by Fanny Burney
CHAPTER VI
The affairs of Mrs Maple kept her a week longer in London; but theimpatience of the Wanderer to reach Brighthelmstone, was compelled toyield to an utter inability of getting thither unaided. During thisperiod, she gathered, from various circumstances, that Elinor had beenupon the point of marriage with the younger brother of Harleigh, ahandsome and flourishing lawyer; but that repeated colds, ill treated,or neglected, had menaced her with a consumption, and she had beenadvised to try a change of climate. Mrs Maple accompanied her to thesouth of France, where she had resided till her health was completelyre-established. Harleigh, then, in compliment to his brother, who wasconfined by his profession to the capital, crossed the Channel to attendthe two ladies home. They had already arrived at ---- on their return,when an order of Robespierre cast them into prison, whence enormousbribes, successful stratagems, and humane, though concealed assistancefrom some compassionate inhabitants of the town, enabled them, in commonwith the Admiral, the Iretons, and Riley, to effect their escape to aprepared boat, in which, through the friendly darkness of night, theyreached the harbour of their country and their wishes.
The stranger learnt also from Elinor, by whom secresy or discretion wereas carelessly set aside, as by herself they were fearfully practised,that young Ireton, urged by a rich old uncle, and an entailed estate, toan early marriage, after addressing and jilting half the women ofEngland, Scotland, and Ireland, had run through France, Switzerland, andItaly, upon the same errand; yet was returned home heart-whole, andhand-unshackled; but that, she added, was not the extraordinary part ofthe business, male coquets being just as common, and only moreimpertinent than female; all that was worth remarking, was his conductfor the last few days. Some accounts which he had to settle with heraunt, had obliged him to call at their house, the morning after theirarrival in London. He then saw Selina, Elinor's younger sister, a wildlittle girl, only fourteen years of age, who was wholly unformed, butwith whom he had become so desperately enamoured, that, when Mrs Maple,knowing his character, and alarmed by his assiduities, cautioned him notto make a fool of her young niece, he abruptly demanded her in marriage.As he was very rich, Mrs Maple had, of course, Elinor added, given herconsent, desiring only that he would wait till Selina reached herfifteenth birth-day; and the little girl, when told of the plan, hadconsidered it as a frolic, and danced with delight.
During this interval, the time of the stranger was spent in the tranquilemployment of needle-work, for which she was liberally supplied withcast-off materials, to relieve her necessities, from the wardrobe ofElinor, through whose powerful influence she was permitted to resideentirely up stairs. Here she saw only her protectress, into whoseapartment Mrs Maple did not deign, and no one else dared, to intrudeunbidden. The spirit of contradiction, which was termed by Elinor thelove of independence, fixed her design of supporting the stranger, towhom she delighted to do every good office which Mrs Maple deemedsuperfluous, and whom she exulted in thus exclusively possessing, as ahidden curiosity. But when she found that no enquiry produced anycommunication, and that nothing fresh offered for new defiance to MrsMaple, a total indifference to the whole business took place of itsfirst energy, and the young woman, towards the end of the week, fellinto such neglect that it was never mentioned, and hardly evenremembered, that she was an inhabitant of the house.
When the morning, most anxiously desired by herself, for the journey toLewes, arrived, she heard the family engaged in preparations to set off,yet received no intimation how she was to make one of the party. Withgreat discomfort, though with tolerable patience, she awaited sometidings, till the sound of carriages driving up to the street door,alarmed her with apprehensions of being deserted, and, hastily runningdown stairs, she was drawn by the voice of Elinor to the door of thebreakfast-parlour; but the sound of other voices took from her thecourage to open it, though the baggage collected around her shewed thejourney so near, that she deemed it unsafe to return to her chamber.
In a few minutes, Harleigh, loaded with large drawings, crossed thehall, and, observing her distress, enquired into its cause.
She wished to speak to Miss Joddrel.
He entered the parlour, and sent out Elinor, who, exclaiming, 'O, it'syou, is it? Mercy on me! I had quite forgotten you!--' ran back, crying,'Aunt, here's your old friend, the grim French voyager! Shall she comein?'
'Come in? What for, Miss Joddrel? Because Mr Harleigh was so kind as tomake a hoy of my boat, does it follow that you are to make a booth of myparlour?'
'She is at the door!' said Harleigh, in a low voice.
'Then she is at her proper place; where else should such a sort of bodybe?'
Harleigh took up a book.
'O, but do let her come in, Aunt, do let her come in!' cried the youngSelina. 'I was so provoked at not seeing her the other day, that I couldhave cried with pleasure! and sister Elinor has kept her shut up eversince, and refused me the least little peep at her.'
The opposition of Mrs Maple only the more strongly excited the curiosityof Selina, who, encouraged by the clamorous approbation of Elinor, flewto the door.
There, stopping short, she called out, 'La! here's nothing but a youngwoman!--La! Aunt, I'm afraid she's run away!'
'And if she is, Niece, we shall not break our hearts, I hoped not but,if she's decamped, it's high time I should enquire whether all is safein the house.'
'Decamped?' cried Elinor, 'Why she's at the door! Don't you know her,Aunt? Don't you see her, Ireton?'
The stranger, abashed, would have retreated. Harleigh, raising his eyesfrom his book, shook his head at Elinor, who, laughing and regardless,seized the hand of the young person, and dragged her into the parlour.
'Who is this?' said Mrs Maple.
'Who, Aunt? Why your memory is shorter than ever! Don't you recollectour dingy French companion, that you took such a mighty fancy to?'
Mrs Maple turned away with angry contempt; and the housekeeper, who hadbeen summoned, appearing, orders were given for a strict examinationwhether the swarthy traveller, who followed them from France, weregone.
The stranger, changing colour, approached Elinor, and with an air thatclaimed her protection, said, 'Will you not, Madam, have the goodness toexplain who I am?'
'How can I,' cried Elinor, laughing, 'when I don't know it myself?'
Every one stared; Harleigh turned round; the young woman blushed, butwas silent.
'If here is another of your Incognitas, Miss Joddrel,' said Mrs Maple,'I must beg the favour that you'll desire her to march off at once. Idon't chuse to be beset by such sort of gentry quite so frequently.Pray, young woman, what is it you want here?'
'Protection, Madam, and compassion!' replied the stranger, in a tone ofsupplication.
'I protest,' said Mrs Maple, 'she has just the same sort of voice thatthat black girl had! and the same sort of cant! And pray, young woman,what's your name?'
'That's right, Mrs Maple, that's right!' cried Ireton; 'make her tellher name!'
'To be sure I shall!' said Mrs Maple, seating herself on a sofa, andtaking out her snuff-box. 'I have a great right to know the name of aperson that comes, in this manner, into my parlour. Why do you notanswer, young woman?'
The stranger, looking at Elinor, clasped her hands in act of entreatyfor pity.
'Very fine, truly!' said Mrs Maple: 'So here's just the second editionof the history of that frenchified swindler!'
'No, no, Aunt; it's only the sequel to the first part, for it's the sameperson, I assure you. Did not you come over with us from France,Mademoiselle? In the same boat? and with the same surly pilot?'
The stranger silently assented.
Mrs Maple, now, doubly enraged, interrogated her upon the motives of herhaving been so disfigured, with the sternness and sharpness ofaddressing a convicted cheat.
The stranger, compelled to speak, said, with an air of extremeembarrassment, 'I am conscious, Madam, how dreadfully all appearancesare against me! Yet I have no means, with any prudence, to enter into anex
planation: I dare not, therefore, solicit your good opinion, though mydistress is so urgent, that I am forced to sue for your assistance,--Iought, perhaps, to say your charity!'
'I don't want,' said Mrs Maple, 'to hear all that sort of stuff overagain. Let me only know who you are, and I shall myself be the bestjudge what should be done for you. What is it, then, once for all, thatyou call yourself? No prevarications! Tell me your name, or go aboutyour business.'
'Yes, your name! your name!' repeated Elinor.
'Your name! your name!' echoed Selina.
'Your name! your name!' re-echoed Ireton.
The spirits and courage of the stranger seemed now to forsake her; and,with a faultering voice, she answered, 'Alas! I hardly know it myself!'
Elinor laughed; Selina tittered; Ireton stared; the leaves of the bookheld by Harleigh were turned over with a speed that shewed how littletheir contents engaged him; and Mrs Maple, indignantly swelling,exclaimed, 'Not know your own name? Why I hope you don't come into myhouse from the Foundling Hospital?'
Harleigh, throwing down his book, walked hastily to Mrs Maple, and said,in a low voice, 'Yet, if that should be the case, would she be less anobject of compassion? of consideration?'
'What your notions may be upon such sort of heinous subjects, MrHarleigh,' Mrs Maple answered, with a look of high superiority, 'I donot know; but as for mine, I think encouraging things of that kind, hasa very immoral tendency.'
Harleigh bowed, not as acquiescent in her opinion, but as declining toargue it, and was leaving the room, when Elinor, catching him by thearm, called out, 'Why, Harleigh! what are you so sour for? Are you,also, angry, to see a clean face, and a clean gown? I'll make thedemoiselle put on her plasters and patches again, if that will pleaseyou better.'
This forced him to smile and to stay; and Elinor then ended theinquisition, by proposing that the stranger should go to Lewes in thechaise with Golding, her own maid, and Fenn, Mrs Maple's housekeeper.
Mrs Maple protested that she would not allow any such indulgence to anunknown pauper; and Mrs Fenn declared, that there were so many hats,caps, and things of consequence to take care of, that it would beimpossible to make room for a mouse.
Elinor, ever alert to carry a disputed point, felt her generosity doublyexcited to support the stranger; and, after some further, butoverpowered opposition from Mrs Maple, the hats, caps, and things ofconsequence were forced to submit to inferior accommodation, and theyoung woman obtained her request, to set off for Sussex, with thehousekeeper and Elinor's maid.