Mrs Hollyer

Chapter I

London looked dreary and misty and vast enough to Janet's country eyes as she was driven for the first time through its streets in Mrs. Pontifex's brougham on the late September afternoon. She sat alone in the carriage, and, to tell the truth, she felt very much afraid of what she was approaching. She grew shyer and shyer as she neared her journey's end : when the coachman stopped at last at the door of what seemed to her a small house in a small unpretentious street her heart was fairly on her lips. But she might have spared herself so vol. ii. much emotion, for when the door was opened, and she had alighted, she was merely met by a servant, who came forward and invited her to walk upstairs, and in another minute she found herself neither in the presence of Mrs. Ponti fex nor of her future charges, but only in a little bedroom, high up, and simply furnished, though pleasant, and even, as she entered it, bright with a departing gleam of sunlight. * Tea will be in the schoolroom at six o'clock,' the maid said briefly when she had ushered her in. 'If you'll ring when you're ready, miss, I'll show you the way.' And then she closed the door and left Janet to herself.

Perhaps it was a relief, but Miss St. John was not quite sure. She had pictured her arrival in such a different way from this, for she had expected that she should be brouo-ht at once face to face both with her employer and her pupils. ' I wonder if they are all out !' she thought simply to herself. ' Surely they must be out, or some of them would have come. I ought to have asked perhaps.' And then she felt disturbed because she had not asked, fearing lest she might have omitted something that she should have done. She arranged her dress, and then sat down beside her window to wait. The window looked into the street below, and she sat watching the occasional carriages and the passers-by. It all looked rather dull and quiet, she thought — duller than she had sup posed it would be. She had understood that Lowndes Street had been in a fashionable part of the town. ' But it is quite a little house!' she exclaimed to herself: 'nobody would think anything of it in the country — and those houses opposite are so ugly and shabby-looking too.

I should think the Ponti fexes can't be so well off as Mrs. Thornton imagined they were.' And this seemed such a likely supposition, judging by what she had seen, that Janet adopted it almost with out hesitation. Perhaps indeed she was even glad to adopt it; 'for, if they are not so grand as I expected, I shall not be so much afraid of them,' she reflected, with a decided feeling of relief. She heard some clocks presently strike six, and while they were still striking a knock came to her door, and with her heart beginning to beat fast again she started up to open it. But only the same laconic servant stood outside. 'Will you come to tea, miss?' she asked, and Janet straightway followed her, and was led to another room, from which, as she approached it, she heard a sound of children's voices.

It was not a loud sound : the occupants of the apartment were evidently not at play. They were merely talking in small treble pipes, and their talk hushed itself abruptly as Miss St. John appeared upon the scene. As she stood for a moment on the threshold three faces seated round the table all by one impulse lifted themselves up, and three pairs of eyes fixed themselves on her face. Janet went forward, trying to assume the appearance of a courage and ease that she did not possess, and shook hands with the three children in turn. ' I think I know your names,' she said. ' You are Will — and you two are Alice and Bell. But you must tell me which is Alice and which is Bell, for I don't know that.' There was a moment's silence after this address, while the children still surveyed the new-comer with unmitigated solemnity, and then at the same moment two of them spoke together. ' That's Alice ! ' they said, and pointed each a finger at her.

But Alice, quite un disturbed by this movement, continued to gaze stolidly in Janet's face. 'Oh, that's Alice, is it ?' replied Miss St. John. ' Then she is the eldest ?' ' No, she isn't !' said Will sharply. 'I'm eldest.' ' Dear me,' exclaimed Janet, rather too quickly, ' you don't look like it ! Eldest ! Are you sure of that ? Why, you are not as tall as your sister.' ' Napoleon was a little man,' said Will slowly. 'And Nelson. And the Duke of Wellington. And Julius Cæsar. I'm going to see Julius Cæsar acted. Only they're not doing it just now.' ' Oh, but they will do it presently, I daresay,' replied Janet cheerfully. ' You can afford to wait a little while. Shall we — have tea now ?' She put her question with a little hesitation, for it seemed strange to her to be taking the initiative in this un known place ; but the children received her inquiry with an instant murmur of assent, and a resettling of themselves in their places ; and so she too sat down in front of the cups and began to superintend the meal.

As she did so they were very silent, merely replying in curt monosyllables to the few questions that she tried to put to them as she prepared and distributed their potions. They had all rather sharp beady eyes, which they fixed — suspiciously, as it almost seemed to Janet — on her movements, as if with a desire, which was gratified more than once, to find her tripping. Indeed, as was only to be expected, she fell into several errors in regard to the mixtures she presented to them, and they pulled her up for these blunders with severity. ' /don't take all that lot of milk !' exclaimed Will contemptuously. ' You've put almost no tea at all into my cup,' said Bell. 'Yes, she has!' declared Alice. ' If you get more I'll tell mother! But / want some more sugar, please. You've only given me one lump.' ' You give very little sugar,' said Will rebukingly.

Janet, I am afraid, felt nervous enough under this critical surveillance, and very possibly did her tea-making badly. 'Sup pose you all take what I have given you now, and let us talk of something else ?' she suggested at last, after a number of altera tions and emendations had been proposed, but with considerable doubt as to whether her suggestion would be accepted. Rather to her surprise, however, they acceded to it at once (perhaps because they had already, for the most part, got their desires satisfied), and a sudden silence fell upon them all, which of course, as she had occasioned it, she had to do her best to break. So — ' I have come a long journey to-day,' she said abruptly, choosing her subject not very felicitously perhaps. ' I have come all the way from Dorsetshire. You know, I daresay, where Dorsetshire is ?' There was no attempt at a response to this inquiry. 'Don't you know ?' continued Janet. ' It is one of the counties on the south coast.' 'I've got three kites,' said Will quite irrelevantly, in a high voice. ' I don't fly them here, but I'll show them to you pre sently, if you like.' ' Very well : I shall like to see them very much,' answered Janet; 'only' — she forced herself to add — 'you shouldn't talk about kites, you know, when I am asking you about something else.' They all at this arrested their bread and butter on its way to their mouths, and their six eyes looked hard into their governess's face. ' If I attend to you,' said Janet, 'you must attend to me.

Now I am going to ask you another question. What do you think that a lady who was with me in the train to-day was carrying in a basket ?' 'What?' asked Will quickly ' Buns ! ' said Bell. Janet laughed. 'Why, if she had only had buns there would have been nothing in that worth telling you about. No, she had a white cat and a kitten.' ' Oh ! ' cried Alice and Bell together, and their eyes began to beam. But Will kicked his heels under the table. ' Cats are silly things,' he said. ' I have a pup down in Dunkeld. I wanted to bring it up, but father wouldn't let me. It's a big pup ; it will soon be as high as this table.' 'It won't!' exclaimed Alice, indignant at this romancing. ' It's only a spaniel, and spaniels are never as high as the table.' 'And what did the white cat and the kitten do ? ' asked Bell with an appearance of interest. 'Well, the kitten for the most part slept,' replied Janet, ' and the white cat looked about her and mewed a good deal, till we all gave her so much to eat that she got sleepy too ; and then she took the kitten in her arms, and they both curled themselves up in the bottom of the basket and lay happily together.' ' Oh, how pretty ! ' cried Bell, with appre ciation. ' And what was the lady going to do with them ? ' ' She was taking them home to her little girl.

She told me all about her little girl,' said Janet, ' and how she loved animals. Would you like to have had that white kitten, Bell ? It looked like a little ball of snow.' ' If it has come to live in London it will look in a week like a ball of soot,' interposed Will, with disdain. ' Just you wait and you'll see what white cats are here ! ' 'Oh, but think of a little little white kitten ! ' cried Bell rapturously. 'And it wouldn't get black if it had its mother to wash it,' said Alice. They had taken up this subject with some warmth, and they continued for two or three minutes to talk about it with considerable vivacity as they munched their bread and butter. Presently, while they were still talking, the door opened, and Janet, as she saw a lady come into the room, rose up, nervous and blushing. ' It's mamma ! ' said Bell.

Mrs. Pontifex was a young woman still, and a handsomer one than any of her children promised to be. In her manner there was a little of the haughtiness of the grande dame, but yet it was a haughtiness that gave way so quickly, and revealed beneath it so much cordial and womanly kindness, that even during these few first minutes Janet found the alarm with which she had looked forward to their meeting passing away. Mrs. Pontifex sent the children upstairs, and talked pleasantly to Janet about them for a little while. She was dressed for dinner, with abundant soft lace about her, and dia monds sparkling on her bosom. She looked rather a brilliant vision in the homely little schoolroom. ' I hope, in a general way,' she told Janet before she left her, ' that when we are not out you will come down in the evenings and sit with us, but to-night I daresay you are tired with your journey ? ' 'Yes, I am rather tired,' the girl answered gratefully.

She was too shy to have any wish to go downstairs. ' And I have my unpacking to do,' she said. And so to this work she presently set herself. She felt perhaps a little lonely, but she was not unhappy nor so frightened by a good deal as she had been a few hours before. The children came presently to bid her good-night, and the girls held up their faces to be kissed. ' Next year I'm to sit up till after father and mother have had dinner,' Will informed her. ' I don't do it now because I get sleepy, — but Bob Haliburton does.' 'And is Bob Haliburton a friend of yours ? ' inquired Janet. ' Oh yes, we do our lessons together ; didn't you know that ? ' asked Will in a tone of surprise. ' I go to his house, and Mr. Knight teaches us both. Bob's five months and a half older than I am, but I'm first in arithmetic' ' And he is first in something else, I suppose ? ' said Janet. ' Oh, well — yes ; he's first in — in grammar, and — history, and — geography, and — spell ings.

But he's five and a half months older than me,' reiterated Will complacently, and went off to bed with an easy mind. And then Janet sat down in her pleasant little schoolroom and wrote a letter to Mrs. Thornton, and was conscious that she was — ■ not unhappy. She entered on her duties next morn ing, and to her secret satisfaction (for she had dreaded lest her modest acquirements might prove insufficient for the work she had to do) she found that her pupils were in the very earliest stages of their education. Bell could barely read ; Alice could read, and had the slightest possible smattering of ele mentary knowledge in one or two subjects ; but this was all, and they were neither of them clever nor fond of work. Will was not under her charge at all, except that in the afternoons she was expected to help him a little in the preparation of his lessons for his tutor.

Janet was not long left in doubt of her fitness to fill the post that she had taken. The strain upon her mental powers, at any rate, she perceived was not likely to be great. But she had never lived with children before, and to accustom herself to their con stant presence caused her for a time no little effort. A solitary child herself, brought up without sympathy and without companions, she had hardly been prepared for the con tinual companionship and ceaseless sympathy that Bell and Alice Pontifex demanded from her. From breakfast-time at eigsht o'clock until bed-time at half-past seven, with only the occasional exception of an hour, these little damsels expected her whole time and attention to be given to them. She had to teach them, to walk with them, to listen to their talk, to preside over their meals, to superintend the preparation of their lessons.

Nor even when they were safely disposed of in bed was her time at her own disposal. She would often in the evenings have been glad to remain in quiet possession of the schoolroom, but it was only when Mr. and Mrs. Pontifex dined from home that this privilege was hers. On all other nights she had to dress and join them in the drawing room, to be talked to a little if they were alone, and set to pour out tea ; and then, perhaps, if Mr. Pontifex took up his news paper and Mrs. Pontifex her novel, to be permitted to find some entertainment for herself amongst the magazines and books that lay upon the tables ; or, if they had com pany with them, as happened often, to sit with her embroidery in her hand, silent and unnoticed, except for an occasional courteous word that Mrs. Pontifex or some of her guests might chance to address to her.

It was not because she was dull or thoueht herself neglected that Janet wearied of these evenings, for she was a girl whose self-esteem was small, and her power of accustoming herself to unexciting occupations very great ; but she fretted inwardly at the wasted hours that, if they had been her own, she might have employed elsewhere so usefully and pleasantly. Yet she could do nothing. With peremptory kindness Mrs. Pontifex insisted on her nightly descent. ' It does you good to be amongst us, my dear,' she would tell her pleasantly, ' for you are too shy, you know, and if you don't throw off your shyness when you are young you will never throw it off at all. So you must do what I ask you and come down to us.' And Janet could but submit. Perhaps it was good for her ; she could only hope it was, for she often found it wearisome enough. 1 8 VOL. il

Chapter II

One night, when Janet had been for six months in London, she was sitting in the drawing-room in her usual seat, listening indifferently to a buzz of talk that was going on about her, when suddenly her ears became quickened by the sound of a voice she knew, and, looking up surprised, she saw a familiar face close to her — the face of Horace Kelvin. At the same moment his eyes fell on her, and, smiling, he came to her with his hand held out. ' Well, I have got to know the Pontifexes, you see,' he said. The colour had flushed into her cheek — her lips had parted ; she hardly knew, perhaps, how much pleasure her whole look betrayed. ' I had not heard — I had no idea ' she began to ejaculate. ' Ah, I am afraid my acquaintanceship has not made much impression on Mrs. Pontifex,' he exclaimed ; ' but it doesn't matter ; one has to disregard these things.

Can I get at that chair, do you think ? ' And he squeezed himself into a corner by her side and sat down. ' Well, now, I call this nice. Do you know, it's very pleasant to see you again ? It seems so natural.' ' It does seem natural,' Janet answered rather shyly. She felt very glad. Her lips when she assented to Mr. Kelvin's exclama tion went into a smile. ' But you startled me so,' she said. ' I thought I must be dreaming — for a moment.' ' Don't you find yourself often dreaming of that pleasant fortnight that we spent at Whittington ? ' he asked instantly. ' It was really a delightful time. What is that dear old lady doing with herself ? ' ' Mrs. Thornton ? Oh, she is very well. She writes to me often. It was she who sent me here, you know.' ' Yes, I remember you told me that. And — well,' and he looked at her, 'how do you like it ?

It seems to me that it suits you.' ' Oh yes, it suits me. They are very kind, and I like the children.' ' Ah, to be sure, you have to tackle the children ! I hope there are not many of them ? ' ' There are two girls and a boy- ' A boy ! What a nuisance ! I hope you horsewhip him ? ' ' Do you think that is likely ? ' asked Janet, laughing. Miss St. John's embroidery had fallen on her knees ; her eyes were bright, and her face had far more than its usual anima tion ; she looked unquestionably pretty, and Horace, regarding her, thought that she had improved immensely. ' Though, indeed, I always said she was pretty ; some of them wouldn't allow it, but no girl could be plain with such eyes,' he told himself. And then he began to observe that she drooped her eyes less than she had done six months ago.

She was too shy still ; she ought not to blush so ; but yet she was improving un doubtedly. ' Girls develop at such different paces,' he thought. ' This one takes her time ; but she will be worth looking at yet.' ' Have you heard that Keith Hollyer is off?' he said aloud. 'He sailed soon after Christmas. He is hard at work by this time, I daresay, getting buckets full of nuggets. Don't they catch them in buckets ? I think they do. He'll come back, I daresay, in two or three years, as rich as a nabob.' ' And Rosalind Linton has started for India,' said Janet. ' And Miss Tyrrell, I see by the paper,' said Horace, ' is married. How we are all beginning already to get scattered ! I am half thinking of going to sea myself.' ' You ? ' asked Janet, surprised. 'Yes, as ship's surgeon. It would be a good thing for me, I'm told.

What do you hear of Miss Wentworth ? ' ' I don't hear anything,' said Janet. ' Nor of Miss Shepton.' 'Oh, Miss Shepton is here,' answered Horace carelessly. ' I saw her the other day at the Haliburtons'. She is staying with them.' 'With the Haliburtons? Is she really?' exclaimed Janet, surprised. ' I didn't know they were friends of hers.' ' They were staying at some house to gether in the autumn, as I understand, and the girls struck up a friendship. That's what girls do, you know.' 'Then, if she is with them, I suppose I may see her here some day,' remarked Janet, after a moment's silence ; but she did not speak very rapturously. 'Oh, you are sure to see her,' exclaimed Mr. Kelvin, with confidence. ' I only wonder you have not met already. The Haliburtons are nice girls. Don't you like them ? ' ' I hardly know them.

I think the eldest is nice, as far as I can judge ; and Ethel is pretty, but ' ' But — you don't like her ? ' said Horace, finishing her sentence when she hesitated, with a laugh. ' Well, I don't know why you shouldn't like her. She is very pleasant, in her way. I find her very easy to get on with.' ' Oh yes,' replied Janet, rather drily. ' I have no doubt you do that.' And then Mr. Kelvin began to laugh. He knew well enough why Janet spoke coolly of Miss Ethel Haliburton, though he would not seem to know. It was a hitherto unprecedented pro ceeding in Mrs. Pontifex's drawing-room that any one should sit down by Janet's side and talk so familiarly with her as Mr. Kelvin was doing; but Miss St. John, in the pleasant excitement of the moment, had forgotten this, and might have forgotten it still longer if Mrs. Pontifex at this moment had not recalled the fact to her by coming towards her with a question on her lips. ' My dear, is that photograph of the child ren here ? ' she asked naturally. ' I think it is on this table.

No ? Oh then, I am afraid I must have left it in the morning - room. Would you mind taking the trouble ? ' Janet was on her feet in a moment, blushing a little, for she understood what the interruption meant, and eager to go on her errand. Mr. Kelvin rose too. ' I have been discovering an old friend,' he said frankly to Mrs. Pontifex, as Janet turned away. 'What, in Miss St. John?' and Mrs. Pontifex smiled. ' Oh, that is very pleasant. You have met her ? ' ' At Mrs. Thornton's. I saw a great deal of her there last year. How well she is looking ! ' ' Yes, I think she looks well. She has very good health. She is such a nice good girl altogether, is she not ? Do you know Miss Kershaw ? ' asked Mrs. Pontifex pleasantly. ' Miss Kershaw ? No,' replied Horace. ' Then do let me introduce you. She is such a favourite of mine.' And summarily dismissing the subject of Janet, Mrs. Ponti fex took calm possession of her errant guest, and soon deposited him by the side of a fitting companion.

But she gave Janet an affectionate smile when she came back into the room, and took the photograph from her hands with a kindly acknowledgment. ' Thank you so much, dear,' she said. ' You are so good always at finding what the rest of us lose.' And then Janet went back to her seat, less happy than she had been five minutes before. With a little sigh she took up her work again, and continued it very steadily till the guestsi began to take their leave. She wondered if Mr. Kelvin would go away without bidding good-bye to her. 'Surely he will not ! ' she thought, with a very clear perception that if he did she should feel it rather hard, and yet she was half afraid that he would. He might argue that Mrs. Pontifex would not like it if he spoke to her again, she told herself. Apparently, however, he did not reason in this way, for presently, while Mrs. Pontifex was dispensing parting words and smiles, he made his way back to her. ' I think this has been rather too bad ! ' he exclaimed, the moment he reached her side. ' I had expected to have a nice talk with you, and here I have been obliged instead to sit listening to Miss Kershaw !

What interest have I in Miss Kershaw ? When I want to talk to one person I resent being called off to another.' And then he gave a sudden look at her, and ' It strikes me that — you are considerably left to yourself here ? ' he said abruptly. The colour came a little to Janet's face, but she laughed too. ' Of course I am. I am only a nursery governess. But I am very happy,' she added quickly. ' Mrs. Pontifex is very kind to me.' ' And when am I likely to see you again ? ' he asked, after a moment's silence. ' Would it be any use now if I were to call ?' ' On — Mrs. Pontifex ?' asked Janet, rather hesitating. ' Oh, of course I shall call on Mrs. Pon tifex. But I mean, should I have any chance of seeing you, if I asked for you ?' ' Oh no ! ' cried Janet eagerly. ' No — certainly not : they wouldn't like you to do that at all.' Then, do you never have any visitors ? ' I don't know anybody.' 'They wouldn't object to Miss Shepton's coming, would they ?' He put this inquiry rather abruptly. ' They wouldn't object — but she is not at all likely to come.' He looked at her inquiringly. ' I wonder why you say that ?' 'Why should she?' Janet asked. 'We know very little of one another.' ' I thought that young ladies never spent a fortnight together without getting to know a great deal of one another ?' Janet laughed. ' People say that — but I don't know that it is true.' She put out her hand before he could speak again.

The room was almost empty. ' I think I must bid you good-night,' she said. 'Well, good-night. It has been very pleasant to see you.' And then he shook hands with her and went to make his other adieux. 'That young man Kelvin knows Miss St. John,' Mrs. Pontifex said to her husband when all their guests were gone. ' I don't know that one need mind it much, but it is not exactly desirable to have people show her any marked attention in this house, and I thought Mr. Kelvin was very attentive to-night.' 'Was he? I didn't notice. If he is too attentive you had better not ask him again,' replied Mr. Pontifex carelessly. But his wife had no desire to assent to so summary a dismissal of the matter, and the next day she began very delicately to sound Janet on the subject of her relations with Mr. Kelvin. ' It was pleasant for you to meet an old acquaintance last night,' she said. 'You must have been surprised to see him ?' ' I was very much surprised indeed,' an swered Janet frankly. ' I had no idea that you knew him.' ' We met him lately at the Haliburtons',' explained Mrs. Pontifex, ' and Mr. Pontifex rather liked him, so I asked him to dinner last night.

He seems a pleasant enough young man.' 'Yes, I think people like him,' said Janet. (Mrs. Pontifex approved of her tone. It was cool and deliberate : there was certainly no unnecessary enthusiasm in it.) ' He was staying at Mrs. Thornton's with a number of other people last year.' ' So he told me. And you found him — agreeable ? ' ' Oh yes,' answered Janet, ' he was very agreeable, and very useful. Very good at picnics, I mean — and at dancing, and acting.' 'And are you very fond too of acting and dancing ? ' asked Mrs. Pontifex pleasantly ; but at this question Janet gave an unem barrassed laugh. 'Oh no !' she said, 'I never acted in my life, and I dance very little. But there were some people at Mrs. Thornton's who acted vers well. There was Miss Shepton, for instance.' 'What — Ethel Haliburton's friend?

Oh, indeed ! And so you know her too ?' ' A little,' replied Janet. ' Not very much.' 'She is very pretty,' said Mrs. Pontifex. ' I remember seeing her at the Haliburtons' two or three years ago, but she was not intimate with them then, and she was not much more than a schoolgirl. She is greatly developed now. Yes, she is certainly — ahem ! — very pretty ; and I suppose, in her way, she is clever too ?' ' I think she is, — in some directions at any rate. She acts wonderfully well.' ' Ah, I can understand that. She looks the kind of girl to act well,' replied Mrs. Pon tifex with some emphasis. 'And she and Mr. Kelvin, I suppose, used to act together ? And — did Mr. Kelvin escape being smitten ?' Janet gave a laugh. ' I don't know,' she said. ' I suppose he didn't — altogether.' ' Perhaps there was some one else who attracted him more ?' suggested Mrs. Pon tifex.