Kitabı oku: «A Woman Perfected», sayfa 12
"Please do! What is it? You are so clever!"
"If I were you I should put on your prettiest frock, and your prettiest hat, and the prettiest everything you've got."
"Eustace! Why?"
Mr. Gibb put his hand up to his mouth, and coughed discreetly.
"Fact is, Mr. Hooper's more of an eye for female beauty than he thinks, and if you come to him looking as I've seen you look, you'll knock him."
"Knock him?"
Mr. Gibb was apologetic.
"It's not often that I do use words of that kind, but, asking your pardon, this time I mean it."
"But-I don't understand what you do mean. You can't mean that Mr. Hooper would engage me as his secretary merely because I happened to be wearing my prettiest frock?"
"I don't say anything of the kind; not at all. I don't know that he wants a secretary; I only know he told me to ask you to call. You want to make a good impression when you do call, don't you?"
"Of course I do."
"Exactly; of course you do! What I say is don't leave anything undone which will help you to make a good impression; and that's all I do say."
When Mr. Gibb went Nora was left blushing, trembling, excited, and slightly bewildered; she continued her meal without having any clear idea of what it was that she was eating.
"That's a queer boy," she said to herself, more than once.
Mr. Gibb was a queer boy; which was why his "chief" occasionally alluded to him as King Solomon.
CHAPTER XXI
NORA FINDS SOMETHING TO DO
Mr. Hooper had not long arrived at his chambers, on the following morning; he was lounging in his chair, his hat still on the back of his head, his pipe between his lips, studying, in the newspaper which he held out in front of him, reports of cricket, golf, and similar legal matters, when the door was opened and Mr. Gibb came in.
"Lady to see you, sir."
Mr. Hooper started.
"Lady? What lady?"
"Lady you made an appointment with yesterday, sir."
"Lady I made an appointment with yesterday?" Mr. Hooper seemed to be making an effort to collect his wits, which Mr. Gibb's announcement had scattered. "You young scoundrel! I'd forgotten-"
Fortunately he had got no further; because, even as he was speaking, the lady entered; whereupon Mr. Gibb vanished with a degree of haste which was almost suspicious. Mr. Hooper dropped his newspaper, removed his hat with one hand, his pipe with the other, and sprang to his feet, to stare; forgetful altogether, for the moment, of his manners, so completely was he taken by surprise. What he had expected to see he could not have said; what he actually did see, standing
"in his room,
Making it rich and like a lily in bloom,"
was the most beautiful girl he ever had seen. She was tall and most divinely fair, perfectly dressed, in a long, trailing black gown, which became her slender form, and a big black hat, which threw into strong relief what seemed to him to be the almost ethereal beauty of her face; and she held herself daintily erect, like the great lady he could have sworn she was. The fact that the bowl of his pipe was burning his hand recalled him to his senses.
"I-I beg your pardon; I'm afraid I've been smoking; if you'll allow me I'll open the windows."
He opened them; the three windows the room contained.
"You are Mr. Hooper?"
Her voice was just the kind of voice it was fitting should be hers, soft, clear, sweet; it was to him like the sound of music which he loved; and, when he heard it, off went his wits again.
"Yes, that-that is my name; yes-exactly-I-I am Mr. Hooper-yes."
"I am Nora Lindsay."
Nora! That was one of his pet names; as she pronounced it it seemed to him to be the sweetest name a woman could have; like everything about her, it became her so.
"May I-may I offer you a seat, Miss Lindsay? I-I am very glad to see you."
She sat down, with what seemed to him almost awful calmness; but she was all tremblement within, a maze of conflicting emotions, for already it was clear to her that this was quite a singular young man; only she was able to exhibit more outward self-control than he was. When she saw that he showed no immediate disposition to touch on the subject on which she had come, but seemed to be able to do nothing but fidget, she began on the theme herself.
"Eustace tells me that he mentioned to you that I am looking for a post as secretary."
"Eustace? Oh, you mean King Solomon-that is, young Gibb. Young Gibb's a curious boy."
"Curious? I think he's delightful."
"Delightful? Yes, so-so he is; a-a most valuable acquisition for a man like me."
"Do you yourself require a secretary, Mr. Hooper.
"Do I-require a secretary-myself? I-I-the fact is-" A wild idea was germinating in the erratic young gentleman's brain. "What are your qualifications, Miss Lindsay?"
"I can work a typewriter."
"Can you? That's splendid."
"At least I could about twelve months ago, and I dare say I could again, after a little practice."
"Of course you could; not a doubt of it. And-and can you write shorthand?"
"No, I can't write shorthand; is that indispensable?"
"No, not-not indispensable."
"I can speak and write French, and I know some German."
"Those-those are decidedly advantages."
"And I write a very clear hand; I don't think any one would have any difficulty in reading what I write; I will show you a specimen if you like."
"There's-there's not the slightest necessity; not the least; I feel sure you write a clear hand. And-when are you disengaged?"
"At once; I should like to begin as soon as I possibly could; I am very anxious to begin." Something which she fancied she saw on his face seemed to trouble her. "Isn't the secretary wanted at once?"
"Well, the fact is, it's this way-"
"I could come for a week on trial, so that you might see if I suited."
The idea of this divine creature coming to his chambers, day after day, for a whole week, made his brain whirl round.
"I'm sure you'd suit; I-I've not the slightest doubt about that."
"You can't be quite sure; but I'd try to please you."
"I-I-I-" He was about to remark that there was not the slightest necessity for her to try, since she could not help but please him, whether she tried or not, when a sudden fear came to him that his remark might be misconstrued; so he pulled himself up in time. "The remark I was about to make is, since-since I desire to be quite plain, in order that we may not commence with-with a misunderstanding; what it is I wish to point out is that the post may be of a purely temporary nature."
"That doesn't matter; it would be something; and that's better than nothing. How long would it be likely to last?"
"That's-that's not easy to determine; the fact is it's really a jobbing secretary that's wanted."
"What is a jobbing secretary?"
"One who works by the job."
"By the job?"
"Let me explain. Say there's a job-that is, a piece of work-wants doing; when that's done there may be an interregnum before more's required."
"I see. And-will the secretary be paid by the job?"
"Paid by the job?"
"Or-by the week-or how?"
"That-that reminds me." It seemed to Nora that Mr. Hooper drew in a long breath, as if he desired to lay in a stock in case of emergency. "What honorarium were you thinking of asking, Miss Lindsay?"
"I was thinking of asking two guineas a week." She fancied his jaw fell; so she hedged, quickly. "But, of course, if that's too much-"
"Not at all; not in the least; practically it's less than I expected." Although he had not the faintest notion where the money was to come from, if it had to come from him, he was thinking that if she proposed to keep herself on two guineas a week it would be some time-slight though his knowledge of such matters was, before she would be able to buy another dress like the one which she had on. "Well, Miss Lindsay, we'll leave it like this; I will think it over and let you know my decision."
"Couldn't you decide now? I've found that when people say they'll let me know their decision they mean no. Please-please give me a trial; do let me try. If-if you'll give me a chance I'll-I'll do my very best, so that you-you shan't regret it."
Unless he was mistaken, something very much like tears stood in her eyes; they affected him in a way nothing ever had done before; he would have liked to have knocked his head against the wall.
"My dear Miss Lindsay, you altogether misunderstand me-entirely misunderstand me; I shall be delighted to offer you the post-delighted."
"Mr. Hooper! Do you mean it? Really?"
It was worth two guineas a week to see the look which came into her face.
"Certainly I mean it."
"But-what did you mean when you said you'd let me know your decision?"
"I meant my decision with-with reference to-to when your duties are to commence."
"Oh! Will it be very long before you want me?"
"Emphatically no. As to wanting you, I-I want you immediately. Shall we say-"
"To-morrow? If you could let me begin tomorrow!"
"Undoubtedly you can begin to-morrow."
"At what time?"
"Shall we put it-at eleven? or would you prefer to make it twelve?"
"Twelve! But Eustace comes at ten."
"Yes, Eustace comes at ten; but I don't want to put you to any inconvenience."
"You don't want to put me to any inconvenience!" She got up from her chair with something in her way of doing it which frightened him. "But I don't want you to study my convenience; in the future it will be my duty to study yours; please understand that, before all else, I wish to do my duty. I want to do a man's work and to earn a man's wage-to deserve a man's wage. Of course I know I shan't deserve it at first; but I'm going to try hard, and if you'll only give me a chance, and treat me as if I were a man, I think you'll admit that I do deserve it before very long. I know that being a woman is against me-"
"Really, Miss Lindsay, I can't admit that."
"But I know it is-I learnt that long ago; and only when I have succeeded in making you forget that I am a woman shall I know that I am beginning to earn my wage-as a man. Then I am to come to-morrow with Eustace, at ten."
"With Eustace? Oh yes; quite so-that is-certainly; that will suit me very well."
She went out of the room without another word; he stood staring at the door through which she had passed.
"This is uncommonly awkward; ought I to have opened the door for her or not? It wouldn't have been treating her like a man, and she might have resented it. She has a way of speaking, to say nothing of looking, which takes the stiffening right out of me. I'd have given anything to have dared to ask her to lunch; but-if I had dared, anything might have happened. One thing's certain, I've been and gone and done it. I've given myself two problems to solve; one thing is, what am I to find for her to do? – for even a jobbing secretary must do something, especially when she's full of enthusiasm to the bursting-point. And the other is, how I am going to find the cash to pay her for doing it; I'll be hanged if I know which of the problems is likely to prove the most insoluble."
When Nora reached the office Mr. Gibb assailed her with questions; her answers seeming to amaze him in an ascending scale.
"Well, what did he say to you?"
"He's engaged me."
"Engaged you? What for?"
"As jobbing secretary."
"As what?"
"As jobbing secretary."
"Who to?"
"Why, to himself, of course."
"He's engaged you as jobbing secretary to himself? What are you going to do?"
"How can I tell? I suppose he has something very important which he wants me to do."
"Has he? Oh! When are you going to start on it?"
"To-morrow!"
"To-morrow? What's he going to pay you?"
"Two guineas a week; isn't it splendid?" The announcement seemed to startle Mr. Gibb out of the faculty of asking further questions. She went on. "And I have to thank you for it! Only think! if it hadn't been for you such luck never would have come my way; you dear, dear boy! I should like to kiss you for it; and I will!" And she did, quite heartily too, though she had to stoop to do it. "And out of my first two guineas I'll buy you something; what shall it be?"
"Nothing you could buy could ever equal what you've given me."
"What I've given you? what have I given you?"
"A kiss; I never shall forget you kissed me as long as I live."
"Eustace, you are-you are a queer boy!"
She went out, all blushes. When she had gone Mr. Gibb did what his employer had done; he stared at the door through which she had passed.
"Well, I call this of the nature of a startler; she must have knocked him. His jobbing secretary! What's he going to find for her to do, when there's nothing for him to do? or, for the matter of that, for me either. And two guineas a week! When the other day he sent me out to change his last fiver, and told me he'd have to make it do till quarter day, and there's still three weeks to that. Looks to me as if he'd rather overdone it."
The door of Mr. Hooper's room was opened; his voice was heard.
"Mr. Gibb, come in here!" Mr. Gibb went in there.
CHAPTER XXII
MASTER AND MAN
When Mr. Gibb entered he found Mr. Hooper in a state of agitation; there was nothing very amazing in that, as he had found him in that condition on previous occasions; but it seemed to Mr. Gibb that, in his agitation then, there was a quality which was new. Mr. Hooper assailed him the moment he was past the door.
"Now, Mr. Gibb, you have been and gone and done it."
"Done what, sir?"
"I think it's extremely possible that you've laid yourself open to an indictment for conspiracy."
"Have I, sir?"
"You brought Miss Lindsay here?"
"Excuse me, sir, but if you'll remember you told me to ask her to come."
"You put me up to it."
"I merely happened to mention that she was looking for something to do, and so she is."
"No she isn't."
"Isn't she, sir?"
"No, she's found it! And that's where I'm in a position to prove conspiracy. Mr. Gibb, do you mean to tell me that Miss Lindsay has been pawning her things?"
"I hope you won't let it go any further, sir."
"Do you think I'm- What do you think I am?"
"I haven't thought, sir; only it happened to come to my knowledge, and it seemed to me to be a sad thing for her to have to do."
"All I can say is that she hasn't pawned all her things."
"No, sir, but she soon would have done."
"Have you any idea of how much that dress cost which she had on? to say nothing of the hat!"
"Not exactly, sir, I haven't; but my sister told me that some of her things must have cost a good bit of money."
"That dress cost every penny of five-and-twenty or thirty pounds, and I dare say the hat cost another tenner; and she's been walking about in those kind of things her whole life long, I'm sure of it."
"I told you, sir, she was a lady born and bred."
"Mr. Gibb, you see advertisements for a lady, as barmaid; when I think of that I don't want to think of Miss Lindsay as a lady; she's on a different plane; she's of heaven, not of earth."
"I told you, sir, she was high as the heavens above me."
"So she is; you were right there; although the construction of your sentence is faulty, Mr. Gibb. She's a divinity among women; a poem among girls; the ideal which a man sets up for himself of what a woman may be when God chooses."
"Is she, sir?"
"Look at her! how she walks, how she moves, how she bears herself! And what a voice! had Orpheus had it he'd have needed no warbling string to aid him to draw 'iron tears down Pluto's cheek!' Then what beauty's in her face; but there's in it what not one beautiful woman in a thousand has, there's a soul! Mr. Gibb, I've only seen Miss Lindsay about twenty minutes, but I regard her as 'a perfect woman, nobly planned'; and I may add 'she was a phantom of delight, when first she gleamed upon my sight,' therefore I say you were guilty of conspiracy in luring me on to ask her to come here; because what has the result been?"
"What has it, sir?"
"The result has been that I've made an idiot of myself; a complete and perfect ass."
"Have you, sir?"
"I don't like your tone, Mr. Gibb, it exacerbates. It is in itself enough to prove your guilt. Had you not been engaged in a conspiracy you would have been surprised beyond measure at the wholly unforeseen result. But, as it is, I put it to you, Mr. Gibb; are you surprised?"
"Well, sir, in a way I can't say I am, not exactly."
"There you are! there you are! Do you know, Mr. Gibb, that I've given Miss Lindsay to understand that I've retained her services as a member of my staff?"
"She told me you'd engaged her, sir."
"Oh, she did, did she? What did she tell you I'd engaged her as?"
"As jobbing secretary, sir."
"And pray what is a jobbing secretary?"
"That's what I was wondering."
"She asked me what a jobbing secretary was; and I explained as clearly as I could under the circumstances, and considering that I don't know myself. When you reflect on the fact that I have engaged her to be something which I never heard of before you will have grasped the initial difficulty of my position; which is complicated by the further fact that she is, what she certainly is, a divinity among women. If she'd come, say, about twelve and leave before one; or if she'd spend a few hours daily in intellectual conversation with me in here; or if she'd come out with me to enjoy the air, say on the top of an omnibus; or even if she'd go out with you, for a little pedestrian exercise, from two to six; the situation might be lightened. But she'll do none of these things; she's as good as said so. She told me, with a delicious seriousness which took all idea of resistance clean out of me, that she meant to do a man's work for a man's wage. Now, Mr. Gibb, in this office I don't see how it's going to be done."
"I'm sure I don't."
"I don't do a man's work."
"No, sir, you don't."
"You do still less."
On this point Mr. Gibb was discreetly silent; he seemed to be turning something over in his mind, of which he presently gave Mr. Hooper the benefit.
"I think, sir, I've got an idea of something you might give Miss Lindsay to do."
"Let's have it; you know, Mr. Gibb, any pearls of wisdom which you may drop are always welcome."
"You remember, sir, when I first came you gave me some papers which you said I might copy when I'd nothing else to do."
"I have some dim recollection of something of the kind. Well, have they been copied?"
"No, sir, they haven't."
"How long have you had them?"
"Oh, rather more than two years."
"Then it's time they were copied. What papers are they?"
"I never could make out, and I don't think you could either; they're counsels' opinions, or judges' rulings, or something like that. I know when I asked you what they were you told me not to ask any questions; so I knew you didn't know."
"Mr. Gibb, you have a way of your own of arriving at conclusions. I think I recall those papers; they were here when I came into possession; they'd been stuffed up the chimney to keep out the draught or something."
"I was thinking, sir, if you could think of nothing else, that you might get Miss Lindsay to copy them."
"There's-there's something in the idea. Could we pass them off as genuine?"
"As how, sir?"
"Are they of an appearance, and character, which would enable us to induce Miss Lindsay to believe that they really are papers of importance?"
"I should think so, sir; I know it took me ever so long before I found them out."
"Ah; then it might take her a week. By that time we may have hit upon something else. Where are those papers?"
"They're in my desk."
"Then get them out of your desk. Have them cleaned, tidied, made presentable; Miss Lindsay shall commence on them as soon as she arrives. And I tell you something else I'll do. Miss Lindsay tells me she can work a typewriter."
"Can she?"
"I'll get her one. I think I should prefer to have good, clear typewritten copies of those papers, Mr. Gibb; they'll be so much more accessible for reference. I-I suppose a typewriter can be hired."
"Oh yes, sir; I believe from about half-a-crown a week."
"That doesn't seem to be a prohibitive figure; I'll hire one; I'll go out this afternoon to see about it. You see, Mr. Gibb, how one thing leads to another. I propose to increase my staff; the mere proposition adds materially to my own labours. I know no more about typewriters than I do about sewing-machines; of which I know nothing; so I foresee that my afternoon will be fully occupied. By the way, Mr. Gibb, a further point; you have found an idea which has been of assistance in one direction, perhaps you might find a second which would be of some service to me in another."
"What is it, sir?"
"As you put it to me, I take it that you will allow it to go no further; but, between ourselves, I have undertaken to pay Miss Lindsay, as jobbing secretary, since she proposes to do a man's work for a man's wage, an honorarium of two guineas a week."
"So she told me, sir."
"So she told you, did she? Oh! Then I suppose she expects to get it."
"I expect she does, sir."
"Then in that case I think that, perhaps, I had better make it perfectly clear to you how, precisely, the land lies." From a drawer which he unlocked in his writing-table Mr. Hooper took three sovereigns and some silver; he displayed the coins to the best advantage on the table. "This choice, but small, collection of bullion has to last me, Mr. Gibb, to quarter day. There are still three clear weeks. I have to pay you thirty shillings; being three weeks' wages at ten shillings a week; out of the balance I have to pay Miss Lindsay six guineas, and keep myself; besides having to meet certain small liabilities which must be met. I should be glad, Mr. Gibb, if you would give me some idea of how it is to be done."
"I think, sir, if I were you, I should let me explain to Miss Lindsay."
"Explain what, Mr. Gibb?"
"What kind of gentleman you are."
"And pray, in your opinion, what kind of gentleman am I?"
"Well, considering how you've gone and done it with Miss Lindsay I shouldn't think you'd want much explaining, sir."
"That's true, Mr. Gibb, most true. Still, I'm curious to hear what you'd tell her."
"I wouldn't give you away, sir."
"Wouldn't you? Oh! What would you do?"
"I should simply tell her, sir, that you'd been thinking things over, and that you'd come to the conclusion that two guineas a week was too much to pay her at the start; and that you thought-should I say fifteen shillings ought to be enough at the beginning, sir?"
"Fifteen shillings! And I promised her two guineas!"
"Yes, sir, you promised her."
"What kind of a person do you suppose she'd think I am?"
"I don't see how it matters, sir."
"You don't see how it matters!"
"Well, sir, you can't pay her two guineas a week, no matter what she thinks of you; and you might manage to pay her fifteen shillings-somehow. I expect you'd find she'd sooner have fifteen shillings in cash than two guineas in promises."
"Mr. Gibb, you appear to have a high opinion of me."
"I have, sir; I couldn't have a higher."
"Couldn't you? you young scoundrel! Pray when did I make a promise to you which I didn't keep, to the letter?"
"When I came, sir, you gave me six shillings a week, now you give me ten; but there's a difference between ten shillings and two guineas."
"Yes, Mr. Gibb, and there's a difference between you and Miss Lindsay."
"Don't I know it, sir? There's all the difference in the world."
"As you say, there's all the difference in the world. Miss Lindsay is a divinity among women."
"That's exactly my opinion, sir; and has been from the first."
"It has been your opinion, has it, Mr. Gibb? Then allow me to inform you that when I enter into an undertaking with-with a divinity among women, to do a certain thing, I do that thing. I have undertaken to pay Miss Lindsay two guineas a week; I will pay her two guineas a week. The money shall be found; I will find it. Be so good, Mr. Gibb, as to look up those papers you spoke about, and see that they are in a presentable condition, so that Miss Lindsay can begin on them directly she arrives."
