CHAPTER VI
THE BERLIN WOOL ROOM
I ordered the carriage and set off, mother having declined toaccompany me. Miss Mullins's address was at Highgate; she lived in asmall, new-looking house, somewhere near the Archway. I daresay Janesaw me from the window, for I had scarcely run up the little path toher house, and had scarcely finished sounding the electric bell,before the door was opened by no less a person than herself.
"Ah," she said, "I felt somehow that you would call; come in, MissWickham."
Her manner was extremely cordial, there was not a trace of offence atthe way in which we had both treated her the day before. She usheredme into a sort of little Berlin wool room, all looking as neat as anew pin. There was Berlin wool everywhere, on the centre-table, on themantelpiece, on the little side-table. There were Berlin woolantimacassars and a Berlin wool screen, in which impossible birdsdisported themselves over impossible water, and there was a largewaxwork arrangement of fruit and flowers in the centre of themantelpiece, and there were six chairs, all with their backsdecorously placed against the wall, and not a single easy chair. Butthe room was spick and span with cleanliness and brightness and thedue effects of soap and water and furniture-polish. The little roomeven smelt clean.
Miss Mullins motioned me to one of the hard chairs.
"I must apologise for the absence of the rocking-chair," she said, "itis being mended, but I dare say being young you won't mind using thathard chair for a little."
"Certainly not," I replied.
"I observe that every one lounges dreadfully just now," she continued,"but I myself hate easy chairs, and as this is my own house I do nothave them in it. The room is clean, but not according to your taste,eh?"
"It is a nice room of its kind," I said, "but----"
"You need not add any buts, I know quite well what you are thinkingabout," said Jane Mullins; then she stood right in front of me, facingme.
"Won't you sit down?" I said.
"No, thank you, I prefer standing. I only sit when I have a good dealon my mind. What is it you have come to say?"
I wished she would help me, but she had evidently no intention ofdoing so. She stood there with her red face and her twinkling eyes,and her broad, good-humoured mouth, the very personification ofhomely strength, but she was not going to get me out of my difficulty.
"Well," I said, stammering and colouring, "I have been thinking overyour visit, and--and----"
"Yes, go on."
"Do you really mean it, Miss Mullins?" I said then. "Would you reallylike to join two such ignorant people as mother and me?"
"Hark to her," said the good woman. "Look here, Miss Wickham, you havereached quite the right frame of mind, and you're not a bit ignorant,my dear, not a bit, only your knowledge and my knowledge are wideapart. My dear Miss Wickham, knowledge is power, and when we joinforces and put our united knowledge into the same bag, we will havehuge results, huge results, my dear--yes, it is true."
"Let us talk it out," I said.
"Do you really mean, Miss Wickham, that you and your mother--youraristocratic mother--are seriously thinking of entering intopartnership with me?"
"I don't know about mother, but I know that I am leaning very muchtowards the idea," I said; "and I think I ought to apologise, both formy mother and myself, for the rude way in which we treated youyesterday."
"I expected it, love; I was not a bit surprised," said Jane Mullins."I thought it best to plump out the whole scheme and allow it tosimmer in your minds. Of course, at first, you were not likely to betaken with it, but you were equally likely to come round. I stayed inthis morning on purpose; I was almost sure you would visit me."
"You were right," I said. "I see that you are a very wise woman, and Iam a silly girl."
"You are a very beautiful girl, Miss Wickham, and educated accordingto your station. Your station and mine are far apart, but having gotcapital and a certain amount of sense, it would be a very goodpartnership, if you really think we could venture upon it."
"I am willing," I said suddenly.
"Then, that is right; here's my hand upon it; but don't be moreimpulsive to-day, my dear, than you were yesterday. You must do thingsproperly. Here are different references of mine." She walked acrossthe room, took up a little packet, and opened it.
"This is a list of tradespeople," she said; "I should like you towrite to them all; they will explain to a certain extent my financialposition; they will assure you that I, Jane Mullins, have been dealingwith them for the things that I require for the last seven years--aseven years' reference is long enough, is it not? But if it is notquite long enough, here is the address of the dear old Rector inShropshire who confirmed me, and in whose Sunday-school I wastrained, and who knew my father, one of the best farmers in thedistrict.
"So much for my early life, but the most important reference of all isthe reference of the friend, who does not choose his or her name to bementioned, and who is helping me with capital; not helping you, MissWickham, mind--not you nor Mrs. Wickham--but me _myself_, with capitalto the tune of seven thousand pounds. I could not do it but for that,and as the person who is lending me this money to make this greatfortune happens to be a friend of Mr. Hardcastle's, I think he, Mr.Hardcastle, will let us have the house."
"Now this is all very startling and amazing," I said. "You ought totell us your friend's name and all about it; that is, if we are to goproperly into partnership."
"It can't be done, my dear. The friend is a very old friend and a verytrue one, and Mr. Hardcastle is the one to be satisfied. The friendknows that for years I have wanted to start a boarding-house, but thefriend always thought there were difficulties in the way. I was toohomely, and people are grand in these days, and want some society airsand manners, which you, my dear, possess. So if we put our fortunesinto one bag everything will come right, and you must trust me, that'sall."
I was quite silent, thinking very hard.
"When I saw 17 Graham Square yesterday," continued Miss Mullins, "Isaid to myself, if there is a suitable house for our purpose in thewhole W.C. district it is that house. What a splendid drawing-roomthere is, or rather two drawing-rooms; just the very rooms toentertain people in in the evening. Now if we put all our fortunesinto one bag, you, my dear Miss Wickham, shall have the social part ofthe establishment under your wing. I will arrange all about theservants, and will see that the cooking is right, and will carve thejoints at dinner; and your beautiful, graceful, aristocratic ladymother must take the head of the table. She won't have a great deal todo, but her presence will work wonders."
"And do you think we shall make any money with this thing?" I said.
"It is my impression that we will; indeed I am almost sure of it, butthe house must be furnished suitably."
"But what is your taste with regard to furniture, Miss Mullins?" Iasked, and now I looked apprehensively round the little Berlin woolroom.
"Well, I always did incline to the primitive colours. I will be frankwith you, and say honestly that I never pass by that awful shop,Liberty's in Regent Street, without shuddering. Their greens and theirgreys and their pinks are not my taste, love--no, and never will be;but I shall leave the furnishing to you, Miss Wickham, for I see bythe tone of that dress you are now wearing that you adhere toLiberty, and like his style of decoration."
"Oh, I certainly do," I replied.
"Very well then, you shall furnish in Liberty style, or in any styleyou fancy; it does not matter to me. You know the tastes of your ownset, and I hope we'll have plenty of them at No. 17, my dear. As amatter of fact, all I care about in a room is that it should beabsolutely clean, free from dust, tidily arranged, and not too muchfurniture in it. For the rest--well, I never notice pretty things whenthey are about, so you need not bother about that as far as I amconcerned. The house is a very large one, and although you have somefurniture to meet its requirements, and what I have in this littleroom will do for my own sitting-room, still I have not the slightestdoubt we shall have to spend abo
ut a thousand pounds in putting thehouse into apple-pie order; not a penny less will do the job, of thatI am convinced."
As I had no knowledge whatever on the subject I could neither gainsayMiss Mullins nor agree with her.
"The house must be the envy of all the neighbours," she said, and atwinkle came into her eyes and a look of satisfaction round her mouth.
"Oh, it shall be. How delightful you are!" I cried.
"What I propose is this," said Jane Mullins; "we--your mother, youand I--sign the lease, and we three are responsible. I take one thirdof the profits, you a third, and your mother a third."
"But surely that is not fair, for you are putting capital into it."
"Not at all, it is my friend's capital, and that is the arrangement myfriend would like. Come, I cannot work on any other terms. I take athird, you a third, and your mother a third. I, having experience, dothe housekeeping. Having experience, I order the servants. You arrangethe decorations for the table, you have the charge of the flowers andthe drawing-room in the evenings. As funds permit and paying guestsarrive you inaugurate amusements in the drawing-room, you makeeverything as sociable and as pleasant as possible. Your mother givestone and distinction to the entire establishment."
"You seem to be leaving very little for mother and me to do," I said.
"Your mother cannot have much to do, for I do not think she isstrong," said Miss Mullins. "She is older than I am too, and has seena great deal of sorrow; but what she does, remember no one else cando, she gives _the tone_. It's a fact, Miss Wickham, that you may tryall your life, but unless Providence has bestowed tone upon you, youcannot acquire it. Now I have no tone, and will only obtrude myselfinto the social circle to carve the joints at dinner; otherwise Ishall be busy, extremely busy in my own domain."
"Well, as far as I am concerned, I am abundantly willing to enter intothis partnership," I said. "I like you very much, and I am sure youare honest and true. I will tell mother what you have said to me, andwe will let you know immediately."
"All I ask is that you prove me, my dear," said the little woman, andthen she took my hand and gave it a firm grip.