The Revolution in Tanner's Lane Part 5

"What's adversity to h.e.l.l fire? If He made h.e.l.l-fire, why not adversity? Besides, if He did not, who did?"

"Don't know a bit, and don't mean to bother myself about it."

"Right!" broke in Jean--"right, my child; bother--that is a good word. Don't bother yourself about anything when--bothering will not benefit. There is so much in the world which will--bear a botheration out of which some profit will arise. Now, then, clear the room, and let Zachariah see your art."

The plates and dishes were all put in a heap and the table pushed aside. Pauline retired for a few moments, and presently came back in a short dress of black velvet, which reached about half-way down from the knee to the ankle. It was trimmed with red; she had stuck a red artificial flower in her hair, and had on a pair of red stockings with dancing slippers, probably of her own make. Over her shoulders was a light gauzy shawl. Her father took his station in a corner, and motioned to Zachariah to compress himself into another. By dint of some little management and piling up the chairs an unoccupied s.p.a.ce of about twelve feet square was obtained. Pauline began dancing, her father accompanying her with an oboe. It was a very curious performance. It was nothing like ordinary opera-dancing, and equally unlike any movement ever seen at a ball. It was a series of graceful evolutions with the shawl which was flung, now on one shoulder and now on the other, each movement exquisitely resolving itself, with the most perfect ease, into the one following, and designed apparently to show the capacity of a beautiful figure for poetic expression. Wave fell into wave along every line of her body, and occasionally a posture was arrested, to pa.s.s away in an instant into some new combination. There was no definite character in the dance beyond mere beauty. It was melody for melody's sake. A remarkable change, too, came over the face of the performer. She looked serious; but it was not a seriousness produced by any strain.

It was rather the calm which is found on the face of the statue of a G.o.ddess. In none of her att.i.tudes was there a trace of coquettishness, although some were most attractive. One in particular was so. She held a corner of the shawl high above her with her right hand, and her right foot was advanced so as to show her whole frame extended excepting the neck; the head being bent downward and sideways.

Suddenly Jean ceased; Pauline threw the shawl over both her shoulders, made a profound curtsey, and retired; but in five minutes she was back again in her ordinary clothes. Zachariah was in sore confusion. He had never seen anything of the kind before.

He had been brought up in a school which would have considered such an exhibition as the work of the devil. He was distressed too to find that the old Adam was still so strong within him that he detected a secret pleasure in what he had seen. He would have liked to have got up and denounced Jean and Pauline, but somehow he could not. His great great grandfather would have done it, beyond a doubt, but Zachariah sat still.

"Did you ever perform in public?" he asked.

"No. I was taught when I was very young; but I have never danced except to please father and his friends."

This was a relief, and some kind of an excuse. He felt not quite such a reprobate; but again he reflected that when he was looking at her he did not know that she was not in a theatre every night in the week. He expected that Jean would offer some further explanation of the unusual accomplishment which his daughter had acquired; but he was silent, and Zachariah rose to depart, for it was eleven o'clock.

Jean apparently was a little restless at the absence of approval on Zachariah's part, and at last he said abruptly:

"What do you think of her?"

Zachariah hesitated, and Pauline came to the rescue. "Father, what a shame! Don't put him in such an awkward position."

"It was very wonderful," stammered Zachariah, "but we are not used to that kind of thing."

"Who are the 'we'?" said Pauline. "Ah, of course you are Puritans.

I am a--what do you call it?--a daughter, no, that isn't it--a child of the devil. I won't have that though. My father isn't the devil.

Even YOU wouldn't say that, Mr. Coleman. Ah, I have no business to joke, you look so solemn; you think my tricks are satanic; but what was it in your book, 'C'est moi, l'Eternel, qui fais toutes les choses la'?" and as Zachariah advanced to the doors he made him a bow with a grace which no lady of quality could have surpa.s.sed.

He walked home with many unusual thoughts. It was the first time he had ever been in the company of a woman of any liveliness of temperament, and with an intellect which was on equal terms with that of a man. In his own Calvinistic Dissenting society the pious women who were members of the church took little or no interest in the mental life of their husband. They read no books, knew nothing of politics, were astonishingly ignorant, and lived in their household duties. To be with a woman who could stand up against him was a new experience. Here was a girl to whom every thought her father possessed was familiar!

But there was another experience. From his youth upwards he had been trained with every weapon in the chapel armoury, and yet he now found himself as powerless as the merest novice to prevent the very sinful occupation of dwelling upon every att.i.tude of Pauline, and outlining every one of her limbs. Do what he might, her image was for ever before his eyes, and reconstructed itself after every attempt to abolish it, just as a reflected image in a pool slowly but inevitably gathers itself together again after each disturbance of the water.

When he got home, he found, to his surprise, that his wife was still sitting up. She had been to the weekly prayer-meeting, and was not in a very pleasant temper. She was not spiteful, but unusually frigid. She felt herself to be better than her husband, and she asked him if he could not arrange in future that his political meetings might not interfere with his religious duties.

"Your absence, too, was noticed, and Mrs. Carver asked me how it was that Mr. Coleman could let me go home alone. She offered to tell Mr.

Carver to come home with me; but I refused."

Delightfully generous of Mrs. Carver! That was the sort of kindness for which she and many of her Pike Street friends were so distinguished; and Mrs. Coleman not only felt it deeply, but was glad of the opportunity of letting Mr. Coleman know how good the Carvers were.

It was late, but Mrs. Coleman produced the Bible. Zachariah opened it rather mechanically. They were going regularly through it at family worship, and had got into Numbers. The portion for that evening was part of the 26th chapter: "And these are they that were numbered of the Levites after their families: of Gershon, the family of the Gershonites: of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites: of Merari, the family of the Merarites," &c., &c. Zachariah, having read about a dozen verses, knelt down and prayed; but, alas, even in his prayer he saw Pauline's red stockings.

The next morning his wife was more pleasant, and even talkative-- talkative, that is to say, for her. Something had struck her.

"My dear," quoth she, as they sat at breakfast, "what a pity it is that the Major is not a converted character!"

Zachariah could not but think so too.

"I have been wondering if we could get him to attend our chapel. Who knows?--some word might go to his heart which might be as the seed sown on good ground."

"Have you tried to convert him yourself?"

"Oh no, Zachariah! I don't think that would be quite proper."

She screwed up her lips a little, and then, looking down at her knees very demurely, smoothed her ap.r.o.n.

"Why not, my dear? Surely it is our duty to testify to the belief that is in us. Poor Christiana, left alone, says, as you will remember, 'O neighbour, knew you but as much as I do, I doubt not but that you would go with me.'"

"Ah, yes, that was all very well then." She again smoothed her ap.r.o.n. "Besides, you know," she added suddenly, "there were no public means of grace in the City of Destruction. Have YOU said anything to the Major?"

"No."

She did not push her advantage, and the unpleasant fact again stood before Zachariah's eyes, as it had stood a hundred times before them lately, that when he had been with sinners he had been just what they were, barring the use of profane language. What had he done for his master with the Major, with Jean, and with Pauline?--and the awful figure of the Crucified seemed to rise before him and rebuke him. He was wretched: he had resolved over and over again to break out against those who belonged to the world, to abjure them and all their works. Somehow or other, though, he had not done it.

"Suppose," said Mrs. Zachariah, "we were to ask the Major here on Sunday afternoon to tea, and to chapel afterwards."

"Certainly." He was rather pleased with the proposition. He would be able to bear witness in this way at any rate to the truth.

"Perhaps we might at the same time ask Jean Caillaud, his friend.

Would to G.o.d"--his wife started--"would to G.o.d," he exclaimed fervently, "that these men could be brought into the Church of Christ!"

"To be sure. Ask Mr. Caillaud, then, too."

"If we do, we must ask his daughter also; he would not go out without her."

"I was not aware he had a daughter. You never told me anything about her."

"I never saw her till the other evening."

"I don't know anything of her. She is a foreigner too. I hope she is a respectable young person."

"I know very little; but she is more English than foreign. Jean has been here a good many years, and she came over when she was quite young. I think she must come."

"Very well." And so it was settled.

Zachariah that night vowed to his Redeemer that, come what might, he would never again give Him occasion to look at him with averted face and ask if he was ashamed of Him. The text ran in his ears: "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."

CHAPTER VI--TEA A LA MODE

Sunday afternoon came. It was the strangest party. Pauline, on being introduced to Mrs. Coleman, made a profound curtsey, which Mrs.

Coleman returned by an inclination of her head, as if she consented to recognise Pauline, but to go no further. Tea was served early, as chapel began at half-past six. Mrs. Coleman, although it was Sunday, was very busy. She had made hot b.u.t.tered toast, and she had bought some m.u.f.fins, but had appeased her conscience by telling the boy that she would not pay for them till Monday. The milk was always obtained on the same terms. She also purchased some water-cresses; but the water-cress man demanded prompt cash settlement, and she was in a strait. At last the desire for the water-cresses prevailed, and she said:

"How much?"

"Three-halfpence."