Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 108: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

eS ee ee SS ES TT SN ee eee eee eee en an. mm at I A CG A ttl _¢ried out sharply and petulantly, JOSEPH "WILMOT ; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. 95 will not have the face to proclaim her own mean- ness by quarrelling with me, because I choose to make myself comfortable. Ah! I comprehend—l have nearly used all the teaP Well, we can easily buy another pound: I will treat you to it to-morrow—as I mean to go to Exeter and see all that is worth seeing. Really this room has. a cold and miserable appearance: there is not.an ounce of fuel in the grate. Come, my boy,” she added, turning to me, “you look a little different from the rest, and seem as if you had a spirit in you. Just empty that scuttle upon the fire. But stay! —throw a good large faggot on first.” Unhesitatingly did I fulfil these instructions ; and in afew minutes there was such a roaring blaze in the grate as Myrtle Lodge seldom beheld; so that the very walls themselves must have felt comfortable at having the damp dispelled by the genial and indeed unusual warmth now thrown forth. My fellow-servants appeared to have made up theix minds, with a sort of reckless desperation, to let Charlotte have her own way, and to profit } by the bold innovations which she was evidently determined to introduce. When once they had abandoned themselves to this mood, they all be- came considerably ‘more cheerful than they had doubtless ever yet. been since they first crossed the threshold of Myrtle Lodge. ‘I began to wonder whether, when the prayer-bellrang, Miss Charlotte would join in the procession : but my speculations on this pot were presently put an end to by the followimg circumstance. l had oceasion to go mp to the drawing-room for something; and on leaving it again, was fol- lowed out by Miss Dakin. Ever ‘since the little incident of the eravat-tying, she had been wont to seize every opportunity of darting malignant looks et me, ‘and of pointing out to Lady Georgiana any little oversicht on my part for the purpose of getting me scolded. I therefore entertained no very friendly feeling towards her,—though I may say without vanity that Iwas naturally too good- ‘hearted ‘to bear her any direct and positive ran- cour. I also despised her too:much for the enter- tainment of so serious a feeling. "When, however, she thus followed me out upon the landing, I hur- ried my pace towards the stairs,—whereupon: she “Come here, sir ! What arevyou running away like that for? You might have ‘seen that I wished to speak to you.” I turmed—but said not a ‘word. She looked excessively spiteful and malignant, as if-she could have flown at meand scratched my face with her nails. “The next time, sir, that you see: me following you from’a:room,” she went on to observe, “‘ with “the evident intention of saddressing you, you had better take care and wait in respectful attention— or you will speedily get your imzpudence put down, ‘Ican tell-you.” Still I-said nothing: -but I felt that my lips were cuthwg with conterhpt—whereat:she actually trembled with rage, her own lips sbecomimg ‘white “as ashes,and twitching with a-spasmodic nervous- “ness. “Tt is Lady Georgiane’s command,” she «said, ‘the words literally hissing “wp from her throat. with the ‘concentrated fury of her ire,—“that: the servants do not come up to prayers while Lady Calanthe is ~at the Lodge :'put the service is to be read by John Robert in the domestics’ room at the usual hour. Now, sir, will you go and give these crders P or shall I inform your master and her ladyship that you refuse ?’—and she eyed me with a wicked malienity, as if nothing would have pleased her better than that I should have re- ‘turned some insolent answer and laid myself open to be evilly reported in the .manner she had threatened. “TI was merely awaiting, Miss,’ was my calm and collected response, “the orders which her ladyship has sent through you; and I do not think that you have any reason to infer that I should for a.moment refuse to deliver them.” “You. are insolent enough for anything!” was her quick and spiteful retort : then, as if all the energy of her passions were suddenly concentrated in the feeling she was about to express, she said in low but bitterly emphatic accents, “I hate you!” I could not help giving a sort of scornful laugh at this avowal of aversion which was thrown out : for my spirit was to.a certain degree excited—and I did not choose this wretched toady to domineer over me. As I was turning away—and indeed had already reached the stairs—she flew after me : she caught me by the arm—her fingers clasped my'flesh as if with an iron vice; and still in that same low but deeply accentuated tone, she said, “Yes, I hate you—I abhor you! f could have liked ‘you—I could have loved you madly—I would have done anything for you But but I hate you-—and I will wreak all the vengeance of a woman’s bitterness upon you!” I was certainly not frightened—but I was really astonished.at this address. Sheimmediately turned away ; and, no doubt composing her looks with all the power of a consummate dissimulation, re-entered the drawing-room. I had a very great mind. to mention the circumstance to my fellow servants when I descended to rejoin them; but I thought it better not. I did not lke to render myself the hero of a scene; and I felt by no means flattered on account of having at any time won the Jove of such.a creature as Miss Dakin. As for her hatred, I. certainly did not fear it: for I did my duty to the utmost of my power towards my mas- ter and mistress, and resolved to be even still more circumspect than hitherto in my conduct, so vas.to avoid furnishing the toady with an opportu- nity of venting her spite upon me. Besides, I reflected that if, after all, I should lose my present situation, [ had the written testimonial of Lord Bavenshill’s steward.as a means of procuring an- other. For all these considerations I kept silent in respect.to. Miss Dakin,—confining myself to the mere delivery of the message with which I was charged. “And pray,” inquired Charlotte, who had lis- tened to it with an.arch smile, “ how long do these prayers oceupy ?” “ About twenty .minutes,” Robert. “ Then, if -you.please,” quickly exclaimed Chazs lotte, in a,positive manner, “ we will -dispemse with them. -L.am.mot.going to sit here, Mr. Johv, and. listen to you droning away: for twenty mi ‘af minutes, in ‘that voice of your’s which sounds as if it came up from a grave. I always say my prayers in my own chamber; and;:can then pray as my heart dictates.” responded John f zit OOO) SS co im