Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 113: what you’re looking at

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

100 JOSEPH WILMOT; pletely taken by surprise, that I could not give utterance toa single syllable: so that it is very probable my appearance and manner seemed to imply a consciousness of guilt. “ Yes—you do well not to deny it,” she went on to say. “I do not wish to make mischief—and therefore I shall say nothing upon the subject. You know very well to what I allude; and I must beg that so long as I may be unfortunate enough to remain in this horrid place, you will not address yourself to me again. Do not think that because I laugh and joke and am good-tempered, there is any levity or want of principle about me. If you do, you are very much mistaken.” With these words, she brushed past me and hurried up-stairs. I remained rooted to the spot for nearly a minute: I could not possibly under- stand what it all meant. The accusations—or rather the epithets thrown out against me— “wicked, deceitful, depraved’”—were strong in- deed; and I knew full well that I merited them not. Slander had evidently been at work. But how? or where? Whatcould Charlotte have pos- sibly heard between the hour of retiring to rest and that of coming down in the morning? Ah! I began to suspect that Miss Dakin must have been saying things to my prejudice in the presence of Lady Calanthe, who had repeated them to her maid. Conceiving this to be the only possible means of accounting for Charlotte’s conduct, I resolved to seek an immediate explanation with her ; and for this purpose I loitered about on the stairs till she should descend again. In a few minutes she came tripping down, dressed to go out ; and she looked both astonished and angry when thus waylaid by me. “ Charlotte,’ I said, “you have accused me wrongfully. This must be explained.” “Explained indeed!” she repeated, drawing herself up disdainfully. ‘ Are you so consummate a hypocrite : “Hypocrite ?—no, Charlotte!’ I interrupted her, the blood crimsoning my countenance. “ But you are!” she retorted; “and your pre- sent conduct most lamentably confirms it. But I am wrong thus to converse farther with you. Understand me well, Joseph—there can be no ex- planations after what I myself saw with my own eyes. Butas Ido not wish to ruin a youth like you, I renew my promise not to mention it. You alone therefore shall know that I did see it. And now not another word !” She hurried past me; and again was I so con- founded as to continue rivetted to the spot. What on earth could she mean? what was it that she had seen? JI was cruelly chagrined and bewildered. To me it was evident enough that she was labour- ing under some extraordinary error,—though what- ever it were, she was as firmly convinced that I had done something which merited the strong epithets she had thrown out against me. It was likewise clear that no scandal had been at work; and I had wrongfully suspected Miss Dakin. The thing, whatsoever it were, that was uppermost in the mind of Charlotte Murray, was not enter- tained upon hearsay, but had been beholden with her own-eyes. What could it mean? I knew not; and im astate of bewilderment I descended to the pantry, to assist John Robert in cleaning the plate. ee OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. The incident which I have been describing, took place at about ten o’clock in the forenoon. Charlotte had set off for Exeter: she had to walk thither; but it had been arranged that she was to come back in the cart belonging to the grocer who supplied the Lodge, and who would have to bring over the purchases she was to make. I thus calculated that at least a couple of hours must elapse before Charlotte would return; and then I resolved to insist upon the fullest explanations. I felt annoyed: but, still armed with conscious inno- cence, I was perfectly well assured that the mystery would be cleared up to my complete satis- faction. On entering the pantry, I found John Robert labouring under a degree of excitement which was so unusual on his part, that I was at once convinced something extraordinary must have oc- curred. His countenance, which was wont to be so solemnly rueful, was animated with an expression of bewilderment and uneasiness; and he was hunting about in every nook and corner of the pantry with the air of a man who had lost some- thing. * What is it, John?” TI asked. * What is it?” he said, with a grunt: “ why, half-a-dozen of the large spoons and _ half-a-dozen dessert spoons missing, besides a couple of silver sauce-ladles. I can’t make it out.” “ Missing ?” I ejaculated. ‘“ Perhaps master forgot to give them out?”’—for I should observe that the plate-basket was duly consigned by John Robert every night to Mr. Tiverton, who took it up into his own room and brought it down again in the morning. *‘Yes—he gave them all out,” replied the fvot- man. “Last night, when I took up the plate- basket, master told me to keep charge of it, as I should want to be cleaning the things early in the morning; and he at the same time gave me the rest of the forks and spoons that would be wanted for to-day. He counted it all out before me last night; and here’s the list,” added John Robert, pointing to a piece of paper that lay upon the dresser in the pantry. “And where was the plate all night?” I in- quired. “ Why, that’s the worst of it,’ answered the footman. “ Like a fool as I was, I left it all down here. I thought it quite safe: and here’s a pre- cious mess I shall get myself into!” ** But could any thieves have introduced them- selves in the night?” was my next question. “Thieves P—no! Every door was fastened when I come down ? “To be sure!” I ejaculated, recollecting that it was so: “for I was first down this morning, two or three minutes before you.” “Well, and you found all safe, didn’t you? Besides, if thieves had broke in, they wouldn’t have been so nice as to take a part—they would have walked off with the whole.” The cook and housemaid, hearing somewhat of all that was going on, now came into the pantry ; —and to them the circumstance of the missing plate was duly mentioned. Scarccly had they ex- pressed their astonishment and alarm, when down stairs rushed Lady Georgiana’s maid, her counte- nance expressing her fright and dismay. It must have been a long time since she had sped at such GDoOoaks (SO) im