The Paying Guest by George Gissing (bookreader .TXT) đ
- Author: George Gissing
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Louise laughed.
âOh, thereâs no knowing what I might do to spite Cissy. We hate each other, of course. But I canât fancy myself marrying him, He has a long nose, and talks through it. And he says âthink youâ for âthank you,â and he singsâoh, to hear him sing! I canât bear the man.â
The matter of this conversation Emmeline reported to her husband at night, and they agreed in the hope that neither Mr. Cobb nor Mr. Bowling would make an appearance at âRunnymede.â Mumford opined that these individuals were âcads.â Small wonder, he said, that the girl wished to enter a new social sphere. His wife, on the other hand, had a suspicion that Miss Derrick would not be content to see the last of Mr. Cobb. He, the electrical engineer, or whatever he was, could hardly be such a ruffian as the girl depicted. His words, âYou have neither heart nor brains,â seemed to indicate anything but a coarse mind.
âBut what a bad-tempered lot they are!â Mumford observed. âI suppose people of that sort quarrel and abuse each other merely to pass the time. They seem to be just one degree above the roughs who come to blows and get into the police court. You must really do your best to get the girl out of it; Iâm sure she is worthy of better things.â
âShe isâin one way,â answered his wife judicially. âBut her education stopped too soon. I doubt if itâs possible to change her very much. AndâI really should like, after all, to see Mr. Cobb.â
Mumford broke into a laugh.
âThere you go! The eternal feminine. Youâll have her married in six months.â
âDonât be vulgar, Clarence. And weâve talked enough of Louise for the present.â
Miss Derrickâs presentiment that a letter from Mr. Cobb would soon reach her was justified the next day; it arrived in the afternoon, readdressed from Tulse Hill. Emmeline observed the eagerness with which this epistle was pounced upon and carried off for private perusal. She saw, too, that in half-an-hourâs time Louise left the houseâdoubtless to post a reply. But, to her surprise, not a word of the matter escaped Miss Derrick during the whole evening.
In her school-days, Louise had learned to âplay the piano,â but, caring little or nothing for music, she had hardly touched a key for several years. Now the idea possessed her that she must resume her practising, and to-day she had spent hours at the piano, with painful effect upon Mrs. Mumfordâs nerves. After dinner she offered to play to Mumford, and he, good-natured fellow, stood by her to turn over the leaves. Emmeline, with fancy work in her hands, watched the two. She was not one of the most foolish of her sex, but it relieved her when Clarence moved away.
The next morning Louise was an hour late for breakfast. She came down when Mumford had left the house, and Emmeline saw with surprise that she was dressed for going out.
âJust a cup of coffee, please. Iâve no appetite this morning, and I want to catch a train for Victoria as soon as possible.â
âWhen will you be back?â
âOh, I donât quite know. To tea, I think.â
The girl had all at once grown reticent, and her lips showed the less amiable possibilities of their contour.
At dinner-time she had not returned. It being Saturday, Mumford was back early in the afternoon, and Miss Derrickâs absence caused no grief. Emmeline could play with baby in the garden, whilst her husband smoked his pipe and looked on in the old comfortable way. They already felt that domestic life was not quite the same with a stranger to share it. Doubtless they would get used to the new restraints; but Miss Derrick must not expect them to disorganise their mealtimes on her account. Promptly at half-past seven they sat down to dine, and had just risen from the table, when Louise appeared.
She was in excellent spirits, without a trace of the morningâs ill-humour. No apologies! If she didnât feel quite free to come and go, without putting people out, there would be no comfort in life. A slice of the joint, that was all she wanted, and she would have done in a few minutes.
âIâve taken tickets for Tooleâs Theatre on Monday night. You must both come. You can, canât you?â
Mumford and his wife glanced at each other. Yes, they could go; it was very kind of Miss Derrick; butâ
âThatâs all right, itâll be jolly. The idea struck me in the train, as I was going up; so I took a cab from Victoria and booked the places first thing. Third row from the front, dress circle; the best I could do. Please let me have my dinner alone. Mrs. Mumford, I want to tell you something afterwards.â
Clarence went round to see his friend Fentiman, with whom he usually had a chat on Saturday evening. Emmeline was soon joined by the guest in the drawing-room.
âThere, you may read that,â said Louise, holding out a letter. âItâs from Mr. Cobb; came yesterday, but I didnât care to talk about it then. Yes, please read it; I want you to.â
Reluctantly, but with curiosity, Emmeline glanced over the sheet. Mr. Cobb wrote in ignorance of Miss Derrickâs having left home. It was a plain, formal letter, giving a brief account of his doings in Ireland, and making a request that Louise would meet him, if possible, on Streatham Common, at three oâclock on Saturday afternoon. And he signed himselfââVery sincerely yours.â
âI made up my mind at once,â said the girl, âthat I wouldnât meet him. That kind of thing will have to stop. Iâm not going to think any more of him, and itâs better to make him understand it at onceâisnât it?â
Emmeline heartily concurred.
âStill,â pursued the other, with an air of great satisfaction, âI thought I had better go home for this afternoon. Because when he didnât see me on the Common he was pretty sure to call at the house, and I didnât want mother or Cissy to be talking about me to him before he had heard my own explanation.â
âDidnât you answer the letter?â asked Emmeline.
âNo. I just sent a line to mother, to let her know I was coming over to-day, so that she might stay at home. Well, and it happened just as I thought. Mr. Cobb came to the house at half-past three. But before that Iâd had a terrible row with Cissy. That isnât a nice expression, I know, but it really was one of our worst quarrels. Mr. Bowling hasnât been near since I left, and Cissy is furious. She said such things that I had to tell her very plainly what I thought of her; and she positively foamed at the mouth! âNow look here,â she said, âif I find out that he goes to Sutton, youâll see what will happen.â âWhat will happen?â I asked. âFather will stop your allowance, and youâll have to get on as best you can.â âOh, very well,â I said, âin that case I shall marry Mr. Bowling.â You should have seen her rage! âYou said you wouldnât marry him if he had ten thousand a year!â she screamed. âI dare say I did; but if Iâve nothing to live uponââ âYou can marry your Mr. Cobb, canât you?â And she almost cried; and I should have felt sorry for her if she hadnât made me so angry. âNo,â I said, âI canât marry Mr. Cobb. And I never dreamt of marrying Mr. Cobb. Andâââ
Emmeline interposed.
âReally, Louise, that kind of talk isnât at all ladylike. What a pity you went home.â
âYes, I was sorry for it afterwards. I shanât go again for a long time; I promise you I wonât. However, Mr. Cobb came, and I saw him alone. He was astonished when he heard what had been going on; he was astonished at me, tooâI mean, the way I spoke. I wanted him to understand at once that there was nothing between us; I talked in rather aâyou know the sort of way.â She raised her chin slightly, and looked down from under her eyelids. âOh, I assure you I behaved quite nicely. But he got into a rage, as he always does, and began to call me names, and I wouldnât stand it. âMr. Cobb,â I said, very severely, âeither you will conduct yourself properly, or you will leave the house.â Then he tried another tone, and said very different thingsâthe kind of thing one likes to hear, you know; but I pretended that I didnât care for it a bit. âItâs all over between us then?â he shouted at last; yes, really shouted, and Iâm sure people must have heard. âAll over?â I said. âBut there never was anythingânothing serious.â âOh, all right. Good-bye, then.â And off he rushed. And I dare say Iâve seen the last of himâfor a time.â
âNow do try to live quietly, my dear,â said Emmeline. âGo on with your music, and read a little each dayââ
âYes, thatâs just what Iâm going to do, dear Mrs. Mumford. And your friends will be here tomorrow; itâll be so quiet and nice. And on Monday we shall go to the theatre, just for a change. And Iâm not going to think of those people. Itâs all settled. I shall live very quietly indeed.â
She banged on the piano till nearly eleven oâclock, and went off to bed with a smile of virtuous contentment.
The guests who arrived on Sunday morning were Mr. and Mrs. Grove, Mr. Bilton, and Mr. Dunnill. Mrs. Grove was Emmelineâs elder sister, a merry, talkative, kindly woman. Aware of the circumstances, she at once made friends with Miss Derrick, and greatly pleased that young lady by a skilful blending of âsuperiorâ talk with easy homeliness. Mr. Bilton, a stockbrokerâs clerk, represented the better kind of City young manâathletic, yet intelligent, spirited without vulgarity a breezy, good-humoured, wholesome fellow. He came down on his bicycle, and would return in the same way. Louise at once made a resolve to learn cycling.
âI wish you lived at Sutton, Mr. Bilton. I should ask you to teach me.â
âIâm really very sorry that I donât,â replied the young man discreetly.
âOh, never mind. Iâll find somebody.â
The fourth arrival, Mr. Dunnill, was older and less affable. He talked chiefly with Mr. Grove, a very quiet, somewhat careworn man; neither of them seemed able to shake off business, but they did not obtrude it on the company in general. The day passed pleasantly, but in Miss Derrickâs opinion, rather soberly. Doing her best to fascinate Mr. Bilton, she felt a slight disappointment at her inability to engross his attention, and at the civil friendliness which he thought a sufficient reply to her gay sallies. For so good-looking and well-dressed a man he struck her as singularly reserved. But perhaps he was âengagedâ; yes, that must be the explanation. When the guests had left, she put a plain question to Mrs. Mumford.
âI donât think he is engaged,â answered Emmeline, who on the whole was satisfied with Miss Derrickâs demeanour throughout the day.
âOh! But, of course, he may be, without you knowing it. Or is it always made known?â
âThereâs no rule about it, my dear.â
âWell, theyâre very nice people,â said Louise, with a little sigh. âAnd I like your sister so much. Iâm glad she asked me to go and see her. Is Mr. Bilton often at her house?âDonât misunderstand me, Mrs. Mumford. Itâs only that I do like menâs society; thereâs no harm, is there? And people like Mr.
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