Baroness--a little lady with small patrician features, faded light hair and a brisk manner; and last, but by no means least, Frau Wurm, who daily arrived to fulfil a promise to Herr Krauss, and every morning, for one solid hour, imparted to Sophy instruction in the management of native servants, the reckoning of bazaar accounts, the coinage--rupees and pice--and the proper way to keep house linen and stores. She also gave her lessons in cooking on the oil stove in the veranda--not invalid delicacies, but dishes that were favourites with the master of the house, including confitures and Russian salad.
Frau Wurm was a competent teacher--practical and brisk. She drew up a list of menus, of shops to be dealt at, and hours for different tasks.
As she worked she talked incessantly in excellent guttural English; her talk consisted of a series of personal and impertinent questions--her curiosity was of the mean and hungry cla.s.s, and to every reply, satisfactory or otherwise, she invariably e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.ed, ”Ach so!”
Among other matters she desired to know Sophy's age--the age of her mother--and sister; if their was.h.i.+ng was given out; who had paid for her pa.s.sage and outfit; where her mother lived, the rent of her house, and number of servants.
”So she keeps _three_ servants!” she exclaimed. ”Ach! but I thought she was poor!”
”No, not poor,” replied Sophy. ”Mother has a pretty good income.”
”Ach so! and that is the reason, I suppose, that you cannot cook or make your own frocks, or do anything useful. Are you engaged to be married?”
”No,” replied Sophy with a laugh, ”not yet.”
”Ach so! I do not think your uncle will permit you to marry any of those silly young English officers, who play games all day and are ashamed to wear uniform. Have you any relations in the Army?”
”Yes, I have two cousins; one in the Flying Corps and one in a submarine.”
”Ach so! That is _most_ interesting. Some day you will tell me all about them, will you not? I like to hear about submarines.”
”Very well,” said Sophy, who was busy mixing a pudding according to an elaborate German recipe.