Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 106: what you’re looking at

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JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. voluntarily ;—and what were these unfortunate beings to do if they cut themselves adrift upon the world without such an indispensable means of procuring other situations? Besides, times were _bad—numbers of household servants were out of place—and it was therefore considered better to have a bad situation than none at all. The Tivertons received very little company, and seldom gave parties. These were doubtless too expensive: for nothing could exceed their mean- ness and parsimony. The very candle-ends were counted: the tea and sugar were doled out in the smallest quantities: so much beer—and that of the vilest and sourest description—was allowed for a fortnight’s consumption in the servants’ room ; and if it were drunk up beforehand, the remainder of the period beheld water supplying its place. I have already hinted that Lady Georgiana and her husband did not live on the best possible terms together. She, in her aristocratic pride, looked down upon him as a vulgar member of the middle class; while he, on his side, no doubt calculated that he should have done much better to marry the wealthy daughter of a London citizen than the portionless scion of a patrician family. They had no children; and therefore to what end they strove and struggled to save and amass money, was rather a puzzling question. In this aim, however, there was a wondrous agreement of Opinion between them,—with the occasional and far-distant exceptions of such instances as that to which I was indebted for my new liveries. As for Miss Dakin, she was one of the most contempti- ble of women,—fawning and cringing to Lady Georgiana—always taking her part in her disputes with her husband—and yet somehow or another contriying to keep on tolerably good terms with Mr. Tiverton himself. She was one of those beings who sell their independence of spirit—sell all their faculties of hearing, seeing, and thinking—for the miserable stipend which a patroness is willing to give. It was even surprising that Lady Georgiana allowed herself such a luxury as a “companion :”’ but perhaps the mystery may be explained by the fact that she needed some one to flatter her— some one to bear the brunt of her ill-humours— some one to listen patiently to her tirades about the long ancestry from which she was descended— some one to assist in taking her part against her husband, and to corroborate her complaints that she was a very shamefully-used woman. Again, as Lady Georgiana had no children—and as even the most ill-conditioned of her sex generally feel the necessity of loving something—she kept poodles on which to bestow her attachment; and these animals were the only living beings at Myrtle Lodge that were not stinted in their food and were cared for with some sort of tenderness. I had been about a month in my new place, when one day—having occasion to enter the par- lour for some purpose—I found Miss Dakin seated there alone, knitting a pair of mittens for her patroness. I could not help noticing that she looked at me in a very peculiar way, and me- thought with a certain degree of confusion, which only rendered her uglier than she naturally was. “Joseph,” she said, “I hope you are satisfied with your new place? You may depend upon it, you have a very good friend in me; and I do my best to save you from scoldings.” s 93 “T am sure I am very much obliged to you, Miss,” was my response: and I certainly marvelled that I should have thus won for myself the favour of this lady, as I had never taken any trouble to secure it. “Oh! you needn’t thank me, Joseph,” she at once replied, blushing and simpering. “ Every- body that possesses a heart must like you. But, dear me! how awkwardly you have tied your neck- cloth! I am sure that if Lady Georgiana saw it, she would scold you for being slovenly. Do let me arrange it properly for you.” “T think, Miss, it will do very well as it 7 = “Oh, no! indeed it will not!’—and flinging down her work, Miss Dakin flew towards me; s0 that I was compelled to submit to this proof of her kindness. Her hands trembled very much, and kept coming in contact with my face. She blushed and simpered more and more; and when she had done tying the cravat, she patted my cheek, saying, “ You are a very handsome lad, Joseph; and I 4 My countenance became crimson; and flinging an indignant look upon Miss Dakin, I turned abruptly round and quitted the room. But that glance showed me that she had become all in a moment as white as a sheet: she was literally quivering too with rage. From that time forth Miss Dakin was a mortal enemy of mine. Weeks passed on; and as Christmas approached, it was whispered in the servants’ room that Lady Georgiana’s youngest sister—or rather half-sister, for her father the Earl of Mandeville had married twice—was coming on a visit to Myrtle Lodge. Though a shrewd, money-loving, parsimonious man,—worshipping Mammon for Mammon’s sake —Mr. Tiverton had a particular weakness: and this was that he felt proud of being allied to an aristocratic family, and therefore vain of parading any of his wife’s relatives before his acquaintances. This will account for his having perhaps readily enough assented to the proposal of his spouse, that her sister Lady Calanthe Dundas should be- come an inmate of Myrtle Lodge for a few weeks.. The meanest and most sordid, too, in a certain sphere of life, are apt to launch out somewhat at times, and on great occasions; and therefore the reader must not be surprised when I state that it was proposed to spend the Christmas season with some little gaiety at the Lodge. Prepara- tions were made for the reception of Lady Ca- lanthe: a new carpet and new draperies were: actually and positively purchased for the chamber which she was to occupy; and invitations were issued for a dinner-party one day and a soirée for another, in the Christmas week. I was enlivened and cheered by these preliminary proceedings, which promised some relief to the monotony of the existence we all led at Myrtle Lodge. My fellow-servants seemed to imbibe the same feeling ; and eyen John Robert was so animated with fresh life as to smile when a new suit of livery was ordered for him,—Mr. Pumpkin being engaged to supply it. At length the day arrived on which Lady Calanthe Dundas was expected. The cook must have felt herself quite another being when she had a really good and copious repast to prepare for the dining-room, and was enabled, without any inter- OOO) SS (CO) im