第7章
"Tohelpus,"hereplied。Then,withanexplosionofnervousenergy,headded:"Dowhatyourhearttellsyoutodo。Giveyourbedandyourclothestothewoman,andletyourgirlspitchtheirbookstothedevilforafewdaysandmakesomethingforthesepoorlittlecreaturestowear。ThepoorhaveworkedhardenoughtoclotheTHEM。Letthemtaketheirturnnowandclothethepoor。"
"No,no。Steady,master,"saidtheman,steppingforwardtopropitiateMissWilson,andevidentlymuchoppressedbyasenseofunwelcomeness。"Itain"tanyfaultofthelady"s。MightImakesoboldastoaskyoutoputthiswomanofmineanywherethatmaybeconvenientuntilmorning。Anysortofaplacewilldo;she"saccustomedtoroughit。JusttohavearoofoverheruntilIfindaroominthevillagewherewecanshakedown。"Here,ledbyhisownwordstocontemplatethefuture,helookeddesolatelyroundthecorniceofthehall,asifitwereashelfonwhichsomebodymighthaveleftasuitablelodgingforhim。
MissWilsonturnedherbackdecisivelyandcontemptuouslyonSmilash。Shehadrecoveredherself。"Iwillkeepyourwifehere,"
shesaidtotheman。"Everycareshallbetakenofher。Thechildrencanstaytoo。"
"Threecheersformoralscience！"criedSmilash,ecstaticallybreakingintotheoutrageousdialecthehadforgotteninhiswrath。"Wotwasmywordstoyou,neighbor,whenIsaidweshouldbringyourmissustothecollege,andyousaid,ironical—like,"Aye,andbloomin"gladthey"llbetoseeusthere。"DidInotsaytoyouthattheladyhadanoble"art,andwouldshowitwhenputtothetestbysechacalamityasthis？"
"Whyshouldyoubringmyhastywordsupagain"menow,master,whentheladyhasbeensokind？"saidthemanwithemotion。"Iamhumblygratefultoyou,Miss;andsoisBess。Wearesensibleoftheill—conveniencewe——"
MissWilson,whohadbeenconferringwiththehousekeeper,cuthisspeechshortbyorderinghimtocarryhiswifetobed,whichhedidwiththeassistanceofSmilash,nowjubilant。Whilsttheywereaway,oneoftheservants,biddentobringsomeblanketstothewoman"sroom,refused,sayingthatshewasnotgoingtowaitonthatsortofpeople。MissWilsongaveherwarningalmostfiercelytoquitthecollegenextday。Thisexcepted,noill—willwasshowntotherefugees。Theyoungladieswerethenrequestedtoreturntobed。
Meanwhiletheman,havinglaidhiswifeinachamberpalatialincomparisonwiththatwhichthestormhadblownaboutherears,wascongratulatingheronherluck,andthreateningthechildrenwiththemostviolentchastisementiftheyfailedtobehavethemselveswithstrictproprietywhilsttheyremainedinthathouse。Beforeleavingthemhekissedhiswife;andshe,reviving,askedhimtolookatthebaby。Hedidso,andpensivelyapostrophizeditwithashockingepithetinanticipationofthetimewhenitsappetitemustbesatisfiedfromtheprovisionshopinsteadoffromitsmother"sbreast。Shelaughedandcriedshameonhim;andsotheypartedcheerfully。WhenhereturnedtothehallwithSmilashtheyfoundtwomugsofbeerwaitingforthem。
Thegirlshadretired,andonlyMissWilsonandthehousekeeperremained。
"Here"syourhealth,mum,"saidtheman,beforedrinking;"andmayyoufindsuchanotherasyourselftohelpyouwhenyou"reintrouble,whichLordsendmaynevercome！"
"Isyourhousequitedestroyed？"saidMissWilson。"Wherewillyouspendthenight？"
"Don"tyouthinkofme,mum。MasterSmilashherewillkindlyputmeup"tilmorning。"
"Hishealth！"saidSmilash,touchingthemugwithhislips。
"Theroofandsouthwallisbrowedrightaway,"continuedtheman,afterpausingforamomenttopuzzleoverSmilash"smeaning。
"Idoubtifthere"sastoneofitstandingbythis。"
"ButSirJohnwillbuilditforyouagain。Youareoneofhisherds,areyounot？"
"Iam,Miss。Butnothe;he"llbegladit"sdown。Hedon"tlikepeoplelivin"ontheland。Ihavetoldhimtimeandagainthattheplacewasreadytofall;buthesaidIcouldn"texpecthimtolayoutmoneyonahousethathegotnorentfor。Yousee,Miss,Ididn"tpayanyrent。Itooklowwages;andthebitofahutwasasortofset—offagain"whatIwaspaidshortoftheothermen。
Icouldn"taffordtohaveitrepaired,thoughIdidwhatIcouldtopatchandpropit。AndnowmostlikeIshallbeblamedforlettingitbeblewdown,andshallhavetoliveinhalfaroominthetownandpaytwoorthreeshillin"saweek,besideswalkin"
threemilestoandfrommyworkeveryday。AgentlemanlikeSirJohndon"thardlyknowwhatthevalueofapennyistouslaborin"folk,norhowcruelhardhisestaterulesandthelikecomesonus。"
"SirJohn"shealth！"saidSmilash,touchingthemugasbefore。
Themandrankamouthfulhumbly,andSmilashcontinued,"Here"stothegloriouslandedgentryofoldEngland:bless"em！"
"MasterSmilashisonlyjokin","saidthemanapologetically。
"It"shisway。"
"Youshouldnotbringafamilyintotheworldifyouaresopoor,"saidMissWilsonseverely。"Canyounotseethatyouimpoverishyourselfbydoingso——toputthematteronnohighergrounds。"
"ReverendMr。Malthus"shealth！"remarkedSmilash,repeatinghispantomime。
"Somesayit"sthechildren,andsomesayit"sthedrink,Miss,"
saidthemansubmissively。"ButfromwhatIsee,familyornofamily,drunkorsober,thepoorgetspoorerandtherichrichereveryday。"
"Ain"titdisgustin"tohearamansoignorantoftheimprovementintheconditionofhisclass？"saidSmilash,appealingtoMissWilson。
"Ifyouintendtotakethismanhomewithyou,"shesaid,turningsharplyonhim,"youhadbetterdoitatonce。"
"Itakeitkindonyourpartthatyouaskmetodoanythink,afteryourupandtellingMr。WickensthatIamthelastpersoninLyvernyouwouldtrustwithajob。"
"Soyouare——theverylast。Whydon"tyoudrinkyourbeer？"
"Notinscornofyourbrewing,lady;butbecause,bein"acommonman,waterisgoodenoughforme。"
"Iwishyougood—night,Miss,"saidtheman;"andthankyoukindlyforBessandthechildren。"
"Good—night,"shereplied,steppingasidetoavoidanysalutationfromSmilash。Buthewentuptoherandsaidinalowvoice,andwiththeTrefusismannerandaccent:
"Good—night,MissWilson。Ifyoushouldeverbeinwantoftheservicesofadog,aman,oradomesticengineer,remindSmilashofBessandthechildren,andhewillactforyouinanyofthosecapacities。"
Theyopenedthedoorcautiously,andfoundthatthewind,conqueredbytherain,hadabated。MissWilson"scandle,thoughitflickeredinthedraught,wasnotextinguishedthistime;andshewaspresentlyleftwiththehousekeeper,boltingandchainingthedoor,andlisteningtothecrunchingoffeetonthegraveloutsidedyingawaythroughthesteadypatteringoftherain。
CHAPTERVII
Agathawasatthistimeinherseventeenthyear。Shehadalivelyperceptionofthefoiblesofothers,andnoreverenceforherseniors,whomshethoughtdull,cautious,andridiculouslyamenablebycommonplaces。Butshewassubjecttotheillusionwhichdisablesyouthinspiteofitssuperioritytoage。Shethoughtherselfanexception。CreditingMr。Janseniusandthegeneralmobofmankindwithnothingbutagrovellingconsciousnessofsomefewmaterialfacts,shefeltinherselfanexquisitesenseandall—embracingconceptionofnature,sharedonlybyherfavoritepoetsandheroesofromanceandhistory。
Henceshewasinthecommonyouthfulcaseofbeingamuchbetterjudgeofotherpeople"saffairsthanofherown。Atthefellow—studentwhoadoredsomeHenryorAugustus,notfromthedrivellingsentimentalitywhichtheworldcallslove,butbecausethisparticularHenryorAugustuswasaphoenixtowhomthelawsthatgoverntherelationsofordinaryladsandlassesdidnotapply,Agathalaughedinhersleeve。Themoreshesawofthisweaknessinherfellows,themoresatisfiedshewasthat,beingforewarned,shewasalsoforearmedagainstanattackofitonherself,muchasifadoctorweretoconcludethathecouldnotcatchsmallpoxbecausehehadseenmanycasesofit;orasifamastermariner,knowingthatmanyshipsarewreckedintheBritishchannel,shouldventuretherewithoutapilot,thinkingthatheknewitsperilstoowelltorunanyriskofthem。Yet,asthedoctormightholdsuchanopinionifhebelievedhimselftobeconstituteddifferentlyfromordinarymen;ortheshipmasteradoptsuchacourseundertheimpressionthathisvesselwasastar,Agathafoundfalsesecurityinthesubjectivedifferencebetweenherfellowsseenfromwithoutandherselfknownfromwithin。When,forinstance,shefellinlovewithMr。JeffersonSmilash（astepuponwhichsheresolvedthedayafterthestorm）,herimaginationinvestedthepleasingemotionwithasacrednesswhich,toher,setitfarapartanddistinctfromthefrivolousfanciesofwhichHenryandAugustushadbeenthesubject,andshetheconfidant。
"Icanlookathimquitecoollyanddispassionately,"shesaidtoherself。"Thoughhisfacehasastrangeinfluencethatmust,I
know,correspondtosomeunexplainedpowerwithinme,yetitisnotaperfectface。Ihaveseenmanymenwhoare,strictlyspeaking,farhandsomer。Ifthelightthatneverwasonseaorlandisinhiseyes,yettheyarenotprettyeyes——nothalfsoclearasmine。Thoughhewearshiscommonclotheswithanamelessgracethatbetrayshistruebreedingateverystep,yetheisnottall,dark,andmelancholy,asmyidealherowouldbeifIwereasgreatafoolasgirlsofmyageusuallyare。IfIaminlove,Ihavesenseenoughnottoletmyloveblindmyjudgment。"
Shedidnottellanyoneofhernewinterestinlife。Strongestinthatstudentcommunity,shehadusedherpowerwithgood—natureenoughtowinthepopularityofaschoolleader,andoccasionallywithunscrupulousnessenoughtosecuretheprivilegesofaschoolbully。Popularityandprivilege,however,onlysatisfiedherwhenshewasinthemoodforthem。Girls,likemen,wanttobepetted,pitied,andmademuchof,whentheyarediffident,inlowspirits,orinunrequitedlove。Theseareserviceswhichtheweakcannotrendertothestrongandwhichthestrongwillnotrendertotheweak,exceptwhenthereisalsoadifferenceofsex。
Agathaknewbyexperiencethatthoughaweakwomancannotunderstandwhyherstrongersistershouldwishtoleanuponher,shemaytriumphinthefactwithoutunderstandingit,andgivechaffinsteadofconsolation。Agathawantedtobeunderstoodandnottobechaffed。Findingherselfunabletosatisfyboththeseconditions,sheresolvedtodowithoutsympathyandtoholdhertongue。Shehadoftenhadtodosobefore,andshewashelpedonthisoccasionbyasenseoftheridiculousappearanceherpassionmightwearinthevulgareye。Hersecretkeptitself,asshewassupposedinthecollegetobeinsensibletothesofteremotions。
Lovewroughtnoexternalchangeuponher。Itmadeherbelievethatshehadlefthergirlhoodbehindherandwasnowawomanwithanewly—developedheartcapacityatwhichshewouldchildishlyhavescoffedalittlewhilebefore。Shefeltashamedofthebeeonthewindowpane,althoughitsomehowbuzzedasfrequentlyasbeforeinspiteofher。Hercalendar,formerlyamonotonouscycleofclasstimes,mealtimes,playtimes,andbedtime,wasnowirregularlydividedbywalkspastthechaletandaccidentalglimpsesofitstenant。
EarlyinDecembercameablackfrost,andnavigationonthecanalwassuspended。Wickens"sboywassenttothecollegewithnewsthatWickens"spondwouldbear,andthattheyoungladiesshouldbewelcomeatanytime。Thepondwasonlyfourfeetdeep,andasMissWilsonsetmuchstorebythephysicaleducationofherpupils,leavewasgivenforskating。Agatha,whowasexpertontheice,immediatelyproposedthataselectpartyshouldgooutbeforebreakfastnextmorning。Actionsnotinthemselvesvirtuousoftenappearsowhenperformedathoursthatcompelearlyrising,andsomeofthecandidatesfortheCambridgeLocal,whowouldnothavesacrificedtheafternoontoamusement,atoncefellinwithhersuggestion。Butforthemitmightneverhavebeencarriedout;forwhentheysummonedAgatha,athalf—pastsixnextmorning,toleaveherwarmbedandbravethebitingair,shewouldhaverefusedwithouthesitationhadshenotbeenshamedintocompliancebytheselaboriousoneswhostoodbyherbedside,blue—nosedandhungry,butreadyfortheice。Whenshehaddressedherselfwithmuchshudderingandchattering,theyallayedtheirinternaldiscomfortbyaslendermealofbiscuits,gottheirskates,andwentoutacrosstherimymeadows,pastpatientcowsbreathingcloudsofsteam,toWickens"spond。Here,totheirsurprise,wasSmilash,onelectro—platedacmeskates,practicingcomplicatedfigureswithintensediligence。Itsoonappearedthathisskillcameshortofhisambition;for,afterseveralnarrowescapesandsomefranticstaggering,hiscalves,elbows,andocciputsmotetheicealmostsimultaneously。Onrisingruefullytoasittingposturehebecameawarethateightyoungladieswerewatchinghisproceedingswithinterest。
"Thiscomesofacommonmanputtinghimselfabovehisstationbygettingintogentlemen"sskates,"hesaid。"HadIbeencontentwithahumbleslide,asmyfatherswas,Ishouldha"beenahappiermanatthepresentmoment。"Hesighed,rose,touchedhishattoMissWard,andtookoffhisskates,adding:"Good—morning,Miss。MissWilsonsentmewordtobeheresharpatsixtoputontheyoungladies"skates,andItookthelibertyoftryingafigureortwotokeepoutthecold。"
"MissWilsondidnottellmethatsheorderedyoutocome,"saidMissWard。
"Justlikehertobethoughtfulandyetnotletontobe！Sheisakindlady,andalearned——likeyourself,Miss。Sityourselfdownonthecamp—stool。andgivemeyourheel,ifImaybesoboldastostickagimletintoit。"
Hisassistancewaswelcome,andMissWardallowedhimtoputonherskates。ShewasaCanadian,andcouldskatewell。Jane,thefirsttofollowher,wasanxiousastothestrengthoftheice;
butwhenreassured,sheacquittedherselfadmirably,forshewasproficientinoutdoorexercises,andhadthesatisfactionoflaughinginthefieldatthosewholaughedatherinthestudy。
Agatha,contrarytohercustom,gavewaytohercompanions,andherbootswerethelastuponwhichSmilashoperated。
"Howd"youdo,MissWylie？"hesaid,droppingtheSmilashmannernowthattherestwereoutofearshot。
"Iamverywell,thankyou,"saidAgatha,shyandconstrained。
Thisphaseofherbeingnewtohim,hepausedwithherheelinhishandandlookedupathercuriously。Shecollectedherself,returnedhisgazesteadily,andsaid:"HowdidMissWilsonsendyouwordtocome？Sheonlyknewofourpartyathalf—pastninelastnight。"
"MissWilsondidnotsendforme。"
"ButyouhavejusttoldMissWardthatshedid。"
"Yes。IfinditnecessarytotellalmostasmanyliesnowthatI
amasimplelaborerasIdidwhenIwasagentleman。More,infact。"
"Ishallknowhowmuchtobelieveofwhatyousayinthefuture。"
"Thetruthisthis。Iamperhapstheworstskaterintheworld,andtherefore,accordingtoanaturallaw,Icovetthefaintestdistinctionontheicemorethanimmortalfameforthethingsinwhichnaturehasgivenmeaptitudetoexcel。Ienvythatlargefriendofyours——Janeishername,Ithink——morethanIenvyPlato。Icamedownherethismorning,thinkingthattheskatingworldwasalla—bed,topracticeinsecret。"
"Iamgladwecaughtyouatit,"saidAgathamaliciously,forhewasdisappointingher。Shewantedhimtobeheroicinhisconversation;andhewouldnot。
"Isupposeso,"hereplied。"IhaveobservedthatWoman"sdearestdelightistowoundMan"sself—conceit,thoughMan"sdearestdelightistogratifyhers。ThereisatleastonecreaturelowerthanMan。Now,offwithyou。ShallIholdyouuntilyouranklesgetfirm？"
"Thankyou,"shesaid,disgusted:"_I_canskateprettywell,andIdon"tthinkyoucouldgivemeanyusefulassistance。"Andshewentoffcautiously,feelingthatamishapwouldbeverydisgracefulaftersuchaspeech。
Hestoodontheshore,listeningtothegrinding,swayingsoundoftheskates,andwatchingthegrowingcomplexityofthecurvestheywereengravingontheice。Asthegirlsgrewwarmandaccustomedtotheexercisetheylaughed,jested,screamedrecklesslywhentheycameintocollision,andsailedbeforethewinddownthewholelengthofthepondatperilousspeed。Themoreanimatedtheybecame,thegloomierlookedSmilash。"Nottwo—penn"orthofchoicebetweenthemandaparcelofpuppies,"hesaid;"exceptthatsomeofthemareconsciousthatthereisamanlookingatthem,althoughheisonlyablackguardlaborer。TheyremindmeofHenriettainahundredways。WouldIlaugh,now,ifthewholesheetoficeweretoburstintolittlebitsunderthem？"
Justthentheicecrackedwithastartlingreport,andtheskaters,exceptJane,skimmedawayinalldirections。
"Youarebreakingtheicetopieces,Jane,"saidAgatha,callingfromasafedistance。"Howcanyouexpectittobearyourweight？"
"Packoffools！"retortedJaneindignantly。"Thenoiseonlyshowshowstrongitis。"
TheshockwhichthereporthadgivenSmilashansweredhimhisquestion。"Makeanotethatwishesforthedestructionofthehumanrace,howeverrationalandsincere,arecontrarytonature,"hesaid,recoveringhisspirits。"Besides,whatapreciousfoolIshouldbeifIwereworkingataninternationalassociationofcreaturesonlyfitfordestruction！Hi,lady！Oneword,Miss！"ThiswastoMissWard,whohadskatedintohisneighborhood。"Itbein"acoldmorning,andmehavin"apoorandcommoncirculation,woulditbelookedonasalibertyifIwastocutaslidehereortakeaturninthecorneralltomyself？"
"Youmayskateoverthereifyouwish,"shesaid,afterapauseforconsideration,pointingtoadesertedspotattheleewardendofthepond,wheretheicewastooroughforcomfortableskating。
"Noblyspoke！"hecried,withagrin,hurryingtotheplaceindicated,where,skatingbeingoutofthequestion,hemadeapairofslides,andgravelyexercisedhimselfuponthemuntilhisfaceglowedandhisfingerstingledinthefrostyair。Thetimepassedquickly;whenMissWardsentforhimtotakeoffherskatestherewasageneralgroananddeclarationthatitcouldnotpossiblybehalf—pasteighto"clockyet。Smilashkneltbeforethecamp—stool,andwaspresentlybusyunbucklingandunscrewing。
WhenJane"sturncame,thecamp—stoolcreakedbeneathherweight。
Agathaagainremonstratedwithher,butimmediatelyreproachedherselfwithflippancybeforeSmilash,towhomshewishedtoconveyanimpressionofdeepseriousnessofcharacter。
"Smallestfootofthelot,"hesaidcritically,holdingJane"sfootbetweenhisfingerandthumbasifitwereanarttreasurewhichhehadbeeninvitedtoexamine。"Andbelongingtothefinestbuiltlady。"
Janesnatchedawayherfoot,blushed,andsaid:
"Indeed！Whatnext,Iwonder？"
"T"other"unnext,"hesaid,settingtoworkontheremainingskate。Whenitwasoff,helookedupather,andshedartedaglanceathimassherosewhichshowedthathiscompliment（herfeetwere,infact,smallandpretty）wasappreciated。
"Allowme,Miss,"hesaidtoGertrude,whowasstandingononeleg,leaningonAgatha,andtakingoffherownskates。
"No,thankyou,"shesaidcoldly。"Idon"tneedyourassistance。"
"Iamwellawarethattheofferwasoverbold,"hereplied,withaself—complacencythatmadehisprofessionofhumilityexasperating。"Ifalltheskatesisoff,Iwill,byMissWilson"sorder,carrythemandthecamp—stoolbacktothecollege。"
MissWardhandedhimherskatesandturnedaway。GertrudeplacedhersonthestoolandwentwithMissWard。Therestfollowed,leavinghimtostareattheheapofskatesandconsiderhowheshouldcarrythem。Hecouldthinkofnobetterplanthantointerlacethestrapsandhangtheminachainoverhisshoulder。
Bythetimehehaddonethistheyoungladieswereoutofsight,andhisintentionofenjoyingtheirsocietyduringthereturntothecollegewasdefeated。Theyhadenteredthebuildinglongbeforehecameinsightofit。
Somewhatoutofconceitwithhisfolly,hewenttotheservants"
entranceandrangthebellthere。Whenthedoorwasopened,hesawMissWardstandingbehindthemaidwhoadmittedhim。
"Oh,"shesaid,lookingatthestringofskatesasifshehadhardlyexpectedtoseethemagain,"soyouhavebroughtourthingsback？"
"Suchweremyinstructions,"hesaid,takenabackbyhermanner。
"Youhadnoinstructions。Whatdoyoumeanbygettingourskatesintoyourchargeunderfalsepretences？Iwasabouttosendthepolicetotakethemfromyou。Howdareyoutellmethatyouweresenttowaitonme,whenyouknowverywellthatyouwerenothingofthesort？"
"Icouldn"thelpit,Miss,"herepliedsubmissively。"Iamanaturalbornliar——alwayswas。Iknowthatitmustappeardreadfultoyouthatnevertoldalie,anddon"thardlyknowwhatalieis,belongingasyoudotoaclasswherenoneisevertold。
Butcommonpeoplelikemetellsliesjustasaduckswims。Iaskyourpardon,Miss,mosthumble,andIhopetheyoungladies"llbeabletotellonesetofskatesfromt"other;forI"mblestifI
can。"
"Putthemdown。MissWilsonwishestospeaktoyoubeforeyougo。
Susan,showhimtheway。"
"Hopeyouain"tbeenandgotapoorcoveintotrouble,Miss？"
"MissWilsonknowshowyouhavebehaved。"
HesmiledatherbenevolentlyandfollowedSusanupstairs。OntheirwaytheymetJane,whostoleaglanceathim,andwasabouttopassby,whenhesaid:
"Won"tyousayawordtoMissWilsonforapoorcommonfellow,honoredyounglady？Ihavegotintodreadfultroubleforhavingmadeboldtoassistyouthismorning。"
"Youneedn"tgiveyourselfthepainstotalklikethat,"repliedJaneinanimpetuouswhisper。"Weallknowthatyou"reonlypretending。"
"Well,youcanguessmymotive,"hewhispered,lookingtenderlyather。
"Suchstuffandnonsense！Ineverheardofsuchathinginmylife,"saidJane,andranaway,plainlyunderstandingthathehaddisguisedhimselfinordertoobtainadmissiontothecollegeandenjoythehappinessoflookingather。
"CursedfoolthatIam！"hesaidtohimself;"Icannotactlikearationalcreatureforfiveconsecutiveminutes。"
Theservantledhimtothestudyandannounced,"Theman,ifyouplease,ma"am。"
"JeffSmilash,"headdedinexplanation。
"Comein,"saidMissWilsonsternly。
Hewentin,andmetthedeterminedfrownwhichshecastonhimfromherseatbehindthewritingtable,bysayingcourteously:
"Good—morning,MissWilson。"
Shebentforwardinvoluntarily,asiftoreceiveagentleman。
Thenshecheckedherselfandlookedimplacable。
"Ihavetoapologize,"hesaid,"formakinguseofyournameunwarrantablythismorning——tellingalie,infact。Ihappenedtobeskatingwhentheyoungladiescamedown,andastheyneededsomeassistancewhichtheywouldhardlyhaveacceptedfromacommonman——excusemyborrowingthattiresomeexpressionfromouracquaintanceSmilash——Isettheirmindsateasebysayingthatyouhadsentforme。Otherwise,asyouhavegivenmeabadcharacter——thoughnotworsethanIdeserve——theywouldprobablyhaverefusedtoemployme,oratleastIshouldhavebeencompelledtoacceptpayment,whichI,ofcourse,donotneed。"
MissWilsonaffectedsurprise。"Idonotunderstandyou,"shesaid。
"Notaltogether,"hesaidsmiling。"ButyouunderstandthatIamwhatiscalledagentleman。"
"No。ThegentlemenwithwhomIamconversantdonotdressasyoudress,norspeakasyouspeak,noractasyouact。"
Helookedather,andhercountenanceconfirmedthehostilityofhertone。HeinstantlyrelapsedintoanaggravatedphaseofSmilash。
"Iwillnolongerattempttosetmyselfupasagentleman,"hesaid。"Iamacommonman,andyourladyship"shirecognizesmeassuchandisnottobedeceived。Butdon"tgofortosaythatIamnotcandidwhenIamascandidaseveryouwillletmebe。Whatfault,ifany,doyoufindwithmyputtingtheskatesontheyoungladies,andcarryin"thecampstoolforthem？"
"Ifyouareagentleman,"saidMissWilson,reddening,"yourconductinpersistingintheseanticsinmypresenceisinsultingtome。Extremelyso。"
"MissWilson,"hereplied,unruffled,"ifyouinsistonSmilash,youshallhaveSmilash;Itakeaninsanepleasureinpersonatinghim。IfyouwantSidney——myrealChristianname——youcancommandhim。Butallowmetosaythatyoumusthaveeitheroneortheother。Ifyoubecomefrankwithme,IwillunderstandthatyouareaddressingSidney。Ifdistantandsevere,Smilash。"
"Nomatterwhatyournamemaybe,"saidMissWilson,muchannoyed,"Iforbidyoutocomehereortoholdanycommunicationwhateverwiththeyoungladiesinmycharge。"
"Why？"
"BecauseIchoose。"
"Thereismuchforceinthatreason,MissWilson;butitisnotmoralforceinthesenseconveyedbyyourcollegeprospectus,whichIhavereadwithgreatinterest。"
MissWilson,sinceherquarrelwithAgatha,hadbeensoreonthesubjectofmoralforce。"Nooneisadmittedhere,"shesaid,"withoutatrustworthyintroductionorrecommendation。Adisguiseisnotasatisfactorysubstituteforeither。"
"Disguisesaregenerallyassumedforthepurposeofconcealingcrime,"heremarkedsententiously。
"Preciselyso,"shesaidemphatically。
"Therefore,Ibear,tosaytheleast,adoubtfulcharacter。
Nevertheless,Ihaveformedwithsomeofthestudentshereaslightacquaintance,ofwhich,itseems,youdisapprove。YouhavegivenmenogoodreasonwhyIshoulddiscontinuethatacquaintance,andyoucannotcontrolmeexceptbyyourwish——asortofinfluencenotusuallyeffectivewithdoubtfulcharacters。
SupposeIdisregardyourwish,andthatoneortwoofyourpupilscometoyouandsay:"MissWilson,inouropinionSmilashisanexcellentfellow;wefindhisconversationmostimproving。Asitisyourprincipletoallowustoexerciseourownjudgment,weintendtocultivatetheacquaintanceofSmilash。"Howwillyouactinthatcase？"
"Sendthemhometotheirparentsatonce。"
"IseethatyourprinciplesarethoseoftheChurchofEngland。
Youallowthestudentstherightofprivatejudgmentonconditionthattheyarriveatthesameconclusionsasyou。ExcusemysayingthattheprinciplesoftheChurchofEngland,howeverexcellent,arenotthoseyourprospectusledmetohopefor。Yourplaniscoercion,starkandsimple。"
"Idonotadmitit,"saidMissWilson,readytoargue,evenwithSmilash,indefenceofhersystem。"Thegirlsarequiteatlibertytoactastheyplease,butIreservemyequallibertytoexcludethemfrommycollegeifIdonotapproveoftheirbehavior。"
"Justso。Inmostschoolschildrenareperfectlyatlibertytolearntheirlessonsornot,justastheyplease;buttheprincipalreservesanequallibertytowhipthemiftheycannotrepeattheirtasks。"
"Idonotwhipmypupils,"saidMissWilsonindignantly。"Thecomparisonisanoutrage。"
"Butyouexpelthem;and,astheyaredevotedtoyouandtotheplace,expulsionisadreadedpunishment。Yoursistheoldsystemofmakinglawsandenforcingthembypenalties,andthesuperiorityofAltonCollegetoothercollegesisdue,nottoanydifferenceofsystem,buttothecomparativereasonablenessofitslawsandthemildnessandjudgmentwithwhichtheyareenforced。"
"Mysystemisradicallydifferentfromtheoldone。However,I
willnotdiscussthematterwithyou。Amindoccupiedwiththeprejudicesoftheoldcoercivedespotismcannaturallyonlyseeinthenewamodificationoftheold,insteadof,asmysystemis,anentirereversalorabandonmentofit。"
Heshookhisheadsadlyandsaid:"Youseektoimposeyourideasonothers,ostracizingthosewhorejectthem。Believeme,mankindhasbeendoingnothingelseeversinceitbegantopaysomeattentiontoideas。Ithasbeensaidthatabenevolentdespotismisthebestpossibleformofgovernment。Idonotbelievethatsaying,becauseIbelieveanotheronetotheeffectthathellispavedwithbenevolence,whichmostpeople,theproverbbeingtoodeepforthem,misinterpretasunfulfilledintentions。Asifabenevolentdespotmightnotbyanyerrorofjudgmentdestroyhiskingdom,andthensay,likeRomeowhenhegothisfriendkilled,"Ithoughtallforthebest！"Excusemyrambling。Imeanttosay,inshort,thatthoughyouarebenevolentandjudiciousyouarenonethelessadespot。"