Joseph Wilmot, or, The Memoirs of a Man-Servant — page 96: what you’re looking at

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

2 = —— JOSEPH WILMOT; once been pink, but had lost all its colour and had a rusty look—a parasol which seemed to have grown old and worn out as a shield alike against sun and rain—soiled kid gloves—and a black silk reticule, in which keys and half-pence jingled together, completed this lady’s toilet. As for her personal appearance, I may as well add that she had a pale face, with sharp angular features— light blue eyes, altogether lacking in lustre—and thin lips, which she retained very much com- pressed. Her age might be about forty: her look was severe and proud, at the same time prim and old maidish. Blended therewith, too, was a cer- taim expression indicative of meanness, ill-nature, and narrow-mindedness. She was decidedly ugly and unprepossessing, without a single redeeming feature,—and likewise without a ray of any better feeling shining through that disagreeable and sinister aspect. The lady was walking so very slow,—the foot- man with the poodles being, as a matter of course, compelled to follow at the same snail’s pace,—that I could not possibly have lingered behind without haying the appearance of impertinently watching them: besides I more than suspected that this must be Lady Georgiana ‘iverton herself. So I soon overtook them both; and on passing her by, touched my hat. “What do you want, lad?’ she said, speaking in a languid and yet a severe voice,—as if it were unpleasantly fatiguing for her nerves as well as painful to her pride to have to address an inferior at all. “I dare say you have come about the situation ?’—and then she fixed her dull blue eyes upon me very suspiciously, as well as very disdain- fully: as if she thought it was quite possible I might be lurking about the grounds for no good purpose—or else that I was scarcely worthy of attracting her notice. I intimated that I had come to apply for the situation of page, which I understood to be vacant at Myrtle Lodge. “Then you can follow, lad, at a respectful dis- tance,” said the lady: “and another time you will perhaps learn better manners than to think of overtaking your superiors with a view to passing them by.” I again touched my hat and fell into the rear,— observing, as I did so, that the tall footman looked very glum and very miserable indeed, though still rigidly severe as he lugged the great poodles under his arms. It was now a sort of little procession that was formed towards the Lodge,—the lady leading the way as prim as possible, scarcely ever looking to the right or to the left, and holding her old parasol straight before her nose: though for what reason she had it at all, I could not think; as there was very little sun, and the October breeze blew fresh. The footman followed with the dogs; and I brought up the rear. Presently I noticed that the footman let down one of the poodles, very gently indeed—then the other—and led them both by faded blue ribbons which were tied round their necks. He now seemed to walk more freely, and with a little more elasticity of his hitherto rigid limbs ; while it likewise struck me that he glanced over his shoulder towards me with an expression of grim satisfaction, as if he felt that he was out- witting his mistress. He was a hard-featured man, with a sallow complexion, and certainly did not OR, THE MEMOIRS OF A MAN-SERVANT. seem as if he were fed on roast beef and drank strong beer: indeed he had a certain hungry look, and also as if he were labouring under a sad de- pression of spirits. One would have thought him an unhappy man, of lugubrious disposition—dis- contented and dissatisfied with all things in general, and his own place in particular. Nevertheless, it seemed, as I have said, to afford him some little relief that he had contrived to set down the poodles without being detected by his mistress; and he increased the interval between himself and her, so that she might not hear the pattering of the dogs’ feet. But, alas for the vanity of sublunary hopes!—the lady dropped her reticule, causing the keys and the half-pence to rattle together upon the road: and as I darted forward to pick up the rusty old silk bag, she stopped short. Turning slowly round, she beheld the high crime and misdemeanour of which the footman had been so stealthily and insidiously ruilty; and drawing herself up into the most dig- nified primness, and with alook of awful sternness, she said, “John Robert !” “ Yes, my lady,” answered the glum-looking footman, with a touch of his hat: and he stood like a veritable culprit before her. “You have disobeyed my orders, John Robert,” resumed her ladyship, “and you have done this in a manner which I will not designate so lightly as an ordinary act of carelessness or neglect : but you have done it under circumstances of cunning and duplicity which ag “Really, my lady, I’m very sorry,” mumbled the footman, getting more and more discomfited as the aspect of his mistress waxed more and more severe: “but them dogs, my lady, is so heavy * Now don’t answer me, John Robert,” she in- terrupted with deprecating sternness. “ You know I can put up with anything except being an- swered. I never will allow anybody in my service to answer me :”’— and as she thus spoke, she bent her severe gaze upon me, as much as to say she thought I. was an impudent-looking young scainp, who was very likely to commit myself in the manner she was denouncing, and that she therefore let me know beforehand what I might expect if I took the place and ventured to be so unpardonably audacious. The footman, heaving a profound sigh, picked up the poodles again; and her ladyship resumed her walk towards the Lodge with the same stately slowness as before. I again fell into the rear— and began thinking to myself that I had already seen quite enough of Myrtle Lodge from a dis- tance, and of its mistress in the space of ten minutes, to put me out of all conceit of the situa- tion I had come to inquire about. But then I recollected that the tradesman who gave me the recommendation, had told me the Tivertons were rather peculiar people, though he thought I should be happy and comfortable when once I had fallen into their ways. Besides, I could not for decency’s sake turn abruptly round and hurry off ; so I followed the lady and footman towards the Lodge. The nearer I approached, the more gloomy was its aspect. I have already said the windows were numerous and very small: the dark heavy hangings seen through the panes, strength- ened the impression that the interior must be of | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | <S (CO im ElOOO