Great Porter Square: A Mystery. v. 3

  CHAPTER XXXII.

  IN WHICH BECKY NARRATES HOW FANNY BECAME ACQUAINTED WITH MRS. LYDIAHOLDFAST.

  MY DEAR LOVE,--Again I beg of you, in reply to your expressions ofanxiety in the letter Fanny brought to me this morning, not to giveyourself unnecessary anxiety about me. You are alarmed at the positionin which I have placed myself; you are alarmed because Richard Manxis in the same house with me; you are alarmed because I have boughta revolver. I assure you there is no reason why you should be sodistressed. The position in which I have placed myself is, I am morethan ever convinced, the only one which will enable me to reach theheart of this mystery. Richard Manx is but one person against many.I, and Mrs. Preedy, and Fanny, and the neighbours, and the policeman,with whom I am on friendly terms, are surely more than a match forhim. You are alarmed because I have in my possession a toy pistol.Is not a woman, in an emergency, to be trusted with a weapon? In suchcircumstances as ours, why should not a woman have as much courage as aman? Why should not a woman undertake a task such as I have undertaken,when her heart is engaged in it, when the honour and safety of the manshe loves are engaged in it, when the whole happiness of her life andhis is engaged in it? That would be like saying that women are fit fornothing in the world but to wait upon men's actions and to follow them,whichever way they lead. It is not so. In such a crisis as this a womancan do, and do better, what it would be out of the power of a man toaccomplish. I would willingly relinquish my task if I thought it couldbe accomplished without my aid. But it cannot be. You are powerless;there is no one but myself capable and willing to carry it out; andindeed, indeed, I am in no danger! My dear, you underrate our sex. Readthis letter carefully, and then confess that your fears are groundless,and that I am doing what is right and best to be done.

  Fanny heard nothing last night. There was no sound in the next house.For a reason. Richard Manx was not in his room, and did not make hisappearance until this afternoon. Then I remembered that last week, onthe same day, it was the same. There is one night in the week, then,in which he has business elsewhere. I shall take advantage of thatdiscovery.

  When Fanny returned with your letter this morning, I prepared for amasterstroke. Its success depended much upon chance, much upon Fanny'sshrewdness. I cut her hair short, and fitted the wig I bought yesterdayon her head. It is a wig of fair hair, with long curls. She looks lovelyin it. When night fell, I dressed her in her new clothes, which were notnew, but second-hand; and, covered with the waterproof, there she was,ready for her task.

  My desire was that she should manage to become acquainted with Mrs.Lydia Holdfast, and so ingratiate herself with that person as to be ableto bring me reports of her movements and proceedings. Having impressedthis upon her, I asked her whether she would undertake the task. Heranswer was that she would go through fire and water to serve me;that she knew exactly what I wanted, and was going to do it. I wasso satisfied with her readiness that it was with a feeling of greatconfidence I sent her on her mission. I waited for my opportunity, andno one saw her leave the house. Whether what I called my masterstrokewill really turn out to be one will be proved in a very short time.Something has already been achieved. Fanny has become acquainted withMrs. Lydia Holdfast.

  She returned an hour ago, and is now abed in old Mrs. Bailey's room.Exactly at ten o'clock I went into the Square, and found Fanny waitingfor me. I whipped off her wig, and brought her home. The nights aredark, and there is little fear of detection; and even in that case Ihave an amusing story ready, which will easily account for what willlook like a harmless freak.

  When she left Great Porter Square, Fanny went at once to the house inwhich your father lived, and which his widow still inhabits. She waitedoutside for a long time until at length a lady came out whom, frommy description of her, Fanny recognised to be Mrs. Lydia Holdfast. Acarriage was at the door, and as Mrs. Holdfast stepped towards it, Fannypulled her dress. Mrs. Holdfast snatched her dress away impatiently,without speaking, and walked to her carriage, Fanny following her.

  "If you please, ma'am," said Fanny.

  "What do you want? What do you want?" cried Mrs. Holdfast.

  "I want to speak to you," said Fanny.

  "Well, speak!" exclaimed Mrs. Holdfast. "Don't you see I'm in a hurry?"

  A coachman stood at the carriage door to wait upon his mistress.

  "I want to speak to you alone, please," said Fanny.

  "You can't," cried Mrs. Holdfast. "Take this beggar-girl away."

  The coachman endeavoured to obey the order, but little Fanny was tooquick for him. She slipped between his arms, and again stood by the sideof Mrs. Holdfast.

  "Ain't you Mrs. Holdfast?" she asked, looking up into the lady's face.

  "Yes," was the reply.

  "Mrs. Grace Holdfast," said Fanny, as bold as brass. I think it would bedifficult to find her equal.

  Mrs. Holdfast, as she heard this name, Grace, which Fanny spoke loudly,gave a scream, and seizing Fanny by the arm, hurried back with her intothe house. There were servants standing about, but Mrs. Holdfast took nonotice of them; she put her hand on Fanny's lips, and dragged her intoan empty room. Closing the door, and locking it, she bent down to Fannyand shook her roughly.

  Fanny did not speak or scream, but twisted herself as soon as she couldfrom Mrs. Holdfast's grip, and said,

  "There! You have made my wig all crooked."

  Heaven only knows where this child got her wits from, but if she hadbeen drilled for a month she could not have acted the spirit of her partwith greater cleverness. The words I did not teach her; I simply toldher what I wanted her to do, and left the rest to herself.

  "There!" she cried. "You have made my wig all crooked."

  And she ran to the looking-glass and set it straight again. There musthave been something in her manner which made Mrs. Holdfast laugh, but asFanny described it, her laugh was broken off in the middle.

  "Come here directly," said Mrs. Holdfast.

  Fanny obeyed. Mrs. Holdfast knelt upon the ground, and, holding Fanny'sface between her hands, looked long and hard at her.

  "I don't know you," she said; and then she coloured up, for she saw thatFanny was returning the earnest gaze.

  "If you please, my lady," said Fanny, "I beg your pardon for calling youGrace; my sister said you wouldn't like it, but you were running away,and I couldn't help it."

  "Who is your sister?" asked Mrs. Holdfast.

  And now imagine Fanny, instead of at once answering the question,fainting dead away. A real swoon? Not a bit of it. A sham, to gain timeto study the ground of action.

  Mrs. Holdfast, at first, did not appear to know what to do. She allowedFanny to lie on the ground, and although the child's eyes were nearlyquite closed, she declares that not a movement nor an expression ofMrs. Holdfast escaped her. I am entirely inclined to believe everyword spoken by Fanny as she related the adventure. She says that Mrs.Holdfast looked at her for a moment, then turned away for a moment, thenlooked at her again, as though wishing that she was dead. Upon whichFanny gave a sigh, and murmured something about being faint and hungry.

  Mrs. Holdfast rang a bell, and going to the door, unlocked it, and spoketo a servant, from whom she received a decanter of wine. She locked thedoor again, and returning to Fanny, raised the child's head, and put thedecanter to her lips. Fanny allowed herself gradually to recover, andpresently opened her eyes, and struggled to her feet.

  "Now," repeated Mrs. Holdfast, "who is your sister, and what has broughtyou here?"

  [Decoration]