Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 147: what you’re looking at

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

—— Er 184 JOSEPH WILMOT; OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. Dr. Pomfret’s pursuits, and the nature of one part of his establishment, I may resume the thread of my narrative. I had been nearly four months in my new place: and it was now the beginning of June. One evening, as I was sitting in the kitchen, talking with the other servants,—Mr. Sawkins being with the physician in the dining- room, and Mrs. Pomfret out at an evening party, as she had then no lady in the house who wanted her society,—a loud and imperious knock, accom- panied by an equally peremptory ring, sounded through the dwelling. I hastened to answer the summons ; and by some accident the hall-lamp had not been lighted, although it was past nine o’clock, and therefore dusk. No street-lamp was near on the same side of the street: but at that season it is seldom so dark as to prevent persons observing each other with a tolerable degree of accuracy. Moreover Mr. Sawkins’s brilliant-coloured lamp opposite threw its beams to the edge of the pave- ment at the doctor’s front door ;—and there, on that pavement, stood an individual whom [I at once recognised as Sir Malcolm Wavenham. “Is Dr. Pomfret at home?” he at once asked. “Yes, sir,” was my response, tremblingly given : for I was stricken with astonishment on beholding that man there,—a man towards whom [I had so many reasons for entertaining the strongest aver- sion. “Then say that a gentleman wishes to see him immediately,” he hastened to observe. “It’s of no use to give any name: my business is altoge- ther private—and I must see the doctor alone.” I did not ask him to walk in: I could not give utterance to another word: his presence there had so painfully conjured up every circumstance, thought, fear, and association, in respect to Anna- bel. I mechanically turned back into the hall, leaving the front door wide open: he followed me, no doubt taking it for granted that I meant him to do so; and I threw open the door of a parlour, where lights were kept burning in case a visitor should arrive. He passed hastily in, with a cer- tain hurried excitement of manner; and I closed the door behind him. He evidently had not re- cognised me: I felt assured he had not. Indeed, it was hardly to be expected that he could have done so: for as I stood in the hall, I was com- pletely in the shade—and moreover he knew so little of me. He had seen me but two or three times at Charlton Hail:—at the theatre, on the night that I beheld him with Violet Mortimer (as the radiant being was then called) he had not noticed me at all; and on that other night, many months afterwards, when I had rushed up to his carriage as it had stopped at the wayside public- house near Exeter, he had no opportunity of catching more than the slightest glimpse of my features by the lamp-light. Thus, altogether, it was not strange that he did not know me: it would have been more remarkable if he had re- cognised me. A year and a half had passed since last he beheld me at Charlton Hall: I had grown considerably since then;—for at the time of life of which I am speaking, an interval of eighteen months effects a considerable alteration in the per- sonal appearance of a youth. But to continue. Having hastily shut the front door, I lighted the hall-lamp, lest Dr. Pomfret should be angry at the omission—and then pro- ~~ eee ee ee ee | ceeded to the dining-room, where he was seated with Mr. Sawkins. His countenance was some- what flushed with wime; and by the empty bottles upon the sideboard, it was evident that he and the apothecary had made the best of their time in that respect since dinner. I had regained my composure as well as I was able: atleast I assumed it outwardly, though my mind was filled with painful thoughts of Annabel. I informed Dr. Pomfret that a gentleman wished to see him on immediate business: he bade me give him a bottle of soda-water without a moment’s delay; and when he had drunk it, he put on an air of bland and affable self-complacency, as he proceeded to the apartment to which the Baronet had been shown. I then descended to the kitchen, wondering what business could possibly have brought Sir Malcolm Wavyenham to my master’s house. Cer- tain misgivings—certain dreadful thoughts—floated in my brain: but I endeavoured with all my power to disperse them. I will not dwell upon them now; but will rather hasten to observe that at the expiration of about twenty minutes Sir Maleolm took his departure, and the doctor re- joined Mr. Sawkins in the dining-room. Three days elapsed, during which interval I was rendered very restless, uneasy, and anxious by those thoughts to which I have alluded; and these were by no means mitigated in their painful poignancy, when I observed that the Private Parlour-maid was much engaged up-stairs, as if preparing one of the suites of rooms for the re- ception of a visitress. There is no use in dis- guising what my apprehensions really were. The reader has doubtless already penetrated them: for it was impossible for me to d@connect the image of Annabel from whatsoever pursuits I found engaging the attention of Sir Malcolm Waven- ham. But then I thought to myself, that as he was a thoroughly profligate young man, and in the course of his unscrupulous pleasures had no doubt effected the ruin of many female victims, he might have called at the doctor’s house to make private arrangements for the reception of any one of these; and that it was ridiculous to take it as a~ matter of absolute certainty that it could be for Annabel, and Annabel only. Such was the argu- ment with which I strove to quiet my apprehen- sions and deaden my misgivings: but they never- theless constantly recurred in spite of me. Tt was not until the middle of the fourth day after Sir Malcolm Wavenham’s visit, I acquired the positive certainty that the suite of apartments on the first floor was actually being prepared for the reception of some one. Then however I gathered from the discourse of my fellow-servants that such was the case. But the Private Parlour- maid spoke a very few words on the subject—and these shrine p The name of Sir Malcolm was not mentioned at all: perhaps she did not know it ;—and I need not add that an equal silence was maintained in respect to her who was coming. I was not even sure that this expected arrival was the result of any arrangement ‘made by that Baronet: it might have no connexion with him at all: he might have sought the doctor on other business? Alas, no!—the state of my mind would not suffer it to be quieted by these reason- : Sf ings. CoOmicaoolks (E ~ (0)