When they were all wonderingly and somewhat sheepishly assembled, she delivered herself, proudly and firmly, of what she had made up her mind to say.
“Now, just attend to me, all of you, for I’m in deadly earnest, and I mean to see that my orders are carried, out. You see this young gentleman”—she indicated Comethup, who was seated beside her—“this is Master Willis, my nephew. For the future he takes a place in this house, and wherever I may be, second only to mine. If he says a thing is to be done, understand that it is to be done; if he gives an order to any one of you, it must be obeyed, as swiftly as though I had given it myself. You needn’t be alarmed, any of you; he’s not the sort of fellow to give any of you any trouble. But, trouble or no trouble, you will understand he’s the young master here, and the Lord help the man or the woman that forgets it! You know me, or you should by this time, and you know that, although I can’t actually see you, I know what you’re doing, every one of you, by night or by day. I know your tricks, and your humours, and your little tempers, and all the rest of it; but we’ll have no tricks or humours or tempers with Master Willis. As I say, you won’t find him exacting; but what he wants he’s to have. That’s all; I’ve nothing more to say.”
They appeared to understand very perfectly. One of them—Comethup thought it was the butler—even stepped forward and murmured a little incoherent speech, intended to convey the loyalty of himself and his fellow-servants to the young master. Miss Charlotte Carlaw nodded approval, even punctuated the broken speech with nods, and dismissed them all with a wave of her hand.
“Now you understand, Comethup,” she said, turning to the boy when they had gone, and putting her hand on his shoulder, “what your power here is. You’ll find, although I don’t think you need the advice, that all the money in the world won’t enable you to hold that power if you don’t set about your life in the right way. If you’re peevish, or tyrannical, or unjust—well, you must expect to get sour looks and unwilling service; if you are a gentleman, and show that you only demand what is your right, and demand it courteously—for servants are human beings, and have their feelings—you’ll be served gladly and faithfully; at least that’s what I’ve found. Now come with me, and I’ll show you over the house, and I’ll show you your rooms.”
She appeared to know every inch of the great house, from the lowest floor to the garret, telling him instantly what each room was, even to the servants’ rooms. “I keep a butler and a housekeeper,” she explained, “but I like to know everything myself, and what everybody is doing. They used to think once they could cheat me because I couldn’t see ’em; but they found out their mistake long since.”
It was indeed a beautiful house, scrupulously kept, and very richly furnished. Rare pictures hung on the walls, and wonderful china stood on shelves in cabinets; and the tables and chairs and other articles of furniture were many of them richly inlaid with rare and precious woods. “I can’t see any of these things, you know, Comethup; I can only tell the shape of them, and I’m a pretty good judge in that way. But all these things are here because it pleases me to think that I can afford to buy them, and to delight other people’s eyes with them, perhaps even to make some of ’em a little envious. I was born to have eyes, if ever any creature was, for I love rich and beautiful things, even pictures. I’ve got a man who happens to be honest, and knows a good picture when he sees one. When you’ve grown older, and studied hard, you’ll know the value of all these things, Comethup, and you’ll be able to describe, in your own way, all the pictures to me; and that will please us both. Now come and look at your own rooms.”
The two rooms which had been allotted to him seemed, to his delighted eyes, the most beautiful in the house. They were quite high up, and quite simply furnished; but the windows of both looked out over the square, where all the life and bustle that were so fascinating went on; and each seemed to contain exactly everything that a boy could possibly need. In the sitting room were pictures of battle scenes, and deeds of daring generally, choice engravings and etchings for the most part; and on the tables and on shelves were numbers of books, beautifully bound, whose very titles, as he glanced at them, gave promise of the delights to be found within.
Miss Charlotte Carlaw stood perfectly still, with her hand upon his shoulder, until she heard his astonished gasps; then she chuckled with satisfaction and marched him through into the bedroom. Here a young man in a sober brown suit was unpacking his box and carefully arranging its contents in the wardrobe and in a huge press that stood at one side of the room. He was a round-faced, good-humoured-looking young man, and Comethup liked his appearance.
“Ah, is that you, Gwilt?” cried Miss Carlaw. “This is your young master, Master Willis.—Comethup, Gwilt will attend to you, and do everything you want—brush your clothes and keep them in order, and assist you to dress when necessary. He is your special servant, and will have no other duties. Now tell me; do you like these rooms?”