Mary of Marion Isle

«Yes,» replied Arabella. «I am Miss Somerville Black, and Doctor West arranged to meet me here at twenty minutes to six.»

«Then you will have ten minutes to wait, Miss, as it is only half- past five; or mayhap longer, as he isn’t a very punctual gentleman, which is awkward if it is a case of sudden sickness.»

«There is no sickness in the matter,» replied Arabella shortly. «Doctor West is going to take me to Red Hall.»

«Oh!» exclaimed Mrs. Josky, in the intervals of puffing at the fire, «to see Miss Rose, I suppose. But perhaps you know her already if you are Doctor Somerville Black’s daughter, Miss, since he goes there often enough.»

«Who is Miss Rose?» inquired Arabella, now as curious as Mrs. Josky herself.

«Why,» replied Mrs. Josky between her puffs, «who should she be, except Rose Watson, the Whitechapel Rose they call her because she’s such a beauty. It is a strange thing, Miss, if you haven’t heard of her, being Doctor Black’s daughter and Doctor West’s friend, seeing that according to all accounts they both worship the ground she walks on. But there, men are men and like to keep things to themselves, and small blame to them.»

«Do they?» answered Arabella rather vacuously, «and – is this young lady so very beautiful?»

«To be honest, Miss, there ain’t no doubt about that, so far as face and figure go, which is what men look to, though for the rest, to my mind as empty as a tin can with a hole in it.»

«You don’t seem to like her,» said Arabella.

«Who likes a young woman what leads a young gentleman that’s been her lodger for long and dragged her child out of the grave, a fool’s dance, meaning to shut the door in his face at the end of the room?» inquired Mrs. Josky enigmatically as she ceased from her fire-raising labours.

Arabella, more interested than she had been in anything for years, was about to ask what on earth she meant, when Mrs. Josky held up a warning finger and exclaimed in a stage whisper:

«Hush! he’s coming. I hear his step in the street and I’d know it among a thousand, since he don’t walk, he runs, being always in such a blooming hurry, and Laurie what loves him, will have the door open before he gets there. There, don’t you hear her kissing him, which sometimes I should like to do myself. And to think of his wasting himself on that there Rose what will come to pieces presently leaving nothing but a stalk in his hand and that full enough of prickles. But mum’s the word about her, Miss, of whom I’ve no doubt you’ll get to know plenty before all’s done,» she added with ominous emphasis.

In another moment Andrew rushed into the room, freeing himself from Laurie who was clinging to his hand, and began apologies.

«No need to be humble, Mr. West,» interposed Mrs. Josky severely. «Seeing that the young lady, your visitor, says you weren’t due till twenty to, which leaves you with a minute to spare by the clock, which I keep exactly to church time, as did Josky before me. And now, you’ll have your tea and an egg before you start wherever you may be going, since you won’t get nothing there, except —»

«No, no, Mrs. Josky,» broke in Andrew, «many thanks, but we must be getting on.»

«Ah! I thought you would be in a hurry and I hope you will find yourself well paid. May I expect to see you back to-night, Mr. West, for dinner, I mean, and will this lady be with you?»

«Yes, of course, Mrs. Josky – I mean No; I mean I shall be alone. Time? Oh! the same as usual. Come one, Miss Black, the horse is getting cold.»

«And so will the dinner be,» murmured Mrs. Josky, «before I see you again. If only this one would take you off that one, it might be a good job. But she hasn’t got the looks, at least of the right sort, and there ain’t the stuffing in her.»

«Mrs. Josky seems to be very fond of you, Doctor West,» remarked Arabella in the brougham.

«Yes, now you mention it, I suppose she is. She’s a dear soul, but she makes me eat too much,» replied Andrew, absently, for his mind was fixed upon the sure and certain hope of seeing Rose.

As in common in such cases, he was destined to disappointment, for when they reached Red Hall, Sister Angelica who opened the door informed them that Rose was out, adding vaguely that she had not the least idea where she had gone or when she would be in again.

The information seemed to strike Andrew like a blow, for he stood quite still, as though at a loss what to do next, then murmured something about «another time.»

«But,» suggested Arabella, «I thought that we came to see Doctor Watson. You did not tell me that this young lady managed the hospital.»

«Of course not, and of course we did – I mean, come to see Doctor Watson. Is he in, Sister Angelica?»

«Oh! yes,» replied Angelica. «You’ll find him having his tea about an hour late, as I know to my cost, having had to boil the water three times.»

So saying, she melted away nebulously into the darkness of the passage, leaving them to their own devices.

«Come on,» said Andrew to Arabella. «Perhaps you had better take my hand, as I know the steps and they haven’t lit the gas.»

Presently they found themselves in the sitting-room where Doctor Watson was seated at the Elizabethan table, a cup of cold tea before him, which his interest in the book he was reading had caused him to forget to drink. Looking up at the noise of their entry, he caught sight of a tall female form in the shadow, and concluded that it was that of his daughter.

«I’m glad you’re back, Rose,» he said, «for really this tea is undrinkable; I think it must have been made yesterday and stood ever since. Angelica’s gifts do not lie in the way of tea-making; I meant to speak about it before, but I so seldom see you now, for you are never down to breakfast —»

«It is I, Doctor Watson,» interrupted Andrew hurriedly, «and this lady is not Rose, but Miss Somerville Black, who has come to see you.»

«Didn’t know there was a Miss Somerville Black,» muttered the doctor to himself, then added aloud,

«Ah! a patient, I suppose. Will you like to go into the surgery, Miss Black?»

Then ensued explanations, and the end of it was that Dr. Watson said that if Arabella cared to make a trial of the hospital, he would be pleased; also, that she was very welcome to lodge at Red Hall as a paying guest, since he was sorry to say that he could not afford to put her up for nothing, that is if she was not fastidious and if she did not mind poisonous tea and erratic meals. He suggested, however, that first she had better come and see the hospital which was almost next door, at once if it suited her, before the patients went to bed.

To Andrew’s surprise Arabella answered firmly that it did suit her. Moreover, she proposed that he should return to Justice Street in the brougham, and send it back to take her home.

As Andrew saw no signs of Rose and, having had no lunch that day, suddenly began to think with affection of Mrs. Josky’s dinner, he went, leaving Dr. Watson and Arabella to settle things as they pleased. He did not care how they settled them, for Rose being absent, the world was empty to him, and void of interest.

Here it may be stated that, conducted by Dr. Watson, Arabella went over the hospital. She saw the patients, a number of miserable old women belonging to the rag-tag and bobtail of a certain class of female who, most of them, had seen better days and fallen under the bondage of moral weaknesses connected with their bodily plight.

They did not interest her very much, though being good-hearted, she pitied their woes. But suddenly, in a kind of flash, it came home to her that if she lost her money, under certain quite conceivable circumstances she might become just like one of these aimless and futile women, a thought that gave her a shock and ultimately an inspriation.

Now she had one talent; she was an admirable housewife. No establishment was better run than that of her father, and although he never realized it, she managed everything and at a minimum of expense, considering its costly scale. At once she observed that this hospital was not well run, and pointed out sundry details to Dr. Watson which struck him very much. Also she asked if she might see the books, only to find that there was none that could be produced. In the end she said:

«Well, I do not know whether I should be useful here as a nurse, but I think that I could do the housekeeping, if only I was told how much there is to spend.»

«Then for heaven’s sake try,» exclaimed the doctor, «for I am in despair about it and Rose gives me no help, although it is a woman’s business.»

They went back to Red Hall and there, subject to her father’s consent, fixed up matters to their mutual satisfaction, the agreement being that Arabella was to fill the position of matron for a month on trial.

Just as she was going away Rose returned and for the first time the two women came face to face.

While Dr. Watson introduced them they studied each other with results that were pleasing to neither. Arabella admitted to herself that Rose really was beautiful, of that there could be no doubt, but concluded at once that she did not like her. Rose set down Arabella as plain, which she was not for her features were good. What she lacked was colour and any vivacity whereof her general boredom with life had robbed her. Also she reciprocated Arabella’s distaste. In short, the two women felt that their attitude towards each other was one of antagonism. Meanwhile Arabella was wondering what Mrs. Josky had meant by saying that her father worshipped the ground that this girl walked on. As regarded Andrew she could understand. Though it made her jealous, since she had conceived so strong a liking for him herself, it was only natural that a young man should be attracted by such a face and form. But what could a man of her father’s age find in her to worship?

In another minute they had parted, since after a few rather awkward words Arabella announced that she must hurry or she would be late for dinner. When she was gone Rose asked her father why she had come. He told her and she listened astonished.

«Do you believe all that, Father?» she said.

«Why not, Rose?»

«Do you think it likely that a lady who has thousands and thousands would want to come to work in that dreadful hospital among those horrid old women?»

«It seems that she does,» answered her father in his musing voice. «After all, why not? Is it impossible that a woman, however rich, should be touched by a sense of the higher things? If so, what do you suggest is her reason?»

«Oh!» exclaimed Rose with unusual irritation, for hers was a placid nature, «to please Andrew – I mean Doctor West, probably, or —» and she paused.

«Or what, Rose?»

«To spy upon me,» she answered and, turning, left the room.

Now what on earth did she mean by that? reflected her father. What conceivable reason could Miss Black have that would induce her to spy upon Rose? Then this good, easy man, whose mind was lost in those higher things of which he had never spoken to a daughter who understood nothing about them, shrugged his shoulders and gave up the problem, wondering as he did so what she would say when she learned that Miss Black was to live in the house. It occurred to him that she might object, also that, speaking generally, his home was uncomfortable. Whenever he mentioned it, always he was informed that this was because of his Socialistic cranks which led him to prefer teacups without saucers, and so forth, an argument that hitherto had reduced him to silence. Now, however, he began to doubt its force, remembering that saucers and tablecloths are not the whole of domestic life.

«Oh!» he muttered to himself as he felt his way towards the surgery down the dark passage where it had not occurred to anyone to light the gas, «the truth is that Rose and I cannot understand each other and don’t get on. I wish she would marry, though if she did I am not sure that her husband would praise her in the end. Beauty isn’t everything, especially when the heart inside of it is small,» he added with as much bitterness as his gentle nature could conceive.