Heartsease; Or, The Brother's Wife Part 19

'Buy a cookery book.'

'Aunt Moss gave me one; I didn't mean that. But, oh, dear, there's the hiring of servants, and buying things!'

'Don't ask me: it is woman's work, and always to be done behind the scenes. If there's a thing I mortally hate, it is those housekeeper bodies who go about talking of their good cooks.'

Violet was silenced, but after much meditation she humbly begged for answers to one or two questions. 'Was she to pay the servants' wages out of this?'

'Your maids--of course.'

'And how many are we to have?'

'As many as will do the work.'

'A cook and housemaid--I wonder if that would be enough?'

'Don't ask me, that's all'

'I know you don't like to be teased,' she said, submissively; 'but one or two things I do want to know. Is James to be in the house?'

'Why, yes; he is a handy fellow. We will have him down for Simmonds to give him some training.'

'Then ought we to have two maids or three?'

He held up his hands, and escaped.

That morning John, happening to come into the drawing-room, found Violet disconsolately covering a sheet of paper with figures.

'Abstruse calculations?' said he.

'Yes, very,' said she, sighing, with the mystified face of a child losing its way in a long sum.

He did not like to leave her in such evident difficulties, and said, with a smile, 'Your budget? Are you good at arithmetic?'

'I can do the sums, if that was all, but I don't know what to set out from, or anything about it. Mamma said she could not think how I should keep house.'

'She would be the best person to give you counsel, I should think.'

'Yes, but--' and she looked down, struggling with tears, 'I must not write to ask her.'

'How so!'

'Arthur says the Wrangerton people would gossip, and I should not like that,' said she; 'only it is very hard to make out for myself, and those things tease Arthur.'

'They are not much in his line,' said John; 'I don't know,' he added, hesitating, 'whether it would be of any use to you to talk it over with me. There was a time when I considered the management of such an income; and though it never came to practice, mine may be better than no notions at all.'

'Oh, thank you!' said Violet, eagerly; then, pausing, she said, with a sweet embarra.s.sment, 'only--you can't like it.'

'Thank you,' replied he, with kind earnestness; 'I should like to be of use to you.'

'It is just what I want. I am sure Arthur would like me to do it. You see this is what he gives me, and I am to buy everything out of it.'

'The best plan,' said John; 'it never answers to be always applying for money.'

'No,' said Violet, thoughtfully, as she recollected certain home scenes, and then was angry with herself for fancying Arthur could wear such looks as those which all the house dreaded.

Meanwhile John had perceived how differently Arthur had apportioned the income from what his own intentions had been. He had great doubts of the possibility of her well-doing, but he kept them to himself. He advised her to consider her items, and soon saw she was more bewildered than helpless. He knew no more than Arthur on the knotty point of the number of maids, but he was able to p.r.o.nounce her plan sensible, and her eyes brightened, as she spoke of a housemaid of mamma's who wanted to better herself, and get out of the way of the little ones, 'who were always racketing.'

'And now,' said John, 'we pa.s.sed over one important question--or is that settled otherwise?--your own pocket-money!'

'Oh! I have plenty. Arthur gave me fifty pounds when we went through London, and I have twelve left.'

'But for the future! Is it included here?'

'I should think so. Oh!' shocked at the sum he set down, 'a quarter of that would be enough for my dress.'

'I don't think Miss Standaloft would say so,' said John, smiling.

'But Arthur said we must economize, and I promised to be as little expense as possible. Please let me write down half that.'

'No, no,' said John, retaining the pencil, 'not with my consent. Leave yourself the power of giving. Besides, this is to cover all the sundries you cannot charge as household expenses. Now let me mark off another hundred for casualties, and here is what you will have for the year. Now divide.'

'Surely, two people and three servants can't eat all that in one week.'

'Fires, candles,' said John, amused, but poor Violet was quite overpowered.

'Oh, dear! how many things I never thought of! Mamma said I was too young! These coals. Can you tell me anything about them?'

'I am afraid not. You are getting beyond me. If you wanted to know the cost of lodgings in Italy or the south of France, I could help you; but, after all, experience is better bought than borrowed.'

'But what shall I do? Suppose I make Arthur uncomfortable, or spend his money as I ought not when he trusts me?'

'Suppose you don't,' said John. 'Why should you not become an excellent housewife? Indeed, I think you will' he proceeded, as she fixed her eyes on him. 'You see the principle in its right light. This very anxiety is the best pledge. If your head was only full of the pleasure of being mistress of a house, that would make me uneasy about you and Arthur.'

'Oh! that would be too bad! Mamma has talked to me so much. She said I must make it a rule never to have debts. She showed me how she pays her bills every week, and gave me a great book like hers. I began at Winchester.'

'Why, Violet, instead of knowing nothing, I think you know a great deal!'

She smiled, and said something about mamma. 'I don't say you will not make mistakes,' he continued, 'but they will be steps to learn by. Your allowance is not large. It seems only fair to tell you that it may not be sufficient. So, if you find the expenses exceed the week's portion, don't try to scramble on; it will only be discomfort at the time, and will lead to worse. Go boldly to Arthur, and make him attend; it is the only way to peace and security.'

'I see,' said Violet, thoughtfully. 'Oh, I hope I shall do right. One thing I should like. I mean, I thought one ought to set apart something for giving away.'

'That is one use in reserving something for yourself,' said John, in his kindest manner. 'Of the rest, you are only Arthur's steward.'

'Yes, I hope I shall manage well.'

'You will if you keep your present frame of mind.'

'But I am so young and ignorant. I did not think enough about it when I was married,' said Violet, sorrowfully, 'and how it seems all to come on me. To have all his comfort and the well-being of a whole house depending on such as I am.'