Joan had no intention of being lured1 into the Birmingham parlour. She thought she could see in it a scheme for her gradual entanglement2. Besides, she was highly displeased3. She had intended asking her father to come to Brighton with her. As a matter of fact, she had forgotten all about Christmas; and the idea only came into her head while explaining to Arthur how his impulsiveness4 had interfered5 with it. Arthur, crestfallen6, suggested telegrams. It would be quite easy to alter everything; and of course her father would rather be with her, wherever it was. But it seemed it was too late. She ought to have been consulted. A sudden sense of proprietorship8 in her father came to her assistance and added pathos9 to her indignation. Of course, now, she would have to spend Christmas alone. She was far too busy to think of Birmingham. She could have managed Brighton. Argument founded on the length of journey to Birmingham as compared with the journey to Brighton she refused to be drawn10 into. Her feelings had been too deeply wounded to permit of descent into detail.
But the sinner, confessing his fault, is entitled to forgiveness, and, having put him back into his proper place, she let him kiss her hand. She even went further and let him ask her out to dinner. As the result of her failure to reform Mrs. Phillips she was feeling dissatisfied with herself. It was an unpleasant sensation and somewhat new to her experience. An evening spent in Arthur’s company might do her good. The experiment proved successful. He really was quite a dear boy. Eyeing him thoughtfully through the smoke of her cigarette, it occurred to her how like he was to Guido’s painting of St. Sebastian; those soft, dreamy eyes and that beautiful, almost feminine, face! There always had been a suspicion of the saint about him even as a boy: nothing one could lay hold of: just that odd suggestion of a shadow intervening between him and the world.
It seemed a favourable11 opportunity to inform him of that fixed12 determination of hers: never—in all probability—to marry: but to devote her life to her work. She was feeling very kindly13 towards him; and was able to soften14 her decision with touches of gentle regret. He did not appear in the least upset. But ‘thought’ that her duty might demand, later on, that she should change her mind: that was if fate should offer her some noble marriage, giving her wider opportunity.
She was a little piqued15 at his unexpected attitude of aloofness16. What did he mean by a “noble marriage”—to a Duke, or something of that sort?
He did not think the candidature need be confined to Dukes, though he had no objection to a worthy17 Duke. He meant any really great man who would help her and whom she could help.
She promised, somewhat shortly, to consider the matter, whenever the Duke, or other class of nobleman, should propose to her. At present no sign of him had appeared above the horizon. Her own idea was that, if she lived long enough, she would become a spinster. Unless someone took pity on her when she was old and decrepit18 and past her work.
There was a little humorous smile about his mouth. But his eyes were serious and pleading.
“When shall I know that you are old and decrepit?” he asked.
She was not quite sure. She thought it would be when her hair was grey—or rather white. She had been informed by experts that her peculiar19 shade of hair went white, not grey.
“I shall ask you to marry me when your hair is white,” he said. “May I?”
It did not suggest any overwhelming impatience20. “Yes,” she answered. “In case you haven’t married yourself, and forgotten all about me.”
“I shall keep you to your promise,” he said quite gravely.
She felt the time had come to speak seriously. “I want you to marry,” she said, “and be happy. I shall be troubled if you don’t.”
He was looking at her with those shy, worshipping eyes of his that always made her marvel21 at her own wonderfulness.
“It need not do that,” he answered. “It would be beautiful to be with you always so that I might serve you. But I am quite happy, loving you. Let me see you now and then: touch you and hear your voice.”
Behind her drawn-down lids, she offered up a little prayer that she might always be worthy of his homage22. She didn’t know it would make no difference to him.
She walked with him to Euston and saw him into the train. He had given up his lodgings23 and was living with her father at The Pines. They were busy on a plan for securing the co-operation of the workmen, and she promised to run down and hear all about it. She would not change her mind about Birmingham, but sent everyone her love.
She wished she had gone when it came to Christmas Day. This feeling of loneliness was growing upon her. The Phillips had gone up north; and the Greysons to some relations of theirs: swell24 country people in Hampshire. Flossie was on a sea voyage with Sam and his mother, and even Madge had been struck homesick. It happened to be a Sunday, too, of all days in the week, and London in a drizzling25 rain was just about the limit. She worked till late in the afternoon, but, sitting down to her solitary26 cup of tea, she felt she wanted to howl. From the basement came faint sounds of laughter. Her landlord and lady were entertaining guests. If they had not been, she would have found some excuse for running down and talking to them, if only for a few minutes.
Suddenly the vision of old Chelsea Church rose up before her with its little motherly old pew-opener. She had so often been meaning to go and see her again, but something had always interfered. She hunted through her drawers and found a comparatively sober-coloured shawl, and tucked it under her cloak. The service was just commencing when she reached the church. Mary Stopperton showed her into a seat and evidently remembered her. “I want to see you afterwards,” she whispered; and Mary Stopperton had smiled and nodded. The service, with its need for being continually upon the move, bored her; she was not in the mood for it. And the sermon, preached by a young curate who had not yet got over his Oxford27 drawl, was uninteresting. She had half hoped that the wheezy old clergyman, who had preached about Calvary on the evening she had first visited the church, would be there again. She wondered what had become of him, and if it were really a fact that she had known him when she was a child, or only her fancy. It was strange how vividly28 her memory of him seemed to pervade29 the little church. She had the feeling he was watching her from the shadows. She waited for Mary in the vestibule, and gave her the shawl, making her swear on the big key of the church door that she would wear it herself and not give it away. The little old pew-opener’s pink and white face flushed with delight as she took it, and the thin, work-worn hands fingered it admiringly. “But I may lend it?” she pleaded.
They turned up Church Street. Joan confided30 to Mary what a rotten Christmas she had had, all by herself, without a soul to speak to except her landlady31, who had brought her meals and had been in such haste to get away.
“I don’t know what made me think of you,” she said. “I’m so glad I did.” She gave the little old lady a hug. Mary laughed. “Where are you going now, dearie?” she asked.
“Oh, I don’t mind so much now,” answered Joan. “Now that I’ve seen a friendly face, I shall go home and go to bed early.”
They walked a little way in silence. Mary slipped her hand into Joan’s. “You wouldn’t care to come home and have a bit of supper with me, would you, dearie?” she asked.
“Oh, may I?” answered Joan.
Mary’s hand gave Joan’s a little squeeze. “You won’t mind if anybody drops in?” she said. “They do sometimes of a Sunday evening.”
“You don’t mean a party?” asked Joan.
“No, dear,” answered Mary. “It’s only one or two who have nowhere else to go.”
Joan laughed. She thought she would be a fit candidate.
“You see, it makes company for me,” explained Mary.
Mary lived in a tiny house behind a strip of garden. It stood in a narrow side street between two public-houses, and was covered with ivy32. It had two windows above and a window and a door below. The upstairs rooms belonged to the churchwardens and were used as a storehouse for old parish registers, deemed of little value. Mary Stopperton and her bedridden husband lived in the two rooms below. Mary unlocked the door, and Joan passed in and waited. Mary lit a candle that was standing33 on a bracket and turned to lead the way.
“Shall I shut the door?” suggested Joan.
Mary blushed like a child that has been found out just as it was hoping that it had not been noticed.
“It doesn’t matter, dearie,” she explained. “They know, if they find it open, that I’m in.”
The little room looked very cosy34 when Mary had made up the fire and lighted the lamp. She seated Joan in the worn horsehair easy-chair; out of which one had to be careful one did not slip on to the floor; and spread her handsome shawl over the back of the dilapidated sofa.
“You won’t mind my running away for a minute,” she said. “I shall only be in the next room.”
Through the thin partition, Joan heard a constant shrill35, complaining voice. At times, it rose into an angry growl36. Mary looked in at the door.
“I’m just running round to the doctor’s,” she whispered. “His medicine hasn’t come. I shan’t be long.”
Joan offered to go in and sit with the invalid37. But Mary feared the exertion38 of talking might be too much for him. “He gets so excited,” she explained. She slipped out noiselessly.
It seemed, in spite of its open door, a very silent little house behind its strip of garden. Joan had the feeling that it was listening.
Suddenly she heard a light step in the passage, and the room door opened. A girl entered. She was wearing a large black hat and a black boa round her neck. Between them her face shone unnaturally39 white. She carried a small cloth bag. She started, on seeing Joan, and seemed about to retreat.
“Oh, please don’t go,” cried Joan. “Mrs. Stopperton has just gone round to the doctor’s. She won’t be long. I’m a friend of hers.”
The girl took stock of her and, apparently40 reassured41, closed the door behind her.
“What’s he like to-night?” she asked, with a jerk of her head in the direction of the next room. She placed her bag carefully upon the sofa, and examined the new shawl as she did so.
“Well, I gather he’s a little fretful,” answered Joan with a smile.
“That’s a bad sign,” said the girl. “Means he’s feeling better.” She seated herself on the sofa and fingered the shawl. “Did you give it her?” she asked.
“Yes,” admitted Joan. “I rather fancied her in it.”
“She’ll only pawn42 it,” said the girl, “to buy him grapes and port wine.”
“I felt a bit afraid of her,” laughed Joan, “so I made her promise not to part with it. Is he really very ill, her husband?”
“Oh, yes, there’s no make-believe this time,” answered the girl. “A bad thing for her if he wasn’t.”
“Oh, it’s only what’s known all over the neighbourhood,” continued the girl. “She’s had a pretty rough time with him. Twice I’ve found her getting ready to go to sleep for the night by sitting on the bare floor with her back against the wall. Had sold every stick in the place and gone off. But she’d always some excuse for him. It was sure to be half her fault and the other half he couldn’t help. Now she’s got her ‘reward’ according to her own account. Heard he was dying in a doss-house, and must fetch him home and nurse him back to life. Seems he’s getting fonder of her every day. Now that he can’t do anything else.”
“It doesn’t seem to depress her spirits,” mused43 Joan.
“Oh, she! She’s all right,” agreed the girl. “Having the time of her life: someone to look after for twenty-four hours a day that can’t help themselves.”
She examined Joan awhile in silence. “Are you on the stage?” she asked.
“No,” answered Joan. “But my mother was. Are you?”
“Thought you looked a bit like it,” said the girl. “I’m in the chorus. It’s better than being in service or in a shop: that’s all you can say for it.”
“But you’ll get out of that,” suggested Joan. “You’ve got the actress face.”
The girl flushed with pleasure. It was a striking face, with intelligent eyes and a mobile, sensitive mouth. “Oh, yes,” she said, “I could act all right. I feel it. But you don’t get out of the chorus. Except at a price.”
Joan looked at her. “I thought that sort of thing was dying out,” she said.
The girl shrugged44 her shoulders. “Not in my shop,” she answered. “Anyhow, it was the only chance I ever had. Wish sometimes I’d taken it. It was quite a good part.”
“They must have felt sure you could act,” said Joan. “Next time it will be a clean offer.”
The girl shook her head. “There’s no next time,” she said; “once you’re put down as one of the stand-offs. Plenty of others to take your place.”
“Oh, I don’t blame them,” she added. “It isn’t a thing to be dismissed with a toss of your head. I thought it all out. Don’t know now what decided45 me. Something inside me, I suppose.”
Joan found herself poking46 the fire. “Have you known Mary Stopperton long?” she asked.
“Oh, yes,” answered the girl. “Ever since I’ve been on my own.”
“Did you talk it over with her?” asked Joan.
“No,” answered the girl. “I may have just told her. She isn’t the sort that gives advice.”
“I’m glad you didn’t do it,” said Joan: “that you put up a fight for all women.”
The girl gave a short laugh. “Afraid I wasn’t thinking much about that,” she said.
“No,” said Joan. “But perhaps that’s the way the best fights are fought—without thinking.”
Mary peeped round the door. She had been lucky enough to find the doctor in. She disappeared again, and they talked about themselves. The girl was a Miss Ensor. She lived by herself in a room in Lawrence Street.
“I’m not good at getting on with people,” she explained.
Mary joined them, and went straight to Miss Ensor’s bag and opened it. She shook her head at the contents, which consisted of a small, flabby-looking meat pie in a tin dish, and two pale, flat mince47 tarts48.
“It doesn’t nourish you, dearie,” complained Mary. “You could have bought yourself a nice bit of meat with the same money.”
“And you would have had all the trouble of cooking it,” answered the girl. “That only wants warming up.”
“But I like cooking, you know, dearie,” grumbled49 Mary. “There’s no interest in warming things up.”
The girl laughed. “You don’t have to go far for your fun,” she said. “I’ll bring a sole next time; and you shall do it au gratin.”
Mary put the indigestible-looking pasties into the oven, and almost banged the door. Miss Ensor proceeded to lay the table. “How many, do you think?” she asked. Mary was doubtful. She hoped that, it being Christmas Day, they would have somewhere better to go.
“I passed old ‘Bubble and Squeak,’ just now,
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