Ayala's Angel [174]
to him. But he was less able to despatch Tom at once to Japan than the elder Faddle had been to send off the younger Faddle to the stern realities of life in Aberdeen. He was quite willing that Tom should marry Ayala if it could be arranged, and therefore he gave his consent.
So armed, Lady Tringle had come up to Kingsbury Crescent, and was now about to undertake a task, which she acknowledged to herself to be difficult. She, in the first place, had had her choice and had selected a niece. Then she had quarrelled with her own selection, and had changed nieces. This had been done to accommodate her own fancy; and now she wanted to change the nieces back again! She felt aware that her request was unreasonable, and came, therefore, determined to wrap it up in her blandest smiles.
When Ayala had left the room Mrs Dosett sat mute in attention. She was quite aware that something very much out of the ordinary way was to be asked of her. In her ordinary way Lady Tringle never did smile when she came to Kingsbury Crescent. She would be profuse in finery, and would seem to throw off sparks of wealth at every word she spoke. Now even her dress had been toned down to her humbler manner, and there was no touch of her husband's purse in her gait. "Margaret," she said, "I have a proposition of great importance to make to you." Mrs Dosett opened her eyes wider and sat still mute. "That poor girl is not -- is not -- is not doing perhaps the very best for herself here at Kingsbury Crescent."
"Why is she not doing the best for herself?" asked Mrs Dosett, angrily.
"Do not for a moment suppose that I am finding fault either with you or my brother."
"You'd be very wrong if you did."
"No doubt -- but I am not finding fault. I know how very generous you have both been. Of course Sir Thomas is a rich man, and what he gives to one of the girls comes to nothing. Of course it is different with you. It is hard upon my brother to have any such burden put upon him; and it is very good both in him and you to bear it."
"What is it you want us to do now, Emmeline?"
"Well -- I was going to explain. I do think it a great pity that Tom and Ayala should not become man and wife. If ever any young man ever did love a girl I believe that he loves her."
"I think he does."
"It is dreadful. I never saw anything like it. He is just for all the world like those young men we read of who do all manner of horrible things for love -- smothering themselves and their young women with charcoal, or throwing them into the Regent's Canal. I am constantly afraid of something happening. It was all because of Ayala that he got into that terrible row at the police court -- and then we were afraid he was going to take to drink. He has given all that up now."
"I am very glad he has given drink up. That wouldn't do him any good."
"He is quite different now. The poor fellow hardly takes anything. He will sit all the afternoon smoking cigarettes and sipping tea. It is quite sad to see him. Then he comes and talks to me, and is always asking me to make Ayala have him."
"I don't think that anybody can ever make Ayala do anything." "Not quite by talking to her. I dare say not. I did not mean to say a word to her about it just now."
"We can do nothing, I fear," said Mrs Dosett.
"I was going to suggest something. But I wanted first to say a word or two about poor Lucy." They were just at present all "poor" to Lady Tringle -- Ayala, Lucy, Tom, and Gertrude. Even Augusta was poor because she was to be turned out of her bedroom. "Is she in trouble?"
"Oh, dear, yes. But," she added, thinking well to correct herself, so that Mrs Dosett might not imagine that she would have to look forward to troubles with Lucy, "she could arrange her affairs, no doubt, if she were not with us. She is engaged to that Mr Isadore Hamel, the sculptor."
"So I have heard."
"He does not earn very much just at present, I fear. Sir Thomas did offer to help him, but he was perhaps a little hoity-toity, giving himself airs. That, however, did not come
So armed, Lady Tringle had come up to Kingsbury Crescent, and was now about to undertake a task, which she acknowledged to herself to be difficult. She, in the first place, had had her choice and had selected a niece. Then she had quarrelled with her own selection, and had changed nieces. This had been done to accommodate her own fancy; and now she wanted to change the nieces back again! She felt aware that her request was unreasonable, and came, therefore, determined to wrap it up in her blandest smiles.
When Ayala had left the room Mrs Dosett sat mute in attention. She was quite aware that something very much out of the ordinary way was to be asked of her. In her ordinary way Lady Tringle never did smile when she came to Kingsbury Crescent. She would be profuse in finery, and would seem to throw off sparks of wealth at every word she spoke. Now even her dress had been toned down to her humbler manner, and there was no touch of her husband's purse in her gait. "Margaret," she said, "I have a proposition of great importance to make to you." Mrs Dosett opened her eyes wider and sat still mute. "That poor girl is not -- is not -- is not doing perhaps the very best for herself here at Kingsbury Crescent."
"Why is she not doing the best for herself?" asked Mrs Dosett, angrily.
"Do not for a moment suppose that I am finding fault either with you or my brother."
"You'd be very wrong if you did."
"No doubt -- but I am not finding fault. I know how very generous you have both been. Of course Sir Thomas is a rich man, and what he gives to one of the girls comes to nothing. Of course it is different with you. It is hard upon my brother to have any such burden put upon him; and it is very good both in him and you to bear it."
"What is it you want us to do now, Emmeline?"
"Well -- I was going to explain. I do think it a great pity that Tom and Ayala should not become man and wife. If ever any young man ever did love a girl I believe that he loves her."
"I think he does."
"It is dreadful. I never saw anything like it. He is just for all the world like those young men we read of who do all manner of horrible things for love -- smothering themselves and their young women with charcoal, or throwing them into the Regent's Canal. I am constantly afraid of something happening. It was all because of Ayala that he got into that terrible row at the police court -- and then we were afraid he was going to take to drink. He has given all that up now."
"I am very glad he has given drink up. That wouldn't do him any good."
"He is quite different now. The poor fellow hardly takes anything. He will sit all the afternoon smoking cigarettes and sipping tea. It is quite sad to see him. Then he comes and talks to me, and is always asking me to make Ayala have him."
"I don't think that anybody can ever make Ayala do anything." "Not quite by talking to her. I dare say not. I did not mean to say a word to her about it just now."
"We can do nothing, I fear," said Mrs Dosett.
"I was going to suggest something. But I wanted first to say a word or two about poor Lucy." They were just at present all "poor" to Lady Tringle -- Ayala, Lucy, Tom, and Gertrude. Even Augusta was poor because she was to be turned out of her bedroom. "Is she in trouble?"
"Oh, dear, yes. But," she added, thinking well to correct herself, so that Mrs Dosett might not imagine that she would have to look forward to troubles with Lucy, "she could arrange her affairs, no doubt, if she were not with us. She is engaged to that Mr Isadore Hamel, the sculptor."
"So I have heard."
"He does not earn very much just at present, I fear. Sir Thomas did offer to help him, but he was perhaps a little hoity-toity, giving himself airs. That, however, did not come