A Humble Enterprise - The Original Classic Edition. Ada Cambridge

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СКАЧАТЬ of the proprietors received him with an anxious air. One of these, a bent-backed, immature girl with a sharp-fea- tured face, retired to a table in a corner, where she began to sew, watching him the while; the other came forward to play the hostess with a charming dignity of mien. He did not know her, but she knew him--Joey had pointed out "the boss" to her in a hundred crowds; Mrs. Liddon, peeping from behind the screen that masked the passage to her kitchen, nervous at the approach of a lone man, knew him also, and pardonably remained in ambush to learn what he had to say. She did hope he was not one of those gay old gentlemen who were worse than the young ones in their pursuit of defenceless girls.

       Jenny was looking very sweet at that moment, with the flush of excitement in her small, bright face. She had clear, straight-browed eyes, and a slightly tilted nose, and an assertive chin, which somehow combined to make a whole that nobody said was beautiful and yet everybody was attracted by; it was piquant and spirited, finely finished and full of life. Her small figure was as refined as her face, and the plain black gown and bibbed holland apron that she wore became it perfectly. She was a picture of neatness and capability as she stepped forward to receive her unexpected guest, and his business-like soul warmed towards her. Though he was not the philan-derer so much dreaded by Mrs. Liddon, he admired her as a mere woman with that part of his soul which was not business-like. She looked so sincere and wholesome.

       "Miss Liddon, I presume?"

       "Yes, sir."

       They bowed to each other.

       "Hm--ha--I must introduce myself--Mr. Churchill, my dear--excuse my freedom--I am not exactly a stranger----" "Oh no, sir!"

       She was violently crimson, thinking of the returned cheque; so was he, from the same cause.

       "I--I--I was reading my paper this morning--I wasn't sure if it was the same--I thought it might be--and--and I owe much to your good father, my dear--his long and faithful services--a heavy loss to the firm--there, there! I beg your pardon for mention-ing it--all I meant to say was that we take a great interest in his family, and I thought--I fancied perhaps--in short, my dear, I have come to congratulate you on your courage and energy. I see it all--I understand--I am a business man myself--I should have done

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       the same in your place, though it grieved me to have it come back--it did, indeed; I was so anxious to do something. Anyway, I thought you wouldn't mind my coming to see how you were getting on--your father's old friend--and to offer you my good wishes, and whatever assistance you will honour me by accepting. Oh, not money--I know you won't have that--but advice as to buying goods, and so on--matters in which my experience might be of help to you. It would be a pleasure to me, my dear, I do assure you."

       Jenny listened with heaving breast and drooping head, and tears began to well up, overflow, and fall; seeing which, the old man took

       her little hand and paternally patted it. Whereupon Mrs. Liddon rushed out from behind her screen.

       Jenny received her with emotion--a swift whisk of a handkerchief across her eyes and an impassioned smile.

       "This, mother, is Mr. Churchill. He is so good as to take an interest in our experiment. He has come to wish us success."

       "Madam," said the old gentleman, who was thoroughly enjoying himself, "I am proud and happy to make your acquaintance. And let me say that success is assured to an enterprise undertaken in such a spirit and with so much good sense. I don't know when I have been so interested as in seeing this young lady--this delicate young creature"--indicating Jenny, who was as tough as perfect health and an active life could make her--"turning to, and setting her shoulder to the wheel, in this--this gallant fashion. Your husband, ma'am, was one of the best of men and gentlemen--I always knew that; but I did not know that he was so blessed in his family. I

       did not, indeed."

       "You know his son, sir," murmured the widow, who was very proud of her handsome boy.

       "Your son," said Mr. Churchill, "is very well--a very good son, I make no doubt; but he's not half the man that your daughter is. My dear, I mean that for a compliment, though it may not sound like one." He gazed at Jenny's now smiling face, and added abruptly, "It was you who wouldn't be beholden to us for a trumpery hundred pounds, wasn't it?"

       She looked down, and again coloured violently.

       "Ah, I see. You felt yourself grossly insulted. I am sure you did."

       "Oh, no, no," the mother eagerly interposed. "Pray don't think that. We were all most grateful--indeed, we were. But Jenny

       said----"

       "Yes, I understand. Her name is Jenny, is it? I think I can guess what Miss Jenny said. She's as proud as Lucifer--I can see that; but

       I honour her for it. I honour you for it, my dear. It's the sort of pride that a good many would be the better for. You are a born lady,

       my dear, and that's the short and the long of it."

       Then he asked to be shown the premises, and the happy women took him over them, and displayed all their economical contrivanc-es, which quite bore out his preconceptions of Jenny's excellence as a business manager and a woman. He attributed it all to Jenny, and indeed it was her hands which had made the frilled curtains and the restful chair cushions, and devised whatever was original in the commissariat arrangements. Mrs. Liddon's kitchen was her own great pride, and also her store of new-made scones, which were as light as feathers.

       "You must give me some tea and scones," said Mr. Churchill, "that I may taste what they are like. I must do that, you know, before I

       recommend them to my friends."

       "Of course," said Jenny; and she quickly arranged a table, with two scones on a plate and a tiny pat of iced butter; and her mother

       handed her a small, hot teapot from behind the screen.

       "Earthen pots seemed sweeter than metal, for so much use," she said, placing it before him; "and we thought these trays nicer to eat from than anything else we could afford. Both are liable to break, but they were cheap."

       "They would have been cheaper," he said, "if you had come to me. Mind you come to me when you want some more."

       Then he ate and drank and smacked his lips, gravely, as if judging wine for experts. The women hung upon the verdict with trem-

       bling anxiety.

       "Excellent," he exclaimed, "excellent! Never tasted better tea in my life--nor scones either. And butter delicious. Keep it up at this, my dear, and you'll do. I'll send everybody I know to have tea with you, if you'll only promise to keep it up. All depends on that, you

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       know."

       "I know," said Jenny. "And that we may do it, we have undertaken nothing but tea and scones at present. By-and-by we will have cof-fee, and, perhaps, cakes and other things. But at present, doing everything ourselves, we have to be careful not to get muddled--not to try more than we can do well. We can't run out of tea and scones, nor need we waste any. Mother can make a batch in a quarter of an hour, if necessary."

       "Good," said the merchant, to whom the smallest details were important in matters of business; and he began to fumble in his pocket. "Who's the cashier?" he asked.

       "I am," replied Sarah, from behind her little table, on which stood two wooden bowls and neat piles of paper tickets. "And what's to pay?" he inquired, advancing with his hand СКАЧАТЬ