Good Mrs Hypocrite/Chapter 5
The first day or two after her niece's
departure were passed by Catherine Macpherson in what she termed "feeling her
ground."
So many years had passed since she had seen her brother that he was almost a stranger to her. She had passed through many experiences herself; and he had known heavy trials, pecuniary losses, and now was in bad health, and gaining daily insight into the infirmities of age.
To be left alone, to have peace and comfort, were the only desires he ever expressed. And Catherine Macpherson, after due consideration, came to the conclusion that her best policy was to humor him until she had secured a firm position in the house.
She soon found the best way of gaining any point was to speak to him in those malleable moments when the kettle and the spirit stand were set forth, and she, not without much persuasion, joined him in the glass of "toddy." Sitting cheek by jowl over the bright fire, they would talk of Australia, of their old home, of friends of bygone days, of such things as old people love to dwell upon and recall. She would not play cribbage, or even look at a card, but she read scraps of news ; and she never objected to those long gossips in the dusky November afternoons.
Perhaps the "mountain dew" possessed a softening influence. In any case, it unlocked her tongue, and inclined her ear to listen to things far apart from Kirk, or Baxter, or "Foundations of Faith."
Thus after two or three weeks, James Macpherson began to accept her, and even gave up criticising her manner or appearance. After three weeks, however, there was a terrible rumpus in the house. His neat, attentive little maid-servant was ruthlessly dismissed, and he was told nothing of it till the girl came to bid him good- by with red eyelids, and many expressions of grief and regret at leaving him; but a vindictive explanation of her reasons in the shape of complaints against his sister.
"I couldn't live with her, sir — no, not for fifty pounds a year, leave alone fifteen, which is all she'll give. She says you can't afford such wages on your income, and that I'm wasteful, and idle, and extravagant! And you know I'm not, sir, and so Mrs. Weimar would say, leave alone the poor missis, with whom I'd never a word."
"Do you mean to say you're going Kate?" demanded her master.
"Yes, sir; my box is packed, and I'm just going to fetch a cab ; and I come to say good-by, and tell you it's no wish of mine, nor fault either ; but if spies and busybodies is to be set over my head, why, stand it I can't ! good and kind as you've always been, sir, and never a word till that old cat—"
"Woman!" came in a terrible voice from the doorway. " Silence this moment! Go for your cab, and leave this house. I refuse to allow you to worry your master with impertinent remarks."
The girl looked, not only daggers, but swords and guns combined, at Catherine Macpherson, as she came in, bearing tray and kettle and lemons and glasses in her hands.
"James, it is your toddy time," she said. " Pray, do not heed this ungrateful and insolent creature. Kate, leave the room this instant!"
And, cowed by the glare of the Macpherson eye, the girl obeyed.
Catherine mixed the toddy with more than her usual care, and more than its usual strength. She had a purpose to serve, and has not St. Paul himself spoken of being "all things to all men," for good and sufficient reasons?
"My dear James," she said, as she gave him his glass, and — took her own, " don't be fashin' yourself about this business. I've a nice, sober, sensible, Scotch body coming to us as servant from Edinbro' ; one I can trust, and not a godless, trifling, heedless, hissy like yon. She'll cook just after your own heart, make you scones, and bannocks, and broth, and haggis, too, if ye fancy it, and see to your clothes, and make you comfortable, as that feckless thing never did."
"Kate was an excellent girl," said James Macpherson. "I've no fault to find with her, Catherine. But there — " and he sighed, and lifted the fragrant beverage to his lips. "I'm not a man to be interfering with household concerns. They're aye best left to women folk. So I'll say no more. This is very good whisky, Catherine. Where do you get it?"
"It comes direct from Edinbro' — from a wine merchant that used to supply Dr. Scott, with whom I lived, as I told you, Jamie. I thought of him a while back and wrote, asking would he supply us here, and he will, by taking a dozen at a time. And that makes a saving of three shillings, Jamie, to the buying it by the single bottle as ye were doing ; besides, the quality is vastly superior."
And in the eloquent discussion over this astute bargain, and the necessity of supplementing the first tumbler by a second, to be quite sure the quality was as "vastly superior" as Catherine declared, James Macpherson never heard the rattle of cab-wheels or the lifting of boxes, or bethought him that he had not said a kind farewell word to the faithful and excellent little maid servant whom his sister had so ruthlessly turned away after her five years' service.
That same night the new servant arrived.
James Macpherson had long since retired to his room, and Catherine received Tibbie Minch herself.
She had come to her in rather a round- about fashion, and after an exchange of letters, in which her character was stated to be so super-excellent that an unbiased mind might have wondered why such a treasure was so readily parted with.
Mistress and maid took stock of each other in a cautious, investigating glance. Tibbie Minch was very Scotch in her speech and appearance. She was red-haired, high-colored, and bony. Her age was thirty. She had every appearance of health, and strength, and temper. But that was, of course, an after discovery. She had come to London after due consideration with a view to bettering herself, and she surveyed the house and the mistress somewhat distrustfully.
Catherine Macpherson was inclined to be diplomatic. She knew that to have a servant engaged by herself and managed by herself was an important matter. She therefore bestowed an almost friendly welcome on the newcomer.
She liked her staid appearance, and she approved of her lack of charms — such charms as had made the banished Kate an offense and an eyesore.
They conversed together, and she acquainted Tibbie Minch with her work and her duties, the hours and regulations, the day off, or the evening out, the alternate Sundays for kirk, and the usual details of a situation newly undertaken.
Tibbie listened, and, if anything, was a bit " short " in her answers.
"Ah, weel, mem, I understand the work of a hoose main and well," she said. " But I've cam' a lang journey the day, and I'm sair needin' a cup o' tea and a rest ; and if it's all the same to ye, mem, we'll no be staying to arrange matters sic a while in advance, for I've my ain notions o' work, and how I'd best do it, and I wouldna wonder but that ye'll fall in with my ways when we get better acquaint. And so, mem, will ye e'en be showing me my kitchen, for my legs are doonricht numbed, and I wouldna object to warm them by a bit fire this verra minnit."
Catherine Macpherson said nothing, but led the way down-stairs, where indeed there was a very minute "bit fire," at which the new treasure did not fail to grumble.
She soon set to work, however, to mend it, and announced her intention of making tea and getting herself some supper. Catherine had to conduct her to the larder and give her the tea-caddy, and then permit herself to be graciously dismissed to her "ain parlor," as Tibbie called it.
"I'm an early riser," she announced as her mistress turned a reluctant back on the now blazing fire. " I hae nae doot I'll find my ain way aboot the house the mom. Ye needna fash yersel' aboot me. I'll be ha'en the parlor swept and the breakfast laid at nine o'clock as ye said. What time do ye hae family worship?"
Catherine Macpherson was somewhat taken aback at the question. She had made no attempt at introducing family worship at all — as yet; but she resolved that it must be done forthwith. "After breakfast," she announced. "It depends on your master. He's not very strong, and at times we are a little — well, irregular."
"I'm no used to that, said the new domestic severely. " I aye like my prayers and my expounding fairly set before me, before ever my day's work is begun; and I was told muckle aboot the grand Christian family ye were; ay, and how ye yersel' had been saved and made regenerate much aboot the time that I felt called my ain self. And before Christ we are all equal, and, equal or not, a body has feelings; and I ken weel that it's nae a richt place were the family worship is nae strictly and punctually appointed."
Catherine Macpherson began to have a vague misgiving as to the wisdom of her selection. It looked very much like a case of "Greek meeting Greek."
"Of course, of course," she said. "You are quite right, and I am pleased to hear you are a pious and God-fearing person. Nine for breakfast; half-past nine for prayers. And now take your tea; and when you are ready I will show you your room, and the way to lock up the house for the night. That is all you will have to do. I always go to bed at ten o'clock myself."
She closed the door, and went up-stairs with that vague misgiving increasing and intensifying every moment. There was no doubt but that Tibbie Minch was a masterful woman, and a woman with very strong opinions and prejudices, and so was Catherine Macpherson.