difficulty about that. A doctor is in the house at present, and I make no doubt he will be able to wait on you when he has finished attendance upon his other patient It may be a matter of some little time yet, however. ”
Philadelphia pricked up her ears at this. Who could the other patient be? Perhaps it was Lord Bollington? Her heart sank at the thought. If her great-uncle were ill, then this was a most inauspicious time for an unheralded visit.
She longed to put questions to Fidd, but scrupled at interrogating a servant. He was leading the way at a rapid pace up a wide flight of polished (and villainously slippery) stairs; Delphie took Jenny ’ s arm and assisted her to follow.
At the top, where the stairs led into another wide hallway with numerous passages leading off it, the manservant selected a rather narrow passage turning sharp to the left, past a long row of windows, and took them down it for what seemed an excessively long distance.
“ Pray don ’ t take trouble fixing a chamber especial for me, ” panted Miss Baggott after a while, as they went farther and farther. “ The housekeeper ’ s room would do well enough! ”
“ There ’ s no housekeeper at Chase, ma ’ am, ” said Fidd. He added, with what sounded like grim approval, “ His lordship can ’ t abide wimmen getting their fambles on things. ”
“ Good gracious. Are there no women servants at all? ” inquired Philadelphia, with mixed curiosity and disapproval.
“ Oh, yes, miss. There ’ s maids, but they ’ re only under-servants, and has to keep in their place. They dassn ’ t be seen in the passageways or rooms where his lordship might come—if he should set eyes on them, they ’ re turned off directly. And they has to do their work while he ’ s still abed. Now, here we are, miss. ”
He opened the door of a large, pleasant chamber, agreeably illuminated by the rays of the westering sun, and furnished with a few handsome pieces which were, however, both dusty and in bad order. The bed-curtains, Delphie noticed, were half eaten away by moth, the chairs seats were threadbare, and the carpet had a great faded patch where the afternoon sun lay across it.
Fidd vigorously tugged on a beaded bell rope, and then left them. Bodkin deposited their bags, glanced about him, and then said, rather doubtfully,
“ Shall you be all right here, Miss Carteret? It seems a hem queer set-out—axing your pardon, miss!—if no women ’ s allowed to be seen in the place? Say the word, and I ’ ll fetch you away, soon as Miss has changed her things. ”
“ I think we shall do, thank you, Bodkin, ” Delphie replied, with rather more firmness than she in fact felt. “ Do you go onto Cow Green and make arrangements for yourself and the outriders to spend the night there. If I do not send you word to the contrary, come and pick us up here at ten o ’ clock tomorrow morning. ”
“ Yes, miss. Very good, miss. I—I ’ m sure I hope you manage to get what you came for—and I wish you good fortune, miss. ” Touching his forelock, Bodkin left them to themselves.
Directly he had done so, Jenny, who had sunk onto a straight - backed chair as if utterly exhausted and shocked, raised a round face brimful of glee and self-congratulation.
“ Well! ” she said to Philadelphia. “ Wasn ’ t I clever? Wa sn ’ t I artful? Didn ’ t I play them a famous turn? Wasn ’ t it as good as a box at Covent Garden? Now we ’ re fixed here for as long as we like. They dursn ’ t turn us out while my lungs is inflamed! ”
“ Do you mean to say, you wretched girl ,” exclaimed Delphie, aghast—though in fact she had half suspected as much— ” Are you telling me, Jenny, that you fell into the moat on purpose ? ”
“ Sure ’ s you ’ re born , I did! ” said Jenny triumphantly. “ Wasn ’ t it just the nackiest thing? Didn ’ t I do it as it might ‘ a been done in Drury Lane? But I had the hardest trouble in the world not to bust out
Philadelphia pricked up her ears at this. Who could the other patient be? Perhaps it was Lord Bollington? Her heart sank at the thought. If her great-uncle were ill, then this was a most inauspicious time for an unheralded visit.
She longed to put questions to Fidd, but scrupled at interrogating a servant. He was leading the way at a rapid pace up a wide flight of polished (and villainously slippery) stairs; Delphie took Jenny ’ s arm and assisted her to follow.
At the top, where the stairs led into another wide hallway with numerous passages leading off it, the manservant selected a rather narrow passage turning sharp to the left, past a long row of windows, and took them down it for what seemed an excessively long distance.
“ Pray don ’ t take trouble fixing a chamber especial for me, ” panted Miss Baggott after a while, as they went farther and farther. “ The housekeeper ’ s room would do well enough! ”
“ There ’ s no housekeeper at Chase, ma ’ am, ” said Fidd. He added, with what sounded like grim approval, “ His lordship can ’ t abide wimmen getting their fambles on things. ”
“ Good gracious. Are there no women servants at all? ” inquired Philadelphia, with mixed curiosity and disapproval.
“ Oh, yes, miss. There ’ s maids, but they ’ re only under-servants, and has to keep in their place. They dassn ’ t be seen in the passageways or rooms where his lordship might come—if he should set eyes on them, they ’ re turned off directly. And they has to do their work while he ’ s still abed. Now, here we are, miss. ”
He opened the door of a large, pleasant chamber, agreeably illuminated by the rays of the westering sun, and furnished with a few handsome pieces which were, however, both dusty and in bad order. The bed-curtains, Delphie noticed, were half eaten away by moth, the chairs seats were threadbare, and the carpet had a great faded patch where the afternoon sun lay across it.
Fidd vigorously tugged on a beaded bell rope, and then left them. Bodkin deposited their bags, glanced about him, and then said, rather doubtfully,
“ Shall you be all right here, Miss Carteret? It seems a hem queer set-out—axing your pardon, miss!—if no women ’ s allowed to be seen in the place? Say the word, and I ’ ll fetch you away, soon as Miss has changed her things. ”
“ I think we shall do, thank you, Bodkin, ” Delphie replied, with rather more firmness than she in fact felt. “ Do you go onto Cow Green and make arrangements for yourself and the outriders to spend the night there. If I do not send you word to the contrary, come and pick us up here at ten o ’ clock tomorrow morning. ”
“ Yes, miss. Very good, miss. I—I ’ m sure I hope you manage to get what you came for—and I wish you good fortune, miss. ” Touching his forelock, Bodkin left them to themselves.
Directly he had done so, Jenny, who had sunk onto a straight - backed chair as if utterly exhausted and shocked, raised a round face brimful of glee and self-congratulation.
“ Well! ” she said to Philadelphia. “ Wasn ’ t I clever? Wa sn ’ t I artful? Didn ’ t I play them a famous turn? Wasn ’ t it as good as a box at Covent Garden? Now we ’ re fixed here for as long as we like. They dursn ’ t turn us out while my lungs is inflamed! ”
“ Do you mean to say, you wretched girl ,” exclaimed Delphie, aghast—though in fact she had half suspected as much— ” Are you telling me, Jenny, that you fell into the moat on purpose ? ”
“ Sure ’ s you ’ re born , I did! ” said Jenny triumphantly. “ Wasn ’ t it just the nackiest thing? Didn ’ t I do it as it might ‘ a been done in Drury Lane? But I had the hardest trouble in the world not to bust out
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