“Oh, Pollie,” she went on presently, “the terrible part of your leaving was that I felt Charlie must not know about it. I do believe he would not have gone for this voyage if he had not firmly believed that you and I could go on happily and safely while he was away. I hated to keep the secret, Pollie, but I had to do it, if Charlie was to have what seemed to be such a chance for his life. And now, after all——” she could say no more.
“And I daresay the master thought pretty hardly of me when he did hear,” said Pollie woefully.
“He never heard,” answered Lucy. “I meant to tell him so soon as I got comfortably settled down with somebody else. But that day never came while he was in reach of letters. Once I thought all was so right that I began my letter, telling the whole story, but before it was finished there was disappointment, and that letter never went. To Charlie it must always seem as if Pollie is taking care of Hugh and me.”
“I only wish it could be true!” cried Pollie. “I only wish I could afford to come over twice a week and help that nice person who tells me she is going to look after your house. I could bring the baby with me, for he is as good as gold.”
Lucy looked up; a bright thought struck her.
“The question is, Pollie,” she said, “could you afford the time? A married woman owes all her time to her husband’s home, except under peculiar circumstances or at a pinch. And I’m sure it is wisest and best so, Pollie, for if a wife’s earnings are not simply an ‘extra,’ evoked to meet some special visitation of God, they don’t add to the household prosperity and comfort. I’m sure I’ve seen enough this year to prove that.”
“Ay, I know it’s true, ma’am,” said Pollie, “but what you say is just our case. Husband had an accident last spring and was out of work three months, and on only half work for a while after, and what with him bringing in nothing, and wanting dainty food, and with a doctor’s bill to pay, we got into debt, and before we left the place we had to pay off, and that meant ‘putting away’ a lot of our things. We’re only in one room now, ma’am, and that does not suit the ways of either of us, and that room is bare enough and does not take long to keep clean. And while I might be helping to get things right again, there I sit with a heavy heart and empty hands. That’s when women take to mischief—to gossiping and drinking. Tom’s out from seven in the morning till six at night. But, of course, I can’t do anything that would take me away from my baby. I wouldn’t do that, and Tom wouldn’t hear of it, not while we have a crust of bread to eat.”
“But, Pollie,” said Lucy, “if you can really afford the time, I can afford to pay you—I really can,” she assured her former servant, seeing that she looked pitifully at her. “First of all, I earn a good deal by my work, if I can get a trustworthy person to work for me in turn; and secondly, my good friend Mrs. May, whom you have seen, refuses to take any wages, because she says she knows she will want outside help. I could afford, Pollie, to give you six shillings a week if you will come here for two days weekly from eight till four, and of course you would dine here.”
“Why, that would pay our rent!” cried Pollie joyfully. “And I know what working in a nice house like this is, with a proper sitting down to good food. Husband, he said to me, ‘If you go charing, it’ll just be cleaning up after slovenly hussies and getting meals o’ broken meat.’ Won’t he be pleased! And, oh, Mrs. Challoner, this makes me quite sure you are friends with me again. I only wish I’d been reasonable, and had treated you friendly, and taken counsel with you, and not been so sudden-like. Yet there’s some ladies make a servant believe she’s of no account, and girls are too ready to listen to ’em,” added Pollie, with a side glance of memory at that conversation with Mrs. Brand which had so disturbed and unsettled her. “But now I’m sure we’re friends again, ma’am.”
“I’m sorry to have ever led you to think otherwise,” said Lucy. “I was sad and sore myself, and it hurt me to think that, after all the time we had been together——”