things went on in gower street for three or four weeks in the same way, and then susanna was fetched home from littlebath. miss mackenzie would have gone down herself but that she was averse to see mr maguire. she therefore kept on her littlebath lodgings, though mrs tom said much to her of the wasteful extravagance in doing so. it was at last settled that mr rubb should go down to littlebath and bring susanna back with him; and this he did, not at all to that young lady's satisfaction. it was understood that susanna did not leave the school, at which she had lately been received as a boarder; but the holidays had come, and it was thought well that she should see her father. during this time miss mackenzie received two letters from mr maguire. in the first he pleaded hard for an answer to his offer. he had, he said, now relinquished his curacy, having found the interference of that terrible woman to be unendurable. he had left his curacy, and was at present without employment. under such circumstances, "his margaret" would understand how imperative it was that he should receive an answer. a curacy, or, rather, a small incumbency, had offered itself among the mines in cornwall; but he could not think of accepting this till he should know what "his margaret" might say to it.
to this margaret answered most demurely, and perhaps a little slily. she said that her brother's health and affairs were at present in such a condition as to allow her to think of nothing else; that she completely understood mr maguire's position, and that it was essential that he should not be kept in suspense. under these combined circumstances she had no alternative but to release him from the offer he had made. this she did with the less unwillingness as it was probable that her pecuniary position would be considerably altered by the change in her brother's family which they were now expecting almost daily. then she bade him farewell, with many expressions of her esteem, and said that she hoped he might be happy among the mines in cornwall.
such was her letter; but it did not satisfy mr maguire, and he wrote a second letter. he had declined, he said, the incumbency among the mines, having heard of something which he thought would suit him better in manchester. as to that, there was no immediate hurry, and he proposed remaining at littlebath for the next two months, having been asked to undertake temporary duty in a neighbouring church for that time. by the end of the two months he hoped that "his margaret" would be able to give him an answer in a different tone. as to her pecuniary position, he would leave that, he said, "all to herself."
to this second letter miss mackenzie did not find it necessary to send any reply. the domestics in the mackenzie family were not at this time numerous, and the poor mother had enough to do with her family downstairs. no nurse had been hired for the sick man, for nurses cannot be hired without money, and money with the tom mackenzies was scarce. our miss mackenzie would have hired a nurse, but she thought it better to take the work entirely into her own hands. she did so, and i think we may say that her brother did not suffer by it. as she sat by his bedside, night after night, she seemed to feel that she had fallen again into her proper place, and she looked back upon the year she had spent at littlebath almost with dismay. since her brother's death, three men had offered to marry her, and there was a fourth from whom she had expected such an offer. she looked upon all this with dismay, and told herself that she was not fit to sail, under her own guidance, out in the broad sea, amidst such rocks as those. was not some humbly feminine employment, such as that in which she was now engaged, better for her in all ways? sad as was the present occasion, did she not feel a satisfaction in what she was doing, and an assurance that she was fit for her position? had she not always been ill at ease, and out of her element, while striving at littlebath to live the life of a lady of fortune? she told herself that it was so, and that it would be better for her to be a hard-working, dependent woman, doing some tedious duty day by day, than to live a life of ease which prompted her to longings for things unfitted to her.
she had brought a little writing-desk with her that she had carried from arundel street to littlebath, and this she had with her in the sick man's bedroom. sitting there through the long hours of night, she would open this and read over and over again those remnants of the rhymes written in her early days which she had kept when she made her great bonfire. there had been quires of such verses, but she had destroyed all but a few leaves before she started for littlebath. what were left, and were now read, were very sweet to her, and yet she knew that they were wrong and meaningless. what business had such a one as she to talk of the sphere's tune and the silvery moon, of bright stars shining and hearts repining? she would not for worlds have allowed any one to know what a fool she had been—either mrs tom, or john ball, or mr maguire, or miss todd. she would have been covered with confusion if her rhymes had fallen into the hands of any one of them.
and yet she loved them well, as a mother loves her only idiot child. they were her expressions of the romance and poetry that had been in her; and though the expressions doubtless were poor, the romance and poetry of her heart had been high and noble. how wrong the world is in connecting so closely as it does the capacity for feeling and the capacity for expression,—in thinking that capacity for the one implies capacity for the other, or incapacity for the one incapacity also for the other; in confusing the technical art of the man who sings with the unselfish tenderness of the man who feels! but the world does so connect them; and, consequently, those who express themselves badly are ashamed of their feelings.
she read her poor lines again and again, throwing herself back into the days and thoughts of former periods, and telling herself that it was all over. she had thought of encouraging love, and love had come to her in the shape of mr maguire, a very strict evangelical clergyman, without a cure or an income, somewhat in debt, and with, oh! such an eye! she tore the papers, very gently, into the smallest fragments. she tore them again and again, swearing to herself as she did so that there should be an end of all that; and, as there was no fire at hand, she replaced the pieces in her desk. during this ceremony of the tearing she devoted herself to the duties of a single life, to the drudgeries of ordinary utility, to such works as those she was now doing. as to any society, wicked or religious,—wicked after the manner of miss todd, or religious after the manner of st stumfolda,—it should come or not, as circumstances might direct. she would go no more in search of it. such were the resolves of a certain night, during which the ceremony of the tearing took place.
it came to pass at this time that mr rubb, junior, visited his dying partner almost daily, and was always left alone with him for some time. when these visits were made miss mackenzie would descend to the room in which her sister-in-law was sitting, and there would be some conversation between them about mr rubb and his affairs. much as these two women disliked each other, there had necessarily arisen between them a certain amount of confidence. two persons who are much thrown together, to the exclusion of other society, will tell each other their thoughts, even though there be no love between them.
"what is he saying to him all these times when he is with him?" said mrs tom one morning, when miss mackenzie had come down on the appearance of mr rubb in the sick room.
"he is talking about the business, i suppose."
"what good can that do? tom can't say anything about that, as to how it should be done. he thinks a great deal about sam rubb; but it's more than i do."
"they must necessarily be in each other's confidence, i should say."
"he's not in my confidence. my belief is he's been a deal too clever for tom; and that he'll turn out to be too clever—for me, and—my poor orphans." upon which mrs tom put her handkerchief up to her eyes. "there; he's coming down," continued the wife. "do you go up now, and make tom tell you what it is that sam rubb has been saying to him."
margaret mackenzie did go up as she heard mr rubb close the front door; but she had no such purpose as that with which her sister-in-law had striven to inspire her. she had no wish to make the sick man tell her anything that he did not wish to tell. in considering the matter within her own breast, she owned to herself that she did not expect much from the rubbs in aid of the wants of her nephews and nieces; but what would be the use of troubling a dying man about that? she had agreed with herself to believe that the oilcloth business was a bad affair, and that it would be well to hope for nothing from it. that her brother to the last should harass himself about the business was only natural; but there could be no reason why she should harass him on the same subject. she had recognised the fact that his widow and children must be supported by her; and had she now been told that the oilcloth factory had been absolutely abandoned as being worth nothing, it would not have caused her much disappointment. she thought a great deal more of the railway company that was going to buy her property under such favourable circumstances.
she was, therefore, much surprised when her brother began about the business as soon as she had seated herself. i do not know that the reader need be delayed with any of the details that he gave her, or with the contents of the papers which he showed her. she, however, found herself compelled to go into the matter, and compelled also to make an endeavour to understand it. it seemed that everything hung upon samuel rubb, junior, except the fact that samuel rubb's father, who now never went near the place, got more than half the net profits; and the further fact, that the whole thing would come to an end if this payment to old rubb were stopped.
"tom," said she, in the middle of it all, when her head was aching with figures, "if it will comfort you, and enable you to put all these things away, you may know that i will divide everything i have with sarah."
he assured her that her kindness did comfort him; but he hoped better than that; he still thought that something better might be arranged if she would only go on with her task. so she went on painfully toiling through figures.
"sam drew them up on purpose for you, yesterday afternoon," said he.
"who did it?" she asked.
"samuel rubb."
he then went on to declare that she might accept all samuel rubb's figures as correct.
she was quite willing to accept them, and she strove hard to understand them. it certainly did seem to her that when her money was borrowed somebody must have known that the promised security would not be forthcoming; but perhaps that somebody was old rubb, whom, as she did not know him, she was quite ready to regard as the villain in the play that was being acted. her own money, too, was a thing of the past. that fault, if fault there had been, was condoned; and she was angry with herself in that she now thought of it again.
"and now," said her brother, as soon as she had put the papers back, and declared that she understood them. "now i have something to say to you which i hope you will hear without being angry." he raised himself on his bed as he said this, doing so with difficulty and pain, and turning his face upon her so that he could look into her eyes. "if i didn't know that i was dying i don't think that i could say it to you."
"say what, tom?"
she thought of what most terrible thing it might be possible that he should have to communicate. could it be that he had got hold, or that rubb and mackenzie had got hold, of all her fortune, and turned it into unprofitable oilcloth? could they in any way have made her responsible for their engagements? she wished to trust them; she tried to avoid suspicion; but she feared that things were amiss.
"samuel rubb and i have been talking of it, and he thinks it had better come from me," said her brother.
"what had better come?" she asked.
"it is his proposition, margaret." then she knew all about it, and felt great relief. then she knew all about it, and let him go on till he had spoken his speech.
"god knows how far he may be indulging a false hope, or deceiving himself altogether; but he thinks it possible that you might—might become fond of him. there, margaret, that's the long and the short of it. and when i told him that he had better say that himself, he declared that you would not bring yourself to listen to him while i am lying here dying."
"of course i would not."
"but, look here, margaret; i know you would do much to comfort me in my last moments."
"indeed, i would, tom."
"i wouldn't ask you to marry a man you didn't like,—not even if it were to do the children a service; but if that can be got over, the other feeling should not restrain you when it would be the greatest possible comfort to me."
"but how could it serve you, tom?"
"if that could be arranged, rubb would give up to sarah during his father's life all the proceeds of the business, after paying the old man. and when he dies, and he is very old now, the five hundred a-year would be continued to her. think what that would be, margaret."
"but, tom, she shall have what will make her comfortable without waiting for any old man's death. it shall be quite half of my income. if that is not enough it shall be more. will not that do for her?"
then her brother strove to explain as best he could that the mere money was not all he wanted. if his sister did not like this man, if she had no wish to become a married woman, of course, he said, the plan must fall to the ground. but if there was anything in mr rubb's belief that she was not altogether indifferent to him, if such an arrangement could be made palatable to her, then he would be able to think that he, by the work of his life, had left something behind him to his wife and family.
"and sarah would be more comfortable," he pleaded. "of course, she is grateful to you, as i am, and as we all are. but given bread is bitter bread, and if she could think it came to her, of her own right—"
he said ever so much more, but that ever so much more was quite unnecessary. his sister understood the whole matter. it was desirable that she, by her fortune, should enable the widow and orphans of her brother to live in comfort; but it was not desirable that this dependence on her should be plainly recognised. she did not, however, feel herself to be angry or hurt. it would, no doubt, be better for the family that they should draw their income in an apparently independent way from their late father's business than that they should owe their support to the charity of an aunt. but then, how about herself? a month or two ago, before the maguire feature in her career had displayed itself so strongly, an overture from mr rubb might probably not have been received with disfavour. but now, while she was as it were half engaged to another man, she could not entertain such a proposition. her womanly feeling revolted from it. no doubt she intended to refuse mr maguire. no doubt she had made up her mind to that absolutely, during the ceremony of tearing up her verses. and she had never had much love for mr maguire, and had felt some—almost some, for mr rubb. in either case she was sure that, had she married the man,—the one man or the other,—she would instantly have become devoted to him. and i, who chronicle her deeds and endeavour to chronicle her thoughts, feel equally sure that it would have been so. there was something harsh in it, that mr maguire's offer to her should, though never accepted, debar her from the possibility of marrying mr rubb, and thus settling all the affairs of her family in a way that would have been satisfactory to them and not altogether unsatisfactory to her; but she was aware that it did so. she felt that it was so, and then threw herself back for consolation upon the security which would still be hers, and the want of security which must attach itself to a marriage with mr rubb. he might make ducks, and drakes, and oilcloth of it all; and then there would be nothing left for her, for her sister-in-law, or for the children.
"may i tell him to speak to yourself?" her brother asked, while she was thinking of all this.
"no, tom; it would do no good."
"you do not fancy him, then."
"i do not know about fancying; but i think it will be better for me to remain as i am. i would do anything for you and sarah, almost anything; but i cannot do that."
"then i will say nothing further."
"don't ask me to do that."
and he did not ask her again, but turned his face from her and thought of the bitterness of his death-bed.
that evening, when she went down to tea, she met samuel rubb standing at the drawing-room door.
"there is no one here," he said; "will you mind coming in? has your brother spoken to you?"
she had followed him into the room, and he had closed the door as he asked the question.
"yes, he has spoken to me."
she could see that the man was trembling with anxiety and eagerness, and she almost loved him that he was anxious and eager. mr maguire, when he had come a wooing, had not done it badly altogether, but there had not been so much reality as there was about sam rubb while he stood there shaking, and fearing, and hoping.
"well," said he, "may i hope—may i think it will be so? may i ask you to be mine?"
he was handsome in her eyes, though perhaps, delicate reader, he would not have been handsome in yours. she knew that he was not a gentleman; but what did that matter? neither was her sister-in-law sarah a lady. there was not much in that house in gower street that was after the manner of gentlemen and ladies. she was ready to throw all that to the dogs, and would have done so but for mr maguire. she felt that she would like to have allowed herself to love him in spite of the tearing of the verses. she felt this, and was very angry with mr maguire. but the facts were stern, and there was no hope for her.
"mr rubb," she said, "there can be nothing of that kind."
"can't there really, now?" said he.
she assured him in her strongest language, that there could be nothing of that kind, and then went down to the dining-room.
he did not venture to follow her, but made his way out of the house without seeing anyone else.
another fortnight went by, and then, towards the close of september, came the end of all things in this world for poor tom mackenzie. he died in the middle of the night in his wife's arms, while his sister stood by holding both their hands. since the day on which he had endeavoured to arrange a match between his partner and his sister he had spoken no word of business, at any rate to the latter, and things now stood on that footing which she had then attempted to give them. we all know how silent on such matters are the voices of all in the bereft household, from the hour of death till that other hour in which the body is consigned to its kindred dust. women make mourning, and men creep about listlessly, but during those few sad days there may be no talk about money. so it was in gower street. the widow, no doubt, thought much of her bitter state of dependence, thought something, perhaps, of the chance there might be that her husband's sister would be less good than her word, now that he was gone—meditated with what amount of submission she must accept the generosity of the woman she had always hated; but she was still mistress of that house till the undertakers had done their work; and till that work had been done, she said little of her future plans.
"i'd earn my bread, if i knew how," she began, putting her handkerchief up to her eyes, on the afternoon of the very day on which he was buried.
"there will be no occasion for that, sarah," said miss mackenzie, "there will be enough for us all."
"but i would if i knew how. i wouldn't mind what i did; i'd scour floors rather than be dependent, i've that spirit in me; and i've worked, and moiled, and toiled with those children; so i have."
miss mackenzie then told her that she had solemnly promised her brother to divide her income with his widow, and informed her that she intended to see mr slow, the lawyer, on the following day, with reference to the doing of this.
"if there is anything from the factory, that can be divided too," said miss mackenzie.
"but there won't. the rubbs will take all that; of course they will. and tom put into it near upon ten thousand pounds!"
then she began to cry again, but soon interrupted her tears to ask what was to become of susanna. susanna, who was by, looked anxiously up into her aunt's eyes.
"susanna and i," said the aunt, "have thrown in our lot together, and we mean to remain so; don't we, dear?"
"if mamma will let me."
"i'm sure it's very good of you to take one off my hands," said the mother, "for even one will be felt."
then came a note to miss mackenzie from lady ball, asking her to spend a few days at the cedars before she returned to littlebath,—that is, if she did return,—and she consented to do this. while she was there mr slow could prepare the necessary arrangements for the division of the property, and she could then make up her mind as to the manner and whereabouts of her future life. she was all at sea again, and knew not how to choose. if she were a romanist, she would go into a convent; but protestant convents she thought were bad, and peculiarly unfitted for the followers of mr stumfold. she had nothing to bind her to any spot, and something to drive her from every spot of which she knew anything.
before she went to the cedars mr rubb came to gower street and bade her farewell.
"i had allowed myself to hope, miss mackenzie," said he, "i had, indeed; i suppose i was very foolish."
"i don't know as to being foolish, mr rubb, unless it was in caring about such a person as me."
"i do care for you, very much; but i suppose i was wrong to think you would put up with such as i am. only i did think that perhaps, seeing that we had been partners with your brother so long— all the same, i know that the mackenzies are different from the rubbs."
"that has nothing to do with it; nothing in the least."
"hasn't it now? then, perhaps, miss mackenzie, at some future time—"
miss mackenzie was obliged to tell him that there could not possibly be any other answer given to him at any future time than that which she gave him now. he suggested that perhaps he might be allowed to try again when the first month or two of her grief for her brother should be over; but she assured him that it would be useless. at the moment of her conference with him, she did this with all her energy; and then, as soon as she was alone, she asked herself why she had been so energetical. after all, marriage was an excellent state in which to live. the romance was doubtless foolish and wrong, and the tearing of the papers had been discreet, yet there could be no good reason why she should turn her back upon sober wedlock. nevertheless, in all her speech to mr rubb she did do so. there was something in her position as connected with mr maguire which made her feel that it would be indelicate to entertain another suitor before that gentleman had received a final answer.
as she went away from gower street to the cedars she thought of this very sadly, and told herself that she had been like the ass who starved between two bundles of hay, or as the boy who had fallen between two stools.
