The Girl at Cobhurst

by Frank Richard Stockton

  CHAPTER XXXII

  MISS PANNEY FEELS SHE MUST CHANGE HER PLANS

  Molly Tooney waited with some impatience the result of Miriam's interviewwith Mike. If the "nager" should be discharged for taking cold victualslike a beggar, Molly would be glad of it; it would suit her much betterto have a nice Irish boy in his place.

  But when Miriam told her cook that evening that Mike had satisfactorilyexplained the matter of the pie, and also remarked that in future shewould like to have bread or cakes made of corn-meal, and that shecouldn't see any reason why Mike, who was accustomed to this sort offood, should not have it always, Molly's soul blazed within her; it wouldhave burst out into fiery speech; but the girl before her, althoughyoung, was so quiet and sedate, so suggestive of respect, that Molly,scarcely knowing why she did it, curbed herself; but she instantly gavenotice that she wished to quit the place on the next day.

  When Ralph heard this, he was very angry, and wanted to go and talk tothe woman.

  "Don't you do anything of the kind," said Miriam. "It is not yourbusiness to talk to cooks. I do that. And I want to go to-morrow toThorbury and get some one to come to us by the day until the newcook arrives. If I can get her, I am going to engage Seraphina,Mike's sister."

  Ralph looked at her and laughed.

  "Well, well, Miss Teaberry," he said, "you are getting on bravely.Putting up your hair and letting down your skirts has done wonders. Youare the true lady of the house now."

  "And what have you to say against that?" asked Miriam.

  "Not a word!" he cried. "I like it, I am charmed with it, and I willdrive you into Thorbury to-morrow. And as to Mike's sister, you can haveall his relations if you like, provided they do not charge too much. Ifwe had a lot of darkies here, that would make us more truly ramshackleand jolly than we are now."

  "Ralph," said Miriam, with dignity, "stop pulling my ears. Don't you seeMrs. Drane coming?"

  The next day Miriam and Ralph jogged into Thorbury. Miriam, not wearingthe teaberry gown, but having its spirit upon her, had planned to inquireof the grocer with whom she dealt, where she might find a woman such asshe needed, but Ralph did not favor this.

  "Let us first go and see Mrs. Tolbridge," he said. "She is one of ourfirst and best friends, and probably knows every woman in town, and ifshe doesn't, the doctor does."

  This last point had its effect upon Miriam. She wanted to see Dr.Tolbridge to ask if he could not stop in and quiet the mind of Cicely,who really wanted to see him about her work, but who did not like, asMiriam easily conjectured, to ask Ralph to send her to town. Miriamwished to make things as pleasant as possible for Cicely, and Mrs.Tolbridge had not, so far, meddled in the least with her concerns. If,inadvertently, Ralph had proposed a consultation with Mrs. Bannister,there would have been a hubbub in the gig.

  The doctor and his wife were both at home, and when the business of theHaverleys had been stated to them, Mrs. Tolbridge clapped her hands.

  "Truly," she cried, "this is a piece of rare good fortune; we will lendthem La Fleur. Do you know, my dear girl," she said to Miriam, "that thedoctor and I are going away? He will attend a medical convention atBarport, and I will visit my mother, to whom he will come, later. It willbe a grand vacation for us, for we shall stay away from Thorbury for twoweeks, and the only thing which has troubled us is to decide what weshall do with La Fleur while we are gone. We want to shut up the house,and she does not want to go to her friends, and if she should do so, I amafraid we might lose her. I am sure she would be delighted to come toyou, especially as the Dranes are with you. Shall I ask her?"

  Miriam jumped to her feet, with an expression of alarm on hercountenance, which amused the doctor and her brother.

  "Oh, please, Mrs. Tolbridge, don't do that!" she exclaimed. "Truly, Icould not have a great cook like La Fleur in our kitchen. I should befrightened to death, and she would have nothing to do anything with. Youknow, Mrs. Tolbridge, that we live in an awfully plain way. We are not inthe least bit rich or stylish or anything of the sort. If Cicely had nottold me that she and her mother lived in the same way, we could not havetaken them. We keep only a man and a woman, you know, and we all do a lotof work ourselves, and Molly Tooney was always growling because therewere not enough things to cook with, and what a French cook would do inour kitchen I really do not know. She would drive us crazy!"

  "Come now," said the doctor, laughing, "don't frighten yourself in thatway, my little lady. If La Fleur consents to go to you for a couple ofweeks, she will understand the circumstances, and will be perfectlysatisfied with what she finds. She is a woman of sense. You would betterlet Mrs. Tolbridge go and talk with her."

  Miriam sat down in a sort of despair. Here again, her affairs were beingmanaged for her. Would she ever be able to maintain her independence? Shehad said all she could say, and now she hoped that La Fleur would treatthe proposition with contempt.

  But the great cook did nothing of the kind. In five minutes, Mrs.Tolbridge returned with the information that La Fleur would be overjoyedto go to Cobhurst for a fortnight. She wanted some country air; shewanted to see the Dranes; she had a great admiration for Miss Haverley,being perfectly able to judge, although she had met her but once, thatshe was a lady born; she looked upon her brother as a most superiorgentleman; and she would be perfectly content with whatever she found inthe Cobhurst kitchen.

  "She says," added Mrs. Tolbridge, "that if you give her a gridiron, asaucepan, and a fire, she will cook a meal fit for a duke. With brains,she says, one can make up all deficiencies."

  Ralph took his sister aside.

  "Do go out and see her, Miriam," he said. "If we take her, we shalloblige our friends here, and please everybody. It will only be for alittle while, and then you can have your old colored mammy and thepickaninnies, just as you have planned."

  When Miriam came back from the kitchen, she found that the doctor hadleft the house and was going to his buggy at the gate.

  "Oh, Ralph!" she exclaimed, "you do not know what a nice woman she is.She is just like an old family nurse." And then she ran out to catch thedoctor, and talk to him about Cicely.

  "Your sister is a child yet," remarked Mrs. Tolbridge, with a smile.

  "Indeed she is," said Ralph; "and she longs for what she neverhad--old family servants, household ties, and all that sort of thing.And I believe she would prefer a good old Southern mammy to a fineyoung lover."

  "Of course she would," said Mrs. Tolbridge. "That would be natural to anygirl of her age, except, perhaps," she added, "one like Dora Bannister. Ibelieve she was in love when she was fifteen."

  It seemed strange to Ralph that the mention of a thing of this sort,which must have happened three or four years ago, and to a lady whom hehad known a very short time, should send a little pang of jealousythrough his heart, but such was the fact.

  There were picnic meals at Cobhurst that day; for La Fleur was not toarrive until the morrow, and they were all very jolly.

  Mike was in a state of exuberant delight at the idea of having that goodMrs. Flower in the place of Molly Tooney. He worked until nearly twelveo'clock at night to scour and brighten the kitchen and its contents forher reception.

  Into this region of bliss there descended, about the middle of theafternoon, a frowning apparition. It was that of Miss Panney, to whomMolly had gone that morning, informing her that she had been dischargedwithout notice by that minx of a girl, who didn't know anything moreabout housekeeping than she did about blacksmithing, and wanted to put"a dirty, hathen nager" over the head of a first-class Christian cook.

  When she heard this news, the old lady was amazed and indignant; and shesoundly rated Molly for not coming to her instantly, before she left herplace. Had she known of the state of affairs, she was sure she couldhave pacified Miriam, and arranged for Molly to retain her place. It wasvery important for Miss Panney, though she did not say so, to have someone in the Cobhurst family who would keep her informed of what washappening there. If possible, Molly must go back; and anyway the ol
d ladydetermined to go to Cobhurst and look into matters.

  Miss Panney was glad to find Miriam alone on the front piazza, trainingsome over-luxuriant vines upon the pillars; and the moment her eyes fellupon the girl, she saw that she was dressed as a woman, and not in theyouthful costume in which she had last seen her. This strengthened theold lady's previous impression that Ralph's sister was rapidly becomingthe real head of this house, and that it would be necessary to be verycareful in her conduct toward her. It might be difficult, evenimpossible, to carry out her match-making plans if Miriam should rise upin opposition to them.

  The old lady was very cordial, and entreated that Miriam should go onwith her work, while she sat in an armchair near by. After a littleordinary chat, Miss Panney mentioned that she had heard that Molly Tooneyhad been discharged. Instantly Miriam's pride arose, and her mannercooled. Here again was somebody meddling with her affairs. In as fewwords as possible, she stated that the woman had not been discharged, buthad left of her own accord without any good reason; that she did not likeher, and was glad to get rid of her; that she had an excellent cook inview, and that until this person could come to her, she had engaged,temporarily, a very good woman.

  All this she stated without question or remark from Miss Panney; and whenshe had finished, she began again to tie the vines to their wires. MissPanney gazed very steadily through her spectacles at the resolute sideface of the girl, and said only that she was very glad that Miriam hadbeen able to make such a good arrangement. It was plain enough to herthat Molly Tooney must be dropped, but in doing this, Miss Panney wouldnot drop her plans. They would simply be changed to suit circumstances.

  Had Miss Panney known who it was who was coming temporarily to theCobhurst kitchen, it is not likely that she could have glided so quietlyfrom the subject of household service to that of the apple prospect andMiriam's success with hens, and from these to the Dranes.

  "Do you expect to have them much longer with you?" she asked. "Thework the doctor gave the young lady must be nearly finished. When thatis done, I suppose she will go back to town to try to get something todo there."

  "Oh, they have not thought of going," said Miriam; "the doctor's book isa very long one, and when I saw him yesterday, he told me that he hadever so much more work for her to do, and he is going to bring it outhere before he goes to Barport. I should be very sorry indeed if Cicelyhad to leave here, and I don't think I should let her do it, work or nowork. I like her better and better every day, and it is the greatestcomfort and pleasure to have her here. It almost seems as if she were mysister, and Mrs. Drane is just as nice as she can be. She is so good andkind, and never meddles with anything."

  Miss Panney listened with great attention. She now saw how she mustchange her plans. If Ralph were to marry Dora, Miriam must like Dora. Asfor his own liking, there would be no trouble about that, after the Dranegirl should be got rid of. In regard to this riddance, Miss Panney hadintended to make an early move and a decided one. Now she saw that thiswould not do. The Drane girl, that alien intruder, whom Dr. Tolbridge'streachery had thrust into this household, was the great obstacle to theold lady's schemes, but to oust her suddenly would ruin everything.Miriam would rise up in opposition, and at present that would be fatal.Miriam was not a girl whose grief and anger at the loss of one thingcould be pacified by the promise of another. Having lost Cicely, shewould turn her back upon Dora, and what would be worse, she wouldundoubtedly turn Ralph's back in that direction.

  To this genial young man, his sister was still his chief object on earth.Later, this might not be the case.

  When Miriam began to like Dora,--and this must happen, for in MissPanney's opinion the Bannister girl was in every way ten times morecharming than Cicely Drane,--then, cautiously, but with quick vigor, MissPanney would deliver the blow which would send the Dranes not only fromCobhurst, but back to their old home. In the capacity of an elderly andexperienced woman who knew what everybody said and thought, and who wasable to make her words go to the very spinal marrow of a sensitiveperson, she was sure she could do this. And when she had done it, itwould cheer her to think that she had not only furthered her plans, butrevenged herself on the treacherous doctor.

  Now was heard from within, the voice of Cicely, who had come downstairsfrom her work, and who, not knowing that Miriam had a visitor, wascalling to her that it was time to get dinner.

  "My dear," said Miss Panney, "go in and attend to your duties, and if youwill let me, I shall like ever so much to stay and take dinner with you,and you need not put yourself to the least trouble about me. You ought tohave very simple meals now that you are doing your own work. I very muchwant to become better acquainted with your little friend Cicely and hergood mother. Now that I know that you care so much for them, I feelgreatly interested in them both, and you know, my dear, there is no wayof becoming acquainted with people which is better than sitting at tablewith them."

  Miriam was not altogether pleased, but said the proper things, and wentto call Mike to take the roan mare, who was standing asleep between theshafts of her phaeton.

  Miss Panney now had her cues; she did not offer to help in any way, andmade no suggestions in any direction. At luncheon she made herselfagreeable to everybody, and before the meal was over they all thoughther a most delightful old lady with a wonderful stock of good stories. Onher side Miss Panney was also greatly pleased; she found Ralph even abetter fellow than she had thought him. He had not only a sunny temper,but a bright wit, and he knew what was being done in the world. Cicely,too, was satisfactory. She was a most attractive little thing, pretty toa dangerous extent, but in her treatment of Ralph there was not the leastsign of flirtation or demureness. She was as free and familiar with himas if she had known him always.

  "Men are not apt to marry the girls they have known always," said MissPanney to herself, "and Dora can do better than this one if she has butthe chance; and the chance she must have."

  While listening with the most polite attention to a reminiscence relatedby Mrs. Drane, Miss Panney earnestly considered this subject. She hadthought of many plans, some of them vague, but all of the same generalcharacter, for bringing Dora and Miriam together and promoting a sisterlyaffection between them, for her mind had been busy with the subject sinceMiriam had left her alone on the piazza, but none of the plans suitedher. They were clumsy and involved too much action on the part of Dora.Suddenly a satisfying idea shot into the old lady's mind, and she smiledso pleasantly that Mrs. Drane was greatly encouraged, and entered intosome details of her reminiscence which she had intended to omit, thinkingthey might prove tiresome.

  "If they only could go away together, somewhere," said Miss Panney toherself, "that would be grand; that would settle everything. It would notbe long before Dora and Miriam would be the dearest of chums, and withRalph's sister away, that Drane girl would have to go. It would all be sonatural, so plain, so beautiful."

  When Miss Panney drove home, about the middle of the afternoon, she wasstill smiling complacently at this good idea, and wondering how she mightcarry it out.