Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 114: what you’re looking at

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

en JOSEPH WILMOT ; a pace, or since her usually rigid features had exhibited so much emotion. “Here’s a pretty to-do!” she cried. “ Her ladyship’s most valuable ring—the diamond, you know, set round with pearls 9 “Well, what about it ?” we all asked, anticipat- ing the announcement of some fresh calamity. “What about it?” she repeated. “ Why, her ladyship left it on the drawing-room table last night she had been trying on some new gloves before going up to bed, and so took off the rin 4 And what has happened ? what has hempened “xs we asked, eagerly and anxiously. * Tt is gone,” rejoined the maid. “Gone! And the plate too!’ we ejaculated. At this moment the parlour-bell rang vio- lently ; and I hastened up to answer it. I found Mr. Tiverton, Lady Georgiana, and Miss Dakin, all three in a most excited state; while Lady Calanthe Dundas was saying, “Pray, my dear sister, tranquillize yourself. The ring cannot be lost—rest assured that it can only be mislaid.” These were the words to which that amiable young lady was giving utterance at the moment I entered the room: but Lady Georgiana was not to be appeased by such representations. “Joseph Wilmot,” she exclaimed, “have you learnt that a ring has been lost ?” “Yes, my lady,” I responded.“ And—and I was going on to say, with some degree of hesita- tion; but as it instantaneously struck me that I might be seriously compromising poor John Robert, I stopped short. “ What were you going to say, Joseph Wilmot ?” cried her ladyship. * Don’t bewilder the boy,’ interposed Mr. Tiverton. ‘“ You see how confused he looks.” * Bewilder the boy!” ejaculated Lady Georgiana. “Did you ever hear such a thing, Miss Dakin ?” “ Never, in all my life,’ answered the toady, who for a wonder did not on the present occasion dart at me her wonted malignant glances. * Now, Joseph—speak out,” said Mr. Tiverton. “What were you going on to observe when you checked yourself? If you can throw any light upon this unpleasant matter, don’t hesitate 4 “ Hesitatef”’ echoed Lady Georgiana. ‘‘ Who ever heard of a servant daring to hesitate? Did you, Miss Dakin ?” “ Never,” was the toady’s reply. “ Now, my dear sister,’ interrupted Lady Calanthe, with the most amiable spirit imaginable, “do let this youth be questioned quietly and deli- berately. It is evident that he knows or suspects something ; and you had better let him tell his tale in his own manner. He seems a nice lad—a very nice lad,’ Lady Calanthe added, in an aside whis- per to her sister; but my ear caught the words, though they were evidently not intended to be thus overheard by me. “T know nothing about the diamond ring,” I proceeded to remark, in as collected a manner as possible: “but I was about to inform your lady- ship——”’ “Address yourself to me, Joseph,” said Mr. Tiverton, thus witha stern air asserting his rights. * Tam the master of the house; and in serious matters of this description, I choose to act as the chief investigator.” “ “ a OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. —— ae ~~ 101 “The master of the house!” said Lady Georgiana, disdainfully repeating her husband’s words. ‘ Did you ever hear of such a thing, Miss Dakin ?” “« Never only excepting when Mr. Tiverton 2? chooses to say so:”’ and thus by a sort of compro- mise in the method of her phraseology, the artful toady avoided giving offence to either. “Go on, Joseph,” said Mr. Tiverton, in a per- emptory tone. “What were you about to inform me P” “That I am sorry to say, sir, some of the plate is likewise missing +4 “The plate missing!” exclaimed Mr. Tiverton. “Then there is positively a thief in the house !”’— and rushing to the bell, he rang it violently. “ Plate missing !”” echoed Lady Georgiana: and Miss Dakin, thinking it her duty to take up the same strain, though in a lower key, shrieked in a half-stifled hysterical voice, “ Plate missing !” Mr. Tiverton went on tearing at the bell-pull until John Robert made his appearance. “ Have up all the others!” exclaimed Mr. Tiver- ton: “let the whole of the servants come hither at once !” John Robert, overwhelmed by this bursting forth of the storm which he had foreseen, and the anticipation of which had filled him with such dire alarm, was unable to hurry away to bear his mas- ter’s mandate: I accordingly sped down stairs, and quickly summoned the lady’s-maid, the housemaid, and the cook, up into the parlour. A few hurried words were alone necessary to make them compre- hend what the excitement was about; and in less than a minute we were all grouped together in the presence of our master and mistress, Lady Calanthe Dundas, and Miss Dakin. The queries that were put to us were hurried and impetuous, and con- stantly interrupted by cross-firing and sparring between Mr. Tiverton and Lady Georgiana in their struggle with each other to assert the supremacy. Ultimately, however, it was elicited from John Robert that he had left the plate in the pantry the whole night—that I was the first down in the morning, and that I found all the doors and win- dows were fastened as usual—that it was not until after breakfast he had commenced cleaning the plate—and that he had Ween thus engaged for at least a couple of hours ere he discovered that six large spoons, six small ones, and two sauce-ladles were deficient. Lady Georgiana talked of sending for consta- bles; Miss Dakin considered it to be highly neces- sary; Mr. Tiverton appeared for once to be in- clined to agree with his wife and the toady: but Lady Calanthe hastened to suggest the course which she considered proper and fitting to be pursued. “My. Tiverton,’ she proceeded to say,— and you too, my dear sister—I beg that you will not act precipitately. The two occurrences of the ring and the plate are most mysterious: to send for constables would be tantamount to casting sus- picion upon the domestics of your household ; this, I am sure, you would be most unwilling to do without the best possible grounds. Let the inves- tigation be conducted with all becoming privacy ; and the servants, for their own sake, will no doubt volunteer to suffer their boxes to be examined. Not, be it understood,” she added, glancing im- and , OOO) S (CO im