Mrs. Lowder

“ What Susie indeed, however, most thought of at present, in the quick, new light of it, was the wonder of Kate's dissimulation. She had time for that view while she waited for an answer to her cry. "Kate thinks she cares. But she's mistaken. And no one knows it." These things, distinct and responsible, were Mrs. Lowder's retort. Yet they weren't all of it. "You don't know it—that must be your line. Or rather your line must be that you deny it utterly."
"Deny that she cares for him?"
"Deny that she so much as thinks that she does. Positively and absolutely. ”

“ Mrs. Lowder did justice to the question. "My dear, how can you ask? Put yourself in her place. She meets me, but on her terms. Proud young women are proud young women. And proud old ones are—well, what I am. Fond of you as we both are, you can help us."
Milly tried to be inspired. "Does it come back then to my asking her straight?"
At this, however, finally, Aunt Maud threw her up. "Oh, if you've so many reasons not——!"
"I've not so many," Milly smiled "but I've one. If I break out so suddenly as knowing him, what will she make of my not having spoken before?" ”

“ Besides, just now, he didn't care for Aunt Maud except in so far as he was immediately to show. "How can Mrs. Lowder think me disposed of, with any finality, if I'm disposed of only to a girl who's dying? ”

“ Kate went on, "that anything in the nature of what you call deception on Mrs. Stringham's part will be what you call odd. Why shouldn't she hide the truth?"
"From Mrs. Lowder?" Densher stared. "Why should she?"
"To please you."
"And how in the world can it please me?"
Kate turned her heid away as if really at last almost tired of his density. But she looked at him again as she spoke. "Well then, to please Milly." And before he could question: "Don't you feel by this time that there's nothing Susan Shepherd won't do for you?" ”

“ Mrs. Lowder had improvised a "rush" for them, but out of elements, as Milly was now a little more freely aware, somewhat roughly combined. Therefore if at this very instant she had her reasons for thinking of the parenthesis as about to close—reasons completely personal—she had on behalf of her companion a divination almost as deep. The parenthesis would close with this admirable picture, but the admirable picture still would show Aunt Maud as not absolutely sure either if she herself were destined to remain in it. ”

“ Lowder had left in the air and that all her own look, as we have seen, kept there at first for her companion. The immediate strange effect had been that of her consciously needing, as it were, an alibi—which, successfully, she so found. She had worked it to the end, ridden it to and fro across the course marked for Milly by Aunt Maud, and now she had quite, so to speak, broken it in. "The bore is that if she wants him so much—wants him, heaven forgive her! for me—he has put us all out, since your arrival, by wanting somebody else. I don't mean somebody else than you." ”

“ He was always known as ‘Father Lowder,’ and though on one occasion the Church Association tried to interfere with his proceedings at St. Peter's, their emissaries were glad to get away without broken heads. Lowder died 9 Sept. 1880, at Zell-am-See, Salzburg, Austria, whither he had gone for a holiday, and was buried in Chislehurst churchyard. In person he was tall and strong; he was somewhat reserved in manner, but had great powers of organisation and of exciting enthusiasm. He wrote besides one or two pamphlets: 1. ‘Ten Years in the St. George's Mission,’ 1867. 2. ”

“ Lowder's basis, the only one in question—a very small quantity, and he did know, damnably, what made quantities large. He desired to be perfectly simple; yet in the midst of that effort a deeper apprehension throbbed. Aunt Maud clearly conveyed it, though he couldn't later on have said how. "You don't really matter, I believe, so much as you think, and I'm not going to make you a martyr by banishing you. Your performances with Kate in the Park are ridiculous so far as they're meant as consideration for me ”

“ Lowder's recommendation that nothing should be said to Kate—it was on this rich attitude of Aunt Maud's that the idea of an interesting complication might best hope to perch; and when, in fact, after the colloquy we have reported Milly saw Kate again without mentioning any name, her silence succeeded in passing muster with her as the beginning of a new sort of fun. ”

“ Bunting went downstairs, and as she opened the door of her sitting-room Daisy came towards her stepmother.
"I’ll go down and start getting the lodger’s supper ready for you," said the girl good-naturedly. "He’s certain to come in when he gets hungry. But he did look upset, didn’t he, Ellen? Right down bad—that he did!"
Mrs. Bunting made no answer; she simply stepped aside to allow Daisy to go down.
"Mr. Sleuth won’t never come back no more," she said sombrely, and then she felt both glad and angry at the extraordinary change which came over her husband’s face. ”

“ Daisy pouted. "Oh, father, I think you might let me have a treat on my birthday! I told him Saturday wasn't a very good day—at least, so I'd heard—for Madame Tussaud's. Then he said we could go early, while the fine folk are still having their dinners. He wants you to come, too." She turned to her stepmother, then giggled happily. "The lodger has a wonderful fancy for you, Ellen; if I was father, I'd feel quite jealous!"
Her last words were cut across by a loud knock on the door. Bunting and his wife looked at each other apprehensively. ”

“ And this is my husband's daughter, Daisy; I expect you've heard of her, Mr. Hopkins. And this"—she hesitated a moment—"is our lodger, Mr. Sleuth."
But Mr. Sleuth frowned and shuffled away Daisy, leaving her stepmother's side, joined him.
Mrs. Bunting put down three sixpences.
"Wait a minute," said Hopkins; "you can't go into the Chamber of Horrors just yet. But you won't have to wait more than four or five minutes, Mrs. Bunting. It's this way, you see; our boss is in there, showing a party round." He lowered his voice. "It's Sir John Burney—I suppose you know who Sir John Burney is?" ”

“ Lily nodded.
“Thus we do not really regard her as a servant,” went on the Countess. “We are both very fond of her. She is an excellent creature, but she is not very amiable. I had to tell her that you were coming as a paying guest”—the Countess made a slight grimace. “Cristina is an old woman, and I hope you will not be offended with me when I say that I shall be glad if you will help a little in the work of the house.” ”

“ I suppose you know some lady who would put me up, Aunt Cosy?”
The Countess hadn't the slightest idea of what Lily meant by being “put up,” but she nodded amiably.
“Oh, yes,” she said, “I will certainly find some lady. Meanwhile your Uncle Angelo will take you down to Monte Carlo to-morrow morning, just to show you the way. He has purchases to make, and he will be able to see about the tennis. It is, so I understand, quite a young girl's game.” ”

“ They live so very simply; they are so obviously poor.”
It made her uncomfortable that she and a stranger should be discussing the Count and Countess's private affairs in this way.
“What does their son think himself?” she said at last, “surely he must know!”
“Beppo has no idea at all,” said the Marchesa impressively.
Lowering her voice a little, she asked suddenly, “How much money have you lent the Countess Polda since you arrived at Monte Carlo?”
“I have lent Aunt Cosy nothing!” cried Lily vehemently. “She has never asked me to lend her a farthing!” ”

“ She was nothing to us, and we was nothing to her.”
“She’d have liked to be something to you, I make no doubt,” observed his Ellen, shaking her head, and her husband smiled, a little foolishly.
By this time they were back in their nice, cosy sitting-room, and a feeling of not altogether unpleasant lassitude stole over Mrs. Bunting. It was a comfort to have Daisy out of her way for a bit. The girl, in some ways, was very wide awake and inquisitive, and she had early betrayed what her stepmother thought to be a very unseemly and silly curiosity concerning the lodger. ”

“ And then there came across the old nun's face a very charming look. “An old woman's blessing can only do Mademoiselle good!” she exclaimed; and then she took Lily in her arms and kissed her.
The girl felt extremely moved, and, yes, interested by this, to her, surprising experience; but she felt vexed and also annoyed by the reference to Beppo Polda. It was obvious that Cristina meant to associate them, Beppo and herself, in the mind of the Mother Superior.
“A sorrow has befallen the community,” said the nun in a sad tone. “We have lost our beautiful cat! ”

“ His daughter Daisy would be eighteen the following Saturday. Why shouldn't he send her a postal order for half a sovereign, so that she might come up and spend her birthday in London?
Having Daisy for three or four days would cheer up Ellen. Mr. Bunting, slackening his footsteps, began to think with puzzled concern of how queer his wife had seemed lately. She had become so nervous, so "jumpy," that he didn't know what to make of her sometimes. She had never been a really good-tempered woman,—your capable, self-respecting woman seldom is,—but she had never been like what she was now. ”

“ When all was said and done she, Lily Fairfield, was really a stranger to them all.
The Marchesa was looking at her intently, evidently willing her to speak again.
“Of course, Aunt Cosy is a very peculiar woman,” began the girl awkwardly. “She is so devoted to Beppo that one feels she would be jealous of anyone he really cared for. The other day I could not help feeling that she was actually jealous of dear old Cristina!”
“She has reason to be jealous of Cristina,” said the Marchesa slowly, “for Beppo, very rightly, is devoted to that noble woman, who has given up her whole life to him. ”

“ Lowndes went on. "I'm giving a fête to-day in my ground to all our school children here, in honour of my little girl's birthday. We're to have the grand conjurer to show his tricks, then a feast, and fireworks to close the entertainment; could you spare me this little maid?" continued the magistrate, turning towards his sister. "I should like to show the children one who has set them so good an example of honesty and uprightness."
"I will spare Norah with pleasure," said the kind old lady, "and make the same arrangement with my char-woman as I did upon Monday. ”

“ Sleuth held something in his right hand. It was the key of the chiffonnier cupboard. He had been on his way there when her coming in had disturbed him.
“It’s very kind of you to be so concerned about me,” he stammered, “but—but, Mrs. Bunting, you must excuse me if I say that I do not welcome such solicitude. I prefer to be left alone. I—I cannot stay in your house if I feel that my comings and goings are watched—spied upon.”
She pulled herself together. “No one spies upon you, sir,” she said, with considerable dignity. ”

“ Yes. And yet I was very much alive to the fact that you had not fulfilled your promise to come down, and twice the Countess went upstairs to hurry you. Each time she came back she said you were just coming, and of course I believed her. And then—and then—well, Lily, I suppose the drug they had managed to convey to me, either in the food, or in the wine and liqueur, began to act. ”

“ But what made him change his mind, Miss Fairfield? Surely he went up to La Solitude in order to tell the Count and Countess Polda that he couldn't have the pleasure of dining with them?”
“I expect,” said Lily reluctantly, “that he saw how annoyed they were at his change of plan. They're old-fashioned people, the sort of people who make rather a fuss about having anyone to a meal, even to tea”—a slight smile quivered over her face, and M. Popeau nodded—“and the Countess was rather disagreeable in her manner, when Mr. Ponting said he could not stay. ”

“ He pirouetted round on his heel for a moment, and then bowed.
“Mademoiselle,” he said, “of all your servants I am the humblest and the most devoted, and I regret very much now that I did not compel you to allow me to go into the villa with you yesterday afternoon!”
“I am sorry too,” said Lily in a low voice. “But I don't know—I think Aunt Cosy would have had it out with me just the same after you had gone. She didn't say much till the Count and the man from the police had left the house, and then—oh, then, M. Popeau, I've never seen anybody so angry!” ”

“ Then you can accompany Uncle Angelo to the Condamine.”
Lily hurried into the house, and a few minutes later the Countess was walking across the lawn to see them off.
“Do not say anything of this matter to Beppo,” she said anxiously.
And Lily answered: “Of course I won't, Aunt Cosy.” But she spoke very coldly. She could not forgive the Countess Polda for having opened her letter.
The two ill-assorted companions went down the hill together in absolute silence. Count Polda was always a man of few words. ”

“ Then he fell into one of his long silences.
“Have you not forgotten, Uncle Angelo, the message to the Marchese?” asked Lily at last. “I mean about Mr. Vissering and the Club.”
“I have thought the matter over,” said the Count gravely, “and I do not feel I can propose such a plan to the Marchese. Mr. Vissering would be out of place in the Club.
“You also said something about a car for to-night,” said Lily.
“I have changed my mind about that too. I do not care to ask favours of people. I shall take one of those nice taxis that look like a private car, from one of the hotels.” ”