Part 51 (1/2)
”Well, no, I don't know that I has. I only puts two and two together, as it were.”
”But why should Sir Charles be so anxious that his son should marry this particular young lady? There would seem to be any number of eligible spinsters in the country.”
”But millionairesses ain't to be picked up every day, and I reckon the Captain ain't anything of his own to live upon, except what his father allows him; and Sir Charles, they say, is as poor as a church mouse; but that's all nonsense. I should like to have a quarter of what he's got to live on.”
”But you haven't his expenses, Mrs. Tuke.”
”And he needn't have 'em unless he liked. Think of their wintering abroad; it must have cost 'em a heap of money.”
”No doubt. But what about the 'millionairess'?”
”Oh, well, it's this way. Squire Vivian's butler told long Joseph--that's Sir Charles's butler, you know--and he told the housekeeper, and she told Sarah Jelks--who is housemaid at the Hall--and she told Siah Small--who pretends to be courting her--and he told d.i.c.k Beswarick, and he told his wife Susan, and she told me, that he heard the family talking about it one day at dinner----.”
”Who heard the family----?”
”Squire Vivian's butler, of course.”
”Yes, go on.”
”Well, he heard them saying that it would be the best day's work the Captain ever did if he got married, as the girl had no end of dollars.”
”How did they know?”
”Very likely Sir Charles told them. Those big folks may be as close as oysters to the poor, but they talk to each other.”
”Well, Mrs. Tuke, and what is the inference you draw from all this?”
”I don't draw no inference at all. I don't pretend to be anything but a plain woman, and I only put two and two together, though Miss Grover did say my curtains was a treat.”
”She took rather a fancy to you, didn't she?”
”It's not for me to say that exactly, though it's quite true she never thought any of the other women up to much, and she came here frequent, as you know.”
”Yes, I remember. But when you have put two and two together, what then?”
”Well, between ourselves, I shouldn't be a bit surprised if, after living in the same house with the Captain for a month or two, she found out he weren't her sort and told him so.”
”You think that is likely?”
”Well, I can tell you, Mr. Sterne, he wouldn't be my sort, and Miss Grover ain't the kind of young woman to be hustled into anything against her will.”
”Well, and what next?”
”Well, suppose she told him definite, that the more she'd seen of him the less she liked him, and that she wasn't for taking him on at any price, what would happen then?”
”Well, Mrs. Tuke, what do you suppose would happen?”
”It seems to me, Mr. Sterne,” Mrs. Tuke said, impressively, ”that there'd be a kettle o' fish, as it were; a kind of general upset, don't you think so?”