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Page 37
"Whenever it does not interfere with your studies, Henry, but you must
mind and not be troublesome to him."
"I'll take care of that; but I forgot to tell you, I met Mrs. Sherman,
as I was coming home, and she wants you to go to tea there, and Susan
is to come down and stay with Fanny."
Mrs. Sherman had seen Mrs. Cameron, and learnt from her the cruel
manner in which Mrs. Falkner had behaved, and kindly desired to have a
chat with Helen, in order to soothe and strengthen her mind, and; if
it were possible, render her less vulnerable to these shafts of
malice. After they had, for some time, discussed the matter:
"Now," said Mrs. Sherman, "let us forget all unpleasantries, and give
me one of your nice songs; I wonder where the Doctor is? he promised
to be in to tea; but, I suppose, he has taken it where he is
detained."
Helen sat down, and played and sang. At length, the Doctor's voice was
heard in the passage; but Mrs. Sherman insisted on her going on, and
held up her finger, as her husband entered, in token of silence. The
Doctor sent Mrs. Sherman to the parlour door, where stood Mr.
Mortimer; when Helen had finished, she turned and saw him. He bowed
and went across to her, and expressed his pleasure in meeting her
again, in such a frank off-hand manner, that our heroine, if such she,
may be called, soon lost all feeling of embarrassment, and went on
playing and singing and the evening passed imperceptibly away. When
the Doctor escorted Helen home, Mr. Mortimer accompanied them to the
gate, leading to the cottage and took his leave.
Their meeting at Dr. Sherman's was entirely the result of accident.
Mr. Mortimer had been on friendly terms at the house ever since he had
been in the neighbourhood, but as both the Doctor and his wife
concluded he was engaged to Miss Falkner, they never thought to ask
him, when Helen was expected, and so tenacious was he, not to win her
affections, till assured he could make her his, that he carefully
assumed an indifference he was far from feeling. He pitied her
position; which he saw was a trying one; and he greatly admired the
way she acquitted herself in it. He gained a great insight into her
character, in his conversations with Henry, who, entirely off his
guard, was very communicative. The following letter, however, from Mr.
Mortimer to an old friend, will best elicit his views and opinions:
"MY DEAR EMMERSON,
"I promised to let you know where I brought up, and here I am,
domiciled in a pretty little country village, where Bently has
property, and I have hired his snug hunting lodge, and, in the mind
I am in, I shall remain the next six months, that is, if when the
term for renting this said lodge expires, I can find a place to
which I can bring my sister Emily, Here there is hardly room enough
for myself and Philips, who is still my factotum, valet, groom, and
I know not what besides; however, he is content, and so am I.
Heartily sick of town, and its conventualities, and tired of being
courted and feted, not for _myself_, but my _fortune_, I care not,
if I never see it again. I am weary, too, of 'single blessedness,'
and yet afraid to venture on matrimony; why is it so few are happy,
who do? There is some grand evil somewhere; but where? 'Aye there's
the rub.' I look narrowly into every family I visit, especially,
the newly married ones, and I see the _effect_, but not the
_cause_. Now, _one_ cannot be without the _other_, we well know. I
fear I expect too much from the other sex, and begin to think there
is more truth than poetry in your observation, that I 'must have a
woman made on purpose for me,' for I certainly do want to find one
very different from most that I have yet seen.
"Travelling between London and Bath, I met my father's old friend
and college chum, Falkner, who finding I had no settled plans,
persuaded me to take Bently's hunting lodge, which is in the
vicinity of his villa. Falkner is a worthy good creature, whom I
should give credit for a great deal of common sense, were he not so
completely under the dominion of his wife, a perfect Xantippe; by
the bye, I think, however wise he might be in some respects, that
Master Socrates was a bit of a goose, particularly if, as history
maintains, he did, he knew what a virago he was taking. But,
however deficient in her duty as a wife, Mrs. Falkner goes to the
other extreme, and overacts her part as a mother; but I am very
ungrateful in thus animadverting on her behaviour, for you must
know, she has singled out your humble servant as a most especial
favourite; and though _she does not wish her girls married_, takes
right good care to let me know that she thinks the woman who gets
me, will be lucky; and that, much as she would grieve to part from
one of her daughters, yet, were an eligible chance to offer, she
would throw no obstacles in the way. I do verily believe she has
discarded a little girl who taught her daughters music, solely for
fear I should fall in love with her; and certainly, she is as far
superior to the Misses Falkner as she well can be, both in
attainments and personal attractions. I am so afraid of coming to a
hasty conclusion, but own myself greatly prepossessed in her
favour. She has been well and carefully brought up; I have watched
her in church, and have marked an unaffected devotion, which I have
seen carried to the sick and suffering poor around her. She has
lost both parents, and now by her talents, supports an orphan
brother and sister. The former, an intelligent interesting boy of
thirteen, is a frequent companion of mine, and if I can, without
wounding the delicacy of the sister, I trust to be of some future
service to him. I have, indirectly, and, perhaps, you will say,
unfairly questioned the boy, and all tells in her favour; now, here
it must be genuine. Miss Willoughby plays and sings like a Syren;
but then, so does many a pretty trifler. Beauty and accomplishments
are very well to pass an evening away; but in a companion for life,
_far more_ is required; much more than these must _I_ find in a
woman, ere I venture to ask her to be mine. I am heartily tired of
my present life; it is a lonely stupid way of living; living! I
don't live, I merely vegetate! I have no taste for dissipation;
neither have I any great predilection for field sports.
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