The Honorable Miss: A Story of an Old-Fashioned Town

  CHAPTER XI.

  SOMEBODY ADMIRED SOMEBODY.

  "Then, if that's the case," said Mrs. Bell, "if that's really and trulythe case, and no mistake about it, Matty must have some new frocks madeup for her at once. I have no idea of a child of mine looking shabby orbehind any one else, but you must tell me truly, Alice, if he really wasattentive. Bless you, child, you know what I mean. Was there anyhand-squeezing, and was he always and forever making an excuse to have alook at her. No one could have been more genteel than your father duringcourtship, but the way his eyes did follow me wherever I turned, overand over put me to the blush."

  "Don't say anything to Matty," responded Alice Bell. "She'll be sure togiggle awfully when next they meet, if you do. She can't keep anythingin, and she owned to Sophy and me that he had got her heart. Well, yes,I suppose he was particular with her. He danced with her, and he lookedat her, only, I do think it was _she_ squeezed _his_ hand."

  "Oh, fie, Alice, to say such things of your sister. Well, anyhow thetown is full of it. When I went out yesterday Mrs. Morris asked mepoint-blank if I hadn't news for her, and Miss Peters has taken sofrightfully to rolling her eyes whenever Matty and Captain Bertram areseen together, that I'm quite afraid she will contract a regular squint.How long was he with Matty on the green last night, Alice?"

  "About half-an-hour, I should say," responded Alice. "They walked roundthe Green five times, with me and Sophy doing gooseberry behind. I don'tthink Matty stopped laughing for a single minute, and the captain he didquiz her frightfully."

  "Poor man, he was trying to wheedle her heart out of her!" remarked thegratified mother. "And he has all my sympathies, and what's more, wemust have him to supper, and lobsters and crabs, and anything else hefancies. It isn't for me to be hard-hearted, and not give the poorfellow his opportunities; and no doubt Matty will relent by-and-bye."

  "Oh, dear me, mother, she has relented now. She's only waiting and dyingfor him to pop the question."

  "If I were you, Alice, I wouldn't make so light of your own sister. Ofcourse she is gratified by being spoken to and appreciated, but if youthink a girl of mine is going to let herself down cheap--well, she'll bevery different metal from her mother before her. Three times Bell had togo on his knees for me, and he thought all the more of me for having todo it. If I'm not mistaken, there are some in this town who are jealousof Matty. Who would have thought that handsome friend of yours, BeeMeadowsweet, would be looked over and made nothing of, and my girl bethe favored one? Well, I must own I'm pleased, and so will her fatherbe, too. It's a nice genteel connection, and they say there's lots ofmoney somewhere in the background.--Oh, is that you, Matty?--Goodness,child, don't get your face so burnt,--you shouldn't go out without aveil in the sun. Now come here, pet, sit down and keep cool, and I'llbring in some buttermilk presently to bathe your neck and cheeks.There's nothing like buttermilk for burns. Well, well, what were wetalking about, Alice, when Matty came in?"

  "About the person we're always talking about," replied Alice, rathercrossly. "About Captain Bertram. Good gracious, Matty, it isn't at allbecoming to you to flame up in that sudden way. Lor' ma, look at her,she's the color of a peony."

  [It may be remarked in passing that the Bells did not echo one anotherwhen at home.]

  "Never mind, never mind," retorted Mrs. Bell, who, with true delicacy,would not look at her blushing daughter.

  "I was thinking Matty, my love, that you wanted a new evening dress. Idon't like you to be behind any one else, my dear, and that green skirtwith the white jacket, though genteel enough, doesn't seem quite thething. I can't tell what's the matter with it, for the mohair in theskirts cost nine-pence half-penny a yard, and the first day you worethose dresses, girls, they shone as if they were silk, and your fatherasked me why I was so extravagant, and said that though he would like ithe hadn't money to dress you up in silk attire. Poor Bell has a turn forpoetry, and if he had not lost his money through the badness of the coaltrade, he'd make you look like _three poems_, that's what he saidto me. Well, well, somehow the dresses are handsome, and yet I don'tlike them."

  "They're hideous," said Matty, kicking out her foot with a petulantmovement. "Somehow, those home-made dresses never look right. They don'tsit properly. We weren't a bit like the other girls at Mrs.Meadowsweet's a fortnight ago."

  "No," said Alice, "we weren't. The Bertrams had nothing but full skirtsand baby bodies, and sashes round their waists, just like little girls.Mabel Bertram's dress was only down to her ankles--nothing could havebeen plainer--no style at all, and yet we didn't look like them."

  "Well," said the mother, bristling and bridling, "handsome dresses ornot, _somebody_ admired _somebody_ at that party, or I'm greatlymistaken. Well, Matty dear, what would you fancy for evening wear? If mypurse will stand it you shall have it. I won't have you behind no one,my love."

  It was at this critical moment, when Matty's giggles prevented herspeaking, and Alice was casting some truly sarcastic and sisterly shaftsat her, that Sophy burst open the door, and announced, in an excitedvoice, that Mrs. Middlemass, the pedler, had just stepped into the hall.

  "She has got some lovely things to-day," exclaimed Sophy. "Shall we haveher up, mamma? Have we anything to exchange?"

  "It's only a week since she was here," replied Mrs. Bell. "And shepretty nearly cleared us out then. Still it would be a comfort if wecould squeeze a frock for Matty out of her. I could buy the trimmingseasy enough for you, Matty, at Perry's, if I hadn't to pay for thestuff. Dear, dear, now what can we exchange? Look here, Sophy, run, likea good child, to your father's wardrobe, and see if there are a coupleof pairs of old trousers gone at the knees, and maybe that great-coat ofhis that had one of the flaps torn, and the patch on the left sleeve. Itwas warm, certainly, but it always was a show, that great-coat. Maybe hewouldn't miss it, or at any rate he'd give it up to help to settleMatty."

  "Lor, ma, I really do think you are indelicate, when the man hasn't evenproposed!" exclaimed Alice. "There's Matty, she's off giggling again. Ido believe she'll soon laugh day and night without stopping."

  "Are we to have Mrs. Middlemass up or not, mother?" exclaimed Sophy.

  "Yes, child, yes. Bring her up by all means. We'll contrive to make somesort of a bargain with her."

  Sophy disappeared, and a moment or two later she ushered Mrs. Middlemassinto the bedroom where the above conversation had taken place.

  The pedler was a very stout person, with a red face, and the bundlewhich she carried in front of her and propelled first into the room, wasof enormous dimensions.

  "Good-day, Mrs. Bell," she said. "Good-day, young ladies. And what may Ihave the pleasure of serving you with to-day, Mrs. Bell? I've got someelegant goods with me, just the style for your beautiful young ladies."

  With this speech, which was uttered with great gravity, Mrs. Middlemassproceeded to open her bundle, and to exhibit the worst muslin, cashmere,French merino, and other fabrics, which she offered for the highestprice.

  "There," she said, "there's a cashmere for you! Feel it between yourfinger and thumb, Mrs. Bell, mum, there's substance, there's quality. Itwould make up lovely. Shall I cut a length a-piece for the three youngladies, ma'am?"

  "No, no," said Mrs. Bell, "that cashmere is dark and heavy, and coarse,too. I don't expect it's all-wool. It's shoddy, that's what it is."

  "Shoddy, ma'am! That a lady whom I've served faithful for years shouldaccuse me of selling shoddy! No, Mrs. Bell, may Heaven forgive you fortrying to run down a poor widow's goods. This is as pure all-woolcashmere as is to be found in the market, and dirt cheap at three andelevenpence a-yard. Have a length for yourself, ma'am; it would stylishyou up wonderful."

  "No," said Mrs. Bell, "I don't want a dress to-day, and that cashmereisn't worth more than one and six. What we are wishing for--though Idon't know that we really _want_ anything--do we, girls? But whatwe might buy, if you had it very cheap, is a bit of something light andairy that would make up very elegantly for the evening. Do you care tohave another
evening-dress, Matty? I know you have a good few in yourwardrobe."

  "I don't know," said Matty, "until I see what Mrs. Middlemass has. Idon't want anything common. I can get common things at Perry's; andperhaps I had better send for my best dress to London, ma."

  This remark of giggling Miss Matty's was really astute for she knew thatMrs. Middlemass held Perry, the draper, in the most sovereign contempt.

  "Right you are, my dear," said the pedler, a smile of gratified vanityspreading over her face, "you _can_ get your common things, andvery common things they'll be, at Perry's. But maybe old AuntieMiddlemass can give you something as genteel as the London shops. Youlook here, my pretty. Now, then."

  Here Mrs. Middlemass went on her knees, and with slow and exasperatingdeliberation, unfastened a parcel carefully done up in white muslin.From the depths of this parcel she extracted a very thin and cracklingsilk of a shade between brick and terra-cotta, which was further shothere and there with little threads of pale blue and yellow. This textureshe held up in many lights, not praising it by any words, for sheguessed well the effect it would have on her company. She knew the Bellsof old: they were proof against anything that wasn't silk, but at theglitter and sheen of real silk they gave way. They instantly, one andall, fell down and worshipped it.

  "_It is_ pretty," said Matty at last, with a little sigh, and sheturned away as one who must not any longer contemplate so dazzling atemptation.

  Mrs. Bell's heart quite ached for her eldest-born at this criticaljuncture. It was so natural for her to wish for silk attire when thehero was absolutely at the gates. And such a hero! So tall, so handsome,such an Adonis--so aristocratic! But, alas! silk could not be had fornothing. It would be an insult to offer Bell's old coat and the twopairs of trousers gone at the knees for this exquisite substance.

  "Sixteen yards," solemnly pronounced Mrs. Middlemass, when the silencehad been sufficiently long. "Sixteen yards for three pound ten. There!it's a present I'm making to you, Miss Matty."

  "I like it very much," said Matty.

  "Like it! I should think you do. It was the fellow of it I sold thismorning to Lady Georgiana Higginbotham, of Castle Higgins. She who is tobe married next month. 'Middlemass,' she said, when she saw it, 'I'm inlove with it. It has a sheen about it, and a quality. Cut me twentyyards, Middlemass; I do declare I'll wear it for my travelling dress,and no other.' She'll do it, too, Miss Matty, you'll see. And beautifulshe'll look."

  The three girls sighed. They sighed in unison. As there was a lover inthe question, the two younger were willing that Matty should have a newfrock. But a silk! Each girl wanted the silk for herself.

  "It is exquisite," said Matty.

  "Exquisite," repeated Alice.

  "Quisite," said Sophy.

  "I'll put it away for you, miss," said the pedler, beginning to pack upher other things. "There, take it, miss," she said, flinging a longsweep of the glittering texture over Matty's arm. "Now, it does becomeyou, my dear. Doesn't it, ma'am?" turning to the mother. "Well, now,I never noticed it before, but Miss Matty has a great look of LadyGeorgiana. Remarkable likeness! You wouldn't be known from her, misswhen you had that dress on. Their eyes! the complexion! the figure! allditto, ditto, ditto."

  The girls smiled; but what amount of flattery will not one accept whenjudiciously offered? They were all pleased to hear Mrs. Middlemasscompare one of their number to Lady Georgiana, although they knewperfectly that the pedler had never in the whole course of her life evenspoken to that young lady, who was a head and shoulders taller thanMatty, and as unlike her in all particulars as a girl could be.

  "There!" said the pedler. "Three pound ten! Dirt-cheap. Going, you maysay, for nothing, and because it's the last piece I have of it. LadyGeorgiana paid me seven pounds for the length I cut her this morning.I'd like to see you in this dress, Miss Matty, and, maybe, if allreports is true, you'll want me to sell you something different, andmore--more--well, more, perhaps, bridal-like, by-and-bye, my prettyyoung lady."

  This last speech finished the fate of the silk. If rumor had reacheddown to the strata of pedlers, etc., it simply could not be disregarded.Mrs. Bell bargained and haggled for the best part of an hour. Shestripped herself of many necessary garments, and even ransacked her verymeagre little collection of jewelry. Finally the purchase was completedwith the sale of the ring which Bell had given her on the day when hehad gone down on his knees for the third and successful time. That ring,of a showy style, but made of real gold and real gems, was beloved byMrs. Bell above all her worldly goods. Nevertheless, she parted with itto make up the necessary price for the shot silk; for, what will not amother do for her child?