CHAPTER X.
Soon as ever my sight was fully restored, and I had Dr. Frank'spermission, I took to my drawing again, and worked at it till my eyesached. This was the symptom upon which I had promised immediately toleave off. Then out I would rush, towards dusk, and away into the greatsquare, full of the pure air of heaven, round by the church at the top,and six times round it till my breath was short. The senior sophistreminds me that round a square is impossible. After squaring thecircle, extract the square root, dear Idols, by the binomial theorem.You do learn so much at college: but I write simple and often foolishEnglish. Never mind; I would rather write bad English, than the bestFrench ever written. One is the tongue of power and multitude: theother the language of nicety and demarcation. Which of the two is themore expansive, even a woman may guess.
High time it was for me to recruit my exchequer. Dr. Franks had chargedme far less than I even dared to hope. How I trembled when I opened theenvelope! What quick terror is half so bad as the slow fear of gatheringdebt? I was accustomed to medical charges of the time when I was anheiress: but his appeared to me now to be even below reason. The sumcould hardly have paid him for his numerous walks to and fro. Then awretched idea shot through me: had he charged me so little, because heknew I was poor? I took Mrs. Shelfer into my confidence; she was likelyto know what the London scale should be. The little thing soonreassured me: it was quite enough, she declared; if she were in myplace, she would demand a discount for ready money!
"Oh you dreadfully mean little woman! I should lose my sight, anddeserve it, if I did."
However, in spite of all this, money was scarce and scarcer every day,and none of my grand revenues would fall due for ever so long. Soanother visit must be paid to Mr. Oxgall. Isola insisted on coming withme; to my surprise I found that, with all her soft simplicity she hadmuch more idea of making a market than I had. The reason probably wasthat she had much less pride. No pocket would hold mine, when atradesman attempted any familiarity. And whoso stands on a pedestal tosell, is like to find the buyer's arm too short.
Whether it were that, or the golden charm of her manner, or of somethingelse, let Mr. Oxgall say; certain it is that the man of crackly canvas(for whom, by-the-bye, I have a sincere respect, because he cheated meso little and so neatly)--this man, I say, regarded her with awide-mouthed, brooch-eyed, admiration, which he hardly ever expended onanything out of oils. For the king of painters himself she was a visionsweeter than dreams of heaven. Such a tint in her lustrous eyes, suchtone in her dainty cheeks, such perfection of line in her features, andevery curve of her exquisite shape. And bounding and sparkling throughall, from the rippled wealth of her hair to the light-curved arch of herfoot, the full play of her innocent, joyous, loving life.
No wonder the picture-dealer shaded his eyes and gazed, and rubbed themand gazed again. I have frequently seen respectable elderly gentlemen,whose rakishness has never been more than found vent in the cock of ahat, magisterial men I mean, who would no more think of insulting a girlin London or anywhere else, than of giving their daughters as prizes forcompetitive skill in poaching, such good men and true, alsosimple-hearted clergymen (for some there still are from the country)these and the like, I Clara Vaughan have seen, when they met my Isola,stop short, wink frequently, and without much presence of mind, untilshe was gone by; then shumble hotly across the street, with hands intheir tail-coat pockets (for these gentlemen always expect most to berobbed when there is least chance of it) pretend to look at a shop, thenmarch at top speed, fumbling all the while for their spectacles, untilthey got well a-head of us. Then I have seen them cross again, somethirty yards in front, with spectacles nicely adjusted, and become againwholly absorbed by the beauty of metropolitan goods. But when the lightfoot sounded, from a fair gazing distance, these same gentlemen have (bysome strange coincidence) alway turned full upon us, in an absent andyet nervous manner, and focussed their green or pale blue eyes upon therich violet orbs of Isola. I have even known them to look at me (whenthey could see her no more), to find some sympathy for their vagueemotions. Idols knew it: of course she did. And she rather gloried init. She had much respect for a fine old gentleman; and I know not howit was, but nobody ever thought of insulting her when she could beclearly seen.
A "pretty girl" you would never call her--though Mr. Shelfer did--theterm would be quite unworthy; even a "beautiful girl," sweetly beautifulthough she was, would hardly be your expression, at least for a while.But a "lovely girl," and the loveliest one ever seen, that is what shewould be called at once, if you could take your eyes off, to analyseyour ideas.
Isola knew it of course, as I said before, she knew all her wondrousgifts; but as for being conceited, a trull with a splay foot and a cropof short-horn carrots has often thrice her conceit. A certain prettygraceful pride she had, which threw a rosy playful halo round her, butnever made other women look plain in her eyes. She will not value herbeauty much, until she falls in love; and blessed is he who shall be theobject, if she is allowed to abide with him.
Meanwhile Mr. Oxgall wished for nothing but to hear and see her talk;and this she did to some purpose. I like a man who at the age of sixtyis still impressible to the gay vein of youth. I know at once by hiseyes whether his admiration is abstract and admissible. If it be, Ireciprocate it. What clearer proof can we find, that his heart has notwithered with his body; that he is not a man of mammon, tinsel, orphylactery,--in a word, no mummy?
Shall I ever finish this bargain? I have never been so reflectivebefore; and all the time no less a sum than five pounds hangs upon it.Five guineas (which sounds better) was the amount at which dear Idolslet off Mr. Oxgall. I believe she might have got ten, but she had anexcellent conscience. It worked like a patent chronometer, withcompensation balance. Mine was still more sensitive. I could hardlythink my landscape, perspective mare's nest and all, worth that amountof money, and I wished to throw off a guinea, but Idols would not hearof it.
"Miss Valence, I am your factor for this beautiful landscape, which hascost you so much labour. Either accept my terms, inadequate as theyare, or take the agency from me, and recommence with Mr. Oxgall 'denovo,' as we say at College."
Betwixt her beauty and my stately integrity, poor Mr. Oxgall knew notwhere he stood. I heard him mutter that he would rather go throughfifty auctions, even if it was George Robins. But if she had come tosell him a picture the very next day, he would have gone through it allagain with the same infatuation. So I took the money; and now my evildemon, who had chafed beneath all this trampling, had his turn again. Wehad foolishly brought the great dog Giudice, for our delight and theexpansion of his mind. In Mr. Oxgall's shop he behaved to admiration.With the air of a connoisseur he walked from picture to picture, closedone eye, and faintly wagged his tail. Then he found a Scotch terrierscarcely worth a sniff, and a mastiff whom he saluted with acontemptuous growl. The only work of high art he could discover was aninterior, with a flitch of bacon in the foreground uncommonly welldrawn. Before this he sat down, and receiving no invitation, bedewed theboards with a stalactite from either side of his mouth. The dog was sowell behaved, he never took anything without leave and saying t a longgrace.
Unluckily Mr. Oxgall, mainly I believe to prolong his interview withIdols, insisted upon taking us to the shop of a carver and gilder closeby; where my first drawing (which had been sold) was to be seen in itsframe. He declared that we could not tell what a painting was like,until we had seen it framed. Observing several large mirrors in thisshop, I begged that Giudice might be left outside. And so he was, buthe did not stay there. Scarcely had we begun to discuss the effect ofthe frame on my drawing, when Giudice pushed his way in, and lookedabout with a truly judicial air. The shop was long, and the owner waswith us at the further end. I saw what would follow, and dashed off tostop him, but it was too late. Giudice had seen the very finest dog heever beheld in his life--a dog really worth fighting. Up went his crestand his tail, one sa
vage growl, and he sprang at him. Crash,--and thelargest mirror there was a wreck, and Giudice the rock beneath it. Fora time he lay quite stunned; then to my great delight he staggered tome, not Isola, laid his cut paws in my hands and his bleeding nose in mylap, and explained it all to me with much entreaty for sympathy. This Igave him readily, even to tears and kisses. Isola wanted to scold andeven to beat him, but I would not hear of it. He had seen another greatdog between himself and us, how could he help attacking him? I ordereda sponge and some water at once, and bathed his fore paws, which wereterribly cut; then remembering the Inspector, I sent Idols for somearnica. But the blood was not stanched by it as I expected; perhaps thedrug was not pure, or the hair obstructed its action. So I held hispaws in the basin, and he whinged, and licked me, and made my face allbloody.
Meanwhile the poor carver and gilder thought much more of hislooking-glass than of noble flesh and blood. The picture-dealer as wellwas in a great predicament.
"Mr. Oxgall," I cried, still sponging the wounded dog's nose, "let ushear no more about it. Tell me the full value of the mirror, and I willpay for it. What are glass and quicksilver, or even gold, compared to anoble dog like this? Not worth a wag of your tail, are they, my duck ofdiamonds? Give me another kiss, you delicious pet of a dog."
The delicious dog was entirely of my opinion. His beautiful eyes wereunhurt. His nose tasted wholesomely salt. But Isola was not half soromantic. Little she cared about money for herself; yet she had no ideaof seeing a friend disburse. Empowered by nature to wind all men roundher finger, she now called art to her aid, and Mr. Oxgall, who washalf-way round already, had no chance of escape.
She settled it thus: the carver and gilder, in consideration of hisdealings with Mr. Oxgall and his own "careless exposure" of the mirror,should accept cost price for the article. That amount should be paid inequal shares by all three of us: by Mr. Oxgall because he would drag usthither, by herself as the mistress of the dog, and by me as the causeof the expedition. She had attended a course of lectures uponjurisprudence, and her decision was better than that of a judge, becauseshe had seen the whole of it, and because the dog was hers--at least herbrother's, which was all the same. As for the owner of the mirror, hemust think himself wonderfully lucky in having met with such honestpeople, and in having sold his glass, and hadn't he got all the pieces,and she must have the largest one for Judy to dress his hair by. And soindeed she did.
After our dear Portia had finished, and the whole thing was settled, itstruck me that no lectures upon jurisprudence could turn wrong intoright. Mr. Oxgall was quite blameless, so was I, so was Idols, exceptin bringing unlucky Giudice with her, which, from the outset, I haddiscouraged. She, as the temporary owner of the dog, should have borneall the loss; and so she would have done gladly, only she did not see itin that light. As it was, she tried afterwards to force upon me herlast three guineas (that being the sum which I had paid, as my third ofthe whole), but of course I would not accept them. She had no moneywith her, so I paid her contribution, but allowed her to repay me. Mr.Oxgall's third I made good to him (without consulting her) when he paidme for my next drawing. So I had earned five guineas, and lost six. Isit always to be so when I labour to make a little money?
At my earnest entreaty--Idols could refuse me nothing, when I was inearnest--darling Giudice was brought home in a cab to my lodgings. Iknew that he would not be cared for at the stables where he was boarded;and his wounds were very serious. As for home, Professor Ross, whodetested dogs in general, would not admit him into the house. He eventhought it a great stretch of grace to allow old Cora to watch the dogback to the stables, after he had been patrolling all the afternoon withhis mistress. How I hate such low ingratitude! An animal is to serveus, body and soul, to crouch and fawn for our notice--not that Giudiceever fawned to him, but growled awfully--and we are to think it well offwith a curse or a kick, which we durst not give it but for its loyaltyto us.
What pleasure I had in nursing that poor Giudice, and how grateful hewas! When we got home, I washed his wounds again, with warm water thistime, as the bleeding was stanched; and then I "exhibited" (as thedoctors absurdly say) a little friar's balsam. "Oh, it does smart so!"Giudice exclaimed with his eyes, "but I know it's for the best, and youwon't see me give one wince." Neither did I. Then a nice soft bandageover his lovely paws, and a plaister across his nose, and he liessnugly, at the proper distance from the fire, as proud as possible ofbeing nursed, and with an interesting air of pallid refinement on hisfeatures. He will hardly notice Idols, but exclaims, at length, with thepetulance of an invalid, "Isola, can't you let me alone? Claraunderstands a dog, and I like her much the best." So he followed me allround the room with his eyes, and begged me to come and talk to him,which I would not do, because he needed quiet and composure.