A Mummer's Wife

ght! I never enjoyed myself so much in my life. The place was crammed! Su

was Mr. Le

ece. But Joe Mortimer was splendid; I nearly died of laughing when he fell down and lost his wig in the middle of the stage. And Frank Bret looked such a s

l be able to do a little overtime with me. I've promised

't be able to stay

ing the same play you don

go to the theatre for; I'm one of the dressers, and I get twelve shillings a week, and I c

ou mean,

to dress them, and I look after the principal

have you bee

nth now. Bill go

lf an hour; with bent heads and clicking needles, Kate and

hour when you were in a difficulty was of very little use; and it might be as well to look out for somebody more suitable. Besides, all this talk about theatres and actors was very wrong; there could be little doubt that the girl was losing her character, and to have her coming about the house would give it a bad name. Such were Kate's reflectio

d wicked. She could tell without appearing too rude, how Mr. Wentworth, the lessee, was gone on a certain lady in the new company, and would give her anything if she would chuck up her engagement and come and live with him. When Hender told these stories, Kate, fearing that Mrs. Ede might have overheard, looked anxiously at the door, and under the influence of the emotion, it interested her to warn her assistant of the perils of frequenting bad company. But as Kate lecture

eaving her daughter in want. To avoid this fate she worked early and late at the factory, and Kate was left in the charge of the landlady, a childless old woman who, sitting by the fire, used to tell stories of her deceptions and misfortunes in life, thereby intoxicating the

he fact that she married into a family very similar to her own, although her mother-in-law was almost a counterpart of her real mother-a little harder and more resolute, but as God-fearing and as kind-Kate had caught no blast of religious fervour; religion taught her nothing, inspired her with nothing, cou

feet high, but for a tenderer reason: Jack did not find a beautiful lady to love him. She could not help feeling disappointed, and when the London Journal came for the first time across her way, with the story of a broken heart, her own heart melted with sympathy; the more sentimental and unnatural the romance, the more it fevered and enraptured her. She loved to read of singular sub

the authors who deal exclusively with knights, princesses, and kings to

out venturing to address a word to the fair trespasser. One day, however, he was startled by a shriek: in her poetical dreamings the lady had slipped into the water. A moment sufficed to tear off his coat, and as he swam like a water-dog he had no difficulty in rescuing her. Of course after this adventure he had to call and inquire, and from henceforth his visits grew more and more frequent, and by a strange coincidence, he used to come riding up to the hall-door when the husband was away curing the ills of the country-folk. Hours were passed under the

ay she found Kate's scrap-book, made up of poems cut from the Family Herald, she began to despair of her daughter's salvation. The answer Kate made to her mother's repro

entually sold out and their places taken by strangers, who changed the oil-shop into a drapery business. The new arrivals aroused the keenest interest, and Mrs. Howell and her daughter called to see

re. For much as she had revelled in fictitious sentiment, she had somehow never thought of seeking it in nature, and how that she had found a lover, the critical sense was not strong enough in her to lead her to compare reality with imagination. She accepted Ralph as unsuspectingly as she h

the drapery business. Of love, small mention was made. The bridegroom spoke of his prospects of improving the business, the bri

re entered upon. The only analogy between the past and present was an ample submission to authority and an indifference to the world and its interest. Even the fact of being without children did not seem to concern her, and when her mother-in-law regretted it she merely smiled languidly, or said, 'We are very well as we are.' Of the world and the flesh she lived almost in ignorance, suspecting their existence only through Miss Hender. Hender was attracted by her employer's kindness and softness of manner, and Kate by her assistant's strength of will. For some months past a friendship had been growing up between the two women, but if Kate had known

d occasion in her life. And besides her personal feeling there was the fact to consider that to satisfy her customers she must have an assist

ll do; I promised the dr

answered. 'I'll work hard at it all the afternoon;

y; 'these leaves take such a time to sew

e managed, but we

the clicking of needles and the buzzing of flies about the brown-paper patterns

be,' she said, shutt

aid Kate, looki

e an omelette. Did you ever hear of such a thing? I told him I didn't know ho

te,' said Kate, rising.

s of boots to be cleaned, and the clothes that have to be brushed, I've done nothing

t be in two places at once. You promised me you wouldn't say anything mo

tairs,' said Mrs. Ede very crossly; 'and I wish you'd take the little girls out of t

an sit on the sofa. We can manage with the

s addressed to her. She hated having the litt

lette. There was a bright fire in the kitchen,

id as she put the plates and dishes on t

, but I'll attend to that; you t

r idleness and told them to come upstairs, but it was not until she motioned th

mchair, wrapped in his dressing-gown. 'Oh, I beg your pardon, sir; I didn't know-' she said, starting back. Then, b

, drew his chair forward, and, smacking his lips, took the cover off the dish. 'Oh, very nice indeed,' he

dress to-day, sir,

y allusion to her would give rise to further conversation. 'Oh yes, I know Miss Hender; she's one of our dres

ing it up in a minute or two,' Kat

tain his landlady; 'but if you're as pressed with your work as you tell me, I dare say,

very kind of you, but I shall b

at Kate could not choose but like him, and it made her wi

nothing I like so much as a good omelette, I was very lucky to come here,' he a

r flushed the dark complexion. There was something very human in this big

he said, forcing a huge piece of deeply b

there; I rarely g

ver saw the piece go better. If this business keeps up to t

ther date' meant, but Hende

to see the piece, and I'll give you pl

shall be busy all the evening,

the omelette, and poured himself out another cup of tea, when Mrs. Ede appeared with the broiled ba

s plate and devoured voraciously. It pleased Kate to see him enjoy his breakfast, but while she

y and said, 'I was just telling the lady here that we had a tremendous success last night, and that she ought to come

and said severely and emphatically: 'Thank you, sir, but I'm a Christ

changed, and as if struck suddenly by some painful remembrance, he said, 'You're a Dissenter or something of that kind,

something had occurred, and was curious to hear what it was; but there sat those idiotic little girls, and of course it wouldn't do to speak before them. Once she hinted that she had heard that Mr. Lennox, though a very nice man, was a bit quic

h wall opposite the dead glare poured into the little front kitchen through the muslin blinds, burning the pot of green-stuff, and falling in large spots upon the tiled floor; and overcome by the heat, the two women lay back on the little red calico-covered sofa, languidly sipping their beer, and thinking vaguely of when they would have to begin work again. Hender lolled with her legs stretched out; Kate rested her head upon her hand wearily; Mrs. Ede sat straight, apparently unheeding the sunlight which fell across the plaid shawl that she

r concerning the actor briefly; then begged of him to excuse her, as she heard voices in the shop. Mr. Lennox had come in bringing two men with him, Joe Mortimer, the low comedian, and young Montgomery, the conductor

led by an idea which flashed across her mind, and stopping in the middle of a 'leaf,' she considered the question that had propounded itself. Lodgers often make love to their landladies; what would she do if Mr. Lennox made love to her? Such a thing might occur. An expression of annoyance contracted her face, and she resumed her sewing. The hours passed slowly and oppressively. It was now ten o'clock, and the tail had still to be bound with braid, and the side strings to be sewn in. She had no t

words came back to her with a strange distinctness, and she saw that she knew nothing of pleasure, or even of happiness; and in a very simple way she wondered what were really the ends of life. If she were good and religious like her mother or her mother-in-law-But somehow she could never feel as they did. Heaven seemed so far away. Of course it was a consolation to think there was a happier and better world; still-still-Not being able to pursue the thread any further, she stopped, puzzled, and a few moments af

f the book, she thought of the wealth of love she had to give, and it seemed to her u

est and back with iodine. He had a bad attack, which was beginning to subside. His face was haggard, his eyes turgid, and the two women talked together. Mrs. Ede was indignant, and told of all her trouble with the di

n words were forbidden to him his mother supplied his place. The tall figure knelt upright. It was not a movement of cringing humility, bu

etermined on a chapter, she began to read. But she had not got beyond a few sente

and. He was at the moment searching for his pocket-ha

ful! it's d

Mr. Lennox

listen, and then, shutting the book fiercely, she said, 'From the first I was against letting our rooms to a m

We must tell-tell him t

h wh

ow who these women are h

met in Piccadi

'I'm sure that they are t

d made common cause with the ordinary prejudice of the British landlady. Mr. Ede shared his mother's opinions, but

course he mustn't bring women into the house; but he had better b

f doors. She hesitated, and during a long silence all three listened. A great guffaw, a woman's shriek, a peal of laughter, and then a clinkin

that is all that can

don't see how I'm to tell them to go. H

htshirt across his hairy chest. 'I'm not going to listen to

d Mrs. Ede, seeing her d

n send th

ather go myse

ht you might not like to go do

is asthma would allow him. 'They're just killing me with their noise. Go down at o

towards the door, but K

ended the stairs she heard a man's vo

a rehearsal being called. She took the concerted music in the finale of the first act two w

piece go so badly. Bret was "

, asked herself how she was to walk in upon thos

th Dick. She nearly missed her cue once

o act; and without having made up her mind what to say, s

d a bit of striped stocking. Next her, with his spare legs sprawled over the arm of the easy-chair, was Mr. Montgomery, the thinnest being possible to imagine, in grey clothes. His nose was enormous, and he pushed up his glasses when Kate came into the room with a movement of the left hand th

, 'I'm very sorry, but we cannot ke

kscrew into the bottle, and the low comedian, seizing the opportunity, murmured in his mechanical voice to the girl beh

rriment still contributed to

e asked herself. At last he did speak,

made no agreement with you that I wasn't to bring friends home with me in the ev

othing was really present in her mind

ut my mother-in-law and my husband won't have p

wards her, and when she mentioned that her husband was

oo much noise; we should

as about to end pleasantly, Mrs. Ed

will not remain in a house

checking himself, he said, addressing Kate, 'I beg that you leave my rooms, ma'am. You can give me warning in the morning if you like, or rather, I'll

ed to force her son to say that the police must be sent for. But it was impossible to get an answer from him: the excitement and effort of speaking had rendered him speechless, and holding his moppy black hair with both hands, he wheezed in deep organ tones. Kate looked at him blankly, and longed for some place out of hearing of his breath and out of the smell of the medicine-bottles. His mother was now insisting on his taking a couple of pills, and called upon Kate to find the box. The sharp, sickly odour of the alo

r night would kill me. Will

uch at the request, but at the vehemence of the emphasis laid upon the

ed as if she feared she was doing wrong, and she look

reath to think either of her or of the necessity of sending for the p

to stop there all n

replied Kate petulantly. 'It's all your fault-you're to blame for ev

ut Kate walked out of the room without giving her t

born yesterday. A devilish pretty woman,

id to herself-'they must be talkin

ave been particularly well-timed, for af

e, but what I'm not going to do is to wait here listening

ozen voices spoke together, and in terror of her l

ng voices mingling with the clinking of glasses. At last Dick wished his friends good-night, and Kate lay under the sheets and listened. Something was going to happen. 'He thinks me a pretty woman; she is jealous,' were phrases that rang without ceasing in her ears. Then, hearing his door open, she fancied he was com