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Page 74
But, though Julius had succeeded in bringing his table so far within his
own ideas of comfort, in other respects he felt his impotence to order
events. Every meal-time brought him in contact with the widow Sandal and
with Charlotte; and neither Sophia, nor yet himself, had felt able to
request the late mistress to resign her seat at the foot of the table.
And Sophia soon began to think it unkind of her mother not to see the
position, and voluntarily amend it. "I do really think mother might have
some consideration for me, Julius," she complained. "It puts me in such
a very peculiar position not to take my place at my own table; and it is
so trying and perplexing for the servants,--making them feel as if there
were two mistresses."
"And always the calm, scornful face of your sister Charlotte at her
side. Do you notice with what ostentatious obedience and attention she
devotes herself to your mother?"
"She thinks that she is showing me my duty, Julius. But people have some
duties toward themselves."
"And towards their husbands."
"Certainly. I thank Heaven I have always put my husband first." And she
really glanced upwards with the complacent air of one who expected
Heaven to imitate men, and "praise her for doing well unto herself."
"This state of things cannot go on much longer, Sophia."
"Certainly it cannot. Mother must look after her own house soon."
"I would speak to her to-day, Sophia. She has had six weeks now to
arrange her plans, and next month I want to begin and put the house into
decent condition. I think I will write to London this afternoon, and
tell Jeffcott to send the polishers and painters on the 15th of March."
"Mother is so slow about things, I don't think she will be ready to move
so early."
"Oh, I really can't stand them any longer! I can't indeed, Sophia, and I
won't. I did not marry your mother and sister, nor yet buy them with the
place. Your mother has her recognized rights in the estate, and she has
a dower-house to which to retire; and the sooner she goes there now, the
better. You may tell her I say so."
"You may as well tell her yourself, Julius."
"Do you wish me to be insulted by your sister Charlotte again? It is
too bad to put me in such a position. I cannot punish two women, even
for such shameful innuendos as I had to take when she sat at the head of
the table. You ought to reflect, too, that the rooms they occupy are the
best rooms in the house,--the master's rooms. I am going to have the oak
walls polished, in order to bring out the carvings; and I think we will
choose green and white for the carpets and curtains. The present
furniture is dreadfully old-fashioned, and horribly full of old
memories."
"Well, then, I shall give mother to understand that we expect to make
these changes very soon."
"Depend upon it, the sooner your mother and Charlotte go to their own
house, the better for all parties. For, if we do not insist upon it,
they will stay and stay, until that Latrigg young man has his house
finished. Then Charlotte will expect to be married from here, and we
shall have all the trouble and expense of the affair. Oh, I tell you,
Sophia, I see through the whole plan! But reckoning without me, and
reckoning with me, are different things."
This conversation took place after a most unpleasant lunch. Julius had
come to it in a fretful, hypercritical mood. He had been calculating
what his proposed changes would cost, and the sum total had given him a
slight shock. He was like many extravagant people, subject to passing
spells of almost contemptible economy; and at that hour the proposed
future outlay of thousands did not trouble him so much as the actual
penny-half-penny value of his mother-in-law's lunch.
He did not say so, but in some way the feeling permeated the table. The
widow pushed her plate aside, and sipped her glass of wine in silence.
Charlotte took a pettish pleasure in refusing what she felt she was
unwelcome to. Both left the table before Julius and Sophia had finished
their meal; and both, as soon as they reached their rooms, turned to
each other with faces hot with indignation, and hearts angry with a
sense of shameful unkindness.
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