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Page 75
"I am not so sure."
"Wait and see! You underestimate yourself, boy."
James laughed sadly. Then there was a knock on the office door and
Georgie K. appeared. He looked shyly at Gordon. He had a bottle under
his arm. "I have brought over a little apple-jack; thought it might do
you good," he stammered, his great face suffused like a girl's.
Gordon looked affectionately at him. "Thank you, Georgie K.," he said.
"Sit down and we will have a game. I'll get the hot water and glasses.
Emma is out."
"I'll get them," James said eagerly. He went out to the kitchen, but
Emma was not out. She was sitting sewing in a gingham apron.
"What do you want?" she demanded severely.
James explained meekly.
"Well, go back to the office, and I'll fetch the things," Emma said in a
hostile tone. James obeyed. Presently Emma appeared bearing a tray with
the hot water and two glasses, Gordon did not notice the omission of a
third glass, until she had gone out. "Why, she only brought two
glasses," he said.
James felt absurdly unequal to facing Emma again. "I don't think I'll
take anything to-night," he said.
"Nonsense!" returned Gordon. He went to the door and shouted for Emma
with no response. "She can't have gone upstairs so quickly," he said.
But when after another shout he got no response, he went himself into
the dining-room, and got a tumbler from the sideboard. "She must have
gone upstairs at once," he remarked when he returned. "The kitchen is
dark."
Georgie K. did not remain very late. He seemed nervously solicitous
with regard to Doctor Gordon. When he left he shook hands with him, and
bade him take good care of himself.
"I love that man," Gordon said, when the door had closed behind him.
When James entered his room that night he found fresh proof of Emma's
inexplicable hostility. The room was in total darkness. He lit matches
and searched for lamp or candles, to find none. He fumbled his way out
into the kitchen, and got a little lamp, which gave but a dim light, and
read, as was his habit, after he had gone to bed, with exceeding
difficulty. He also was subjected to a most absurd annoyance from the
presence of some gritty particles in the bed. After he extinguished his
lamp he could not go to sleep because of them, and lit his lamp again,
and tore the sheet off and shook it. The gritty particles seemed to him
to be crumbs of very hard and dry bread. He made the bed up again after
his clumsy masculine fashion. James had not much manual dexterity, and
rested very uncomfortably, from a pronounced inclination of the
coverings to slide off his feet, and over one side of the bed.
The next morning Emma did not bring hot water for his shaving. She
usually set a pitcher outside his door, but this morning there was none.
He was obliged to go out to the kitchen and prefer a request for some.
"I have jest filled up the coffee-pot and the tea-kettle, and I guess
the water ain't very hot," Emma said in a malicious tone, as she filled
a pitcher for him.
The water was not very hot. James had a severe experience shaving, and
his annoyances were not over then. There was no napkin beside his plate
at breakfast. He did not like to apply to Clemency, whose cold good
morning had served to establish a higher barrier between them, and who
sat behind the coffee urn with a forlorn but none the less severe look.
He also did not like to apply to Gordon for fear of offending her. It
was about as bad to ask Emma, but he finally did, in a low tone.
Emma apparently did not hear. He was forced to repeat his request for a
napkin loudly. Gordon looked up. "Emma, why do you not set the table
properly?" he asked, in a severe tone.
Emma tossed her head and muttered. She brought a napkin, and laid it
beside James's plate with an impetus as if it had been a lump of lead.
Presently James discovered that he had only one spoon, but he made that
do duty for his cereal and coffee, and said nothing. He was aware of
Emma's eyes of covert, malicious enjoyment upon him, as he
surreptitiously licked off the oatmeal, and put the spoon in his coffee.
He began to wonder what he could do, if this state of things was to
continue. It all seemed so absurd, the grievances were so exceedingly
petty. He could not imagine what had so turned Emma against him. He was
even more at a loss where she was concerned than in Clemency's case. A
girl engaged might find some foolish reason, which seemed enormous to
her, to turn the cold shoulder to him, but it was inconceivable that
Emma should. He had always treated her politely, even with a certain
deference, knowing, as he did, that she was an old and faithful servant,
and as the daughter of a farmer being, in her own estimation at least,
of a highly superior station to that of servants in general. He could
not imagine why Emma was subjecting him to these ridiculous
persecutions, before which he was almost helpless. She had heretofore
treated him loftily, as was her wont with everybody, except Gordon and
Clemency, but certainly she had neglected none of her duties with
regard to him. Miserable as James was concerning Clemency, he could not
but feel that if he were to be subjected to these incomprehensible
annoyances from Emma, life in the house would be almost impossible. He
could bear sorrow like a man, but to bear pinpricks beside was almost
too much to ask. That noon, when he returned from his rounds, he
realized that there was to be no cessation. Clemency was not at the
lunch-table. Gordon said she had a headache and was lying down. Emma in
passing James his cup of tea, contrived to spill it over him. He was not
scalded, but his shirt-front and collar were stained, thereby
necessitating a change, and he was in a hurry to be gone directly after
lunch.
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