The Clever Woman of the Family [92]
set upon it. She was met by a profession of ignorance of its value, and of readiness to be contented with whatever might be conferred upon his project; the one way in which he still hoped to be of service to his fellow creatures, the one longing of his life. "Ah!" said Rachel, greatly delighted with this congenial spirit, and as usual preferring the affirmative to the interrogative. "I heard you had been interesting yourself about Mrs Kelland's lace school. What a miserable system it is!" "My inquiries have betrayed me then? It is indeed a trying spectacle." "And to be helpless to alleviate it," continued Rachel. "Over work, low prices and middle-men perfectly batten on the lives of our poor girls here. I have thought it over again and again, and it is a constant burden on my mind." "Yes, indeed. The effects of modern civilization are a constant burden on the compassion of every highly constituted nature." "The only means that seems to me likely to mitigate the evil," continued Rachel, charmed at having the most patient listener who had ever fallen to her lot, "would be to commence an establishment where some fresh trades might be taught, so as to lessen the glut of the market, and to remove the workers that are forced to undersell one another, and thus oblige the buyers to give a fairly remunerative price." "Precisely my own views. To commence an establishment that would drain off the superfluous labour, and relieve the oppressed, raising the whole tone of female employment." "And this is the project you meant?" "And in which, for the first time, I begin to hope for success, if it can only receive the patronage of some person of influence." "Oh, anything I can do!" exclaimed Rachel, infinitely rejoiced. "It is the very thing I have been longing for for years. What, you would form a sort of industrial school, where the children could be taught some remunerative labour, and it might soon be almost self- supporting?" "Exactly; the first establishment is the difficulty, for which I have been endeavouring to put a few mites together." "Every one would subscribe for such a purpose!" exclaimed Rachel. "You speak from your own generous nature, Miss Curtis; but the world would require patronesses to recommend." "There could be no difficulty about that!" exclaimed Rachel; but at this moment she saw the Myrtlewood pony carriage coming to the door, and remembering that she had undertaken to drive out Ermine Williams in it, she was obliged to break off the conversation, with an eager entreaty that Mr. Mauleverer would draw up an account of his plan, and bring it to her the next day, when she would give her opinion on it, and consider of the means. "My dear," said her mother, on her return, "how long you have been; and what am I to give for the water-colour?" "Oh, I forgot all about the water-colour; but never mind what we give, mamma, it is all to go to an asylum for educating poor girls, and giving them some resource beyond that weary lace-making--the very thing I have always longed for. He is coming to settle it all with me to-morrow, and then we will arrange what to give." "Indeed, my dear, I hope it will be something well managed. I think if it were not for those middle-men, lace-making would not be so bad. But you must not keep poor Miss Williams waiting." Ermine had never seen Rachael in such high spirits as when they set out through the network of lanes, describing her own exceeding delight in the door thus opening for the relief of the suffering over which she had long grieved, and launching out into the details of the future good that was to be achieved. At last Ermine asked what Rachel knew of the proposer. "Captain Keith, heard he was a distinguished professor and essayist." "Then I wonder we have not heard his name," said Ermine. "It is a remarkable one; one might look in the 'Clergy List' at Villars's." "Villars called him a clerical gentleman," mused Rachel. "Then you would be sure to be able to find out something about him before committing yourself." "I can