careful of with servants is who comes to see 'em; you never know what they're up to if you don't know that. And another thing, my dear. Whenever you find a young man behind the kitchen-door, you give that young man in charge on suspicion of being secreted in a dwelling-house with an unlawful purpose.'
We were now in front of the house; he looked attentively and closely at the gravel for footprints before he raised his eyes to the windows.
'Do you generally put that elderly young gentleman in the same room when he's on a visit here, Miss Summerson?' he inquired, glancing at Mr. Skimpole's usual chamber.
'You know Mr. Skimpole!' said I.
'What do you call him again?' returned Mr. Bucket, bending down his ear. 'Skimpole, is it? I've often wondered what his name might be. Skimpole. Not John, I should say, nor yet Jacob?'
'Harold,' I told him.
'Harold. Yes. He's a queer bird is Harold,' said Mr. Bucket, eyeing me with great expression.
'He is a singular character,' said I.
'No idea of money,' observed Mr. Bucket. 'He takes it, though!'
I involuntarily returned for answer that I perceived Mr. Bucket knew him.
'Why, now I'll tell you, Miss Summerson,' he replied. 'Your mind will be all the better for not running on one point too continually, and I'll tell you for a change. It was him as pointed out to me where Toughey was. I made up my mind that night to come to the door and ask for Toughey, if that was all; but willing to try a move or so first, if any such was on the board, I just pitched up a morsel of gravel at that window where I saw a shadow.
As soon as Harold opens it and I have had a look at him, thinks I, you're the man for me. So I smoothed him down a bit about not wanting to disturb the family after they was gone to bed and about its being a thing to be regretted that charitable young ladies should harbour vagrants; and then, when I pretty well understood his ways, I said I should consider a fypunnote well bestowed if I could relieve the premises of Toughey without causing any noise or trouble. Then says he, lifting up his eyebrows in the gayest way, 'It's no use mentioning a fypunnote to me, my friend, because I'm a mere child in such matters and have no idea of money.' Of course I understood what his taking it so easy meant; and being now quite sure he was the man for me, I wrapped the note round a little stone and threw it up to him. Well! He laughs and beams, and looks as innocent as you like, and says, 'But I don't know the value of these things. What am I to DO with this?' 'Spend it, sir,' says I. 'But I shall be taken in,' he says, 'they won't give me the right change, I shall lose it, it's no use to me.' Lord, you never saw such a face as he carried it with! Of course he told me where to find Toughey, and I found him.'
I regarded this as very treacherous on the part of Mr. Skimpole towards my guardian and as passing the usual bounds of his childish innocence.
'Bounds, my dear?' returned Mr. Bucket. 'Bounds? Now, Miss Summerson, I'll give you a piece of advice that your husband will find useful when you are happily married and have got a family about you. Whenever a person says to you that they are as innocent as can be in all concerning money, look well after your own money, for they are dead certain to collar it if they can. Whenever a person proclaims to you 'In worldly matters I'm a child,' you consider that that person is only a-crying off from being held accountable and that you have got that person's number, and it's Number One. Now, I am not a poetical man myself, except in a vocal way when it goes round a company, but I'm a practical one, and that's my experience. So's this rule. Fast and loose in one thing, fast and loose in everything. I never knew it fail. No more will you. Nor no one. With which caution to the unwary, my dear, I take the liberty of pulling this here bell, and so go back to our business.'
I believe it had not been for a moment out of his mind, any more than it had been out of my mind, or out of his face. The whole household were amazed to see me, without any notice, at that time in the morning, and so accompanied; and their surprise was not diminished by my inquiries. No one, however, had been there. It could not be doubted that this was the truth.
'Then, Miss Summerson,' said my companion, 'we can't be too soon at the cottage where those brickmakers are to be found. Most inquiries there I leave to you, if you'll be so good as to make 'em. The naturalest way is the best way, and the naturalest way is your own way.'
We set off again immediately. On arriving at the cottage, we found it shut up and apparently deserted, but one of the neighbours who knew me and who came out when I was trying to make some one hear informed me that the two women and their husbands now lived together in another house, made of loose rough bricks, which stood on the margin of the piece of ground where the kilns were and where the long rows of bricks were drying. We lost no time in repairing to this place, which was within a few hundred yards; and as the door stood ajar, I pushed it open.
There were only three of them sitting at breakfast, the child lying asleep on a bed in the corner. It was Jenny, the mother of the dead child, who was absent. The other woman rose on seeing me; and the men, though they were, as usual, sulky and silent, each gave me a morose nod of recognition. A look passed between them when Mr.
Bucket followed me in, and I was surprised to see that the woman evidently knew him.
I had asked leave to enter of course. Liz (the only name by which I knew her) rose to give me her own chair, but I sat down on a stool near the fire, and Mr. Bucket took a corner of the bedstead.
Now that I had to speak and was among people with whom I was not familiar, I became conscious of being hurried and giddy. It was very difficult to begin, and I could not help bursting into tears.
'Liz,' said I, 'I have come a long way in the night and through the snow to inquire after a lady-'
'Who has been here, you know,' Mr. Bucket struck in, addressing the whole group with a composed propitiatory face; 'that's the lady the young lady means. The lady that was here last night, you know.'
'And who told YOU as there was anybody here?' inquired Jenny's husband, who had made a surly stop in his eating to listen and now measured him with his eye.
'A person of the name of Michael Jackson, with a blue welveteen waistcoat with a double row of mother of pearl buttons,' Mr. Bucket immediately answered.
'He had as good mind his own business, whoever he is,' growled the man.
'He's out of employment, I believe,' said Mr. Bucket apologetically for Michael Jackson, 'and so gets talking.'
The woman had not resumed her chair, but stood faltering with her hand upon its broken back, looking at me. I thought she would have spoken to me privately if she had dared. She was still in this attitude of uncertainty when her husband, who was eating with a lump of bread and fat in one hand and his clasp-knife in the other, struck the handle of his knife violently on the table and told her with an oath to mind HER own business at any rate and sit down.
'I should like to have seen Jenny very much,' said I, 'for I am sure she would have told me all she could about this lady, whom I am very anxious indeed-you cannot think how anxious-to overtake.
Will Jenny be here soon? Where is she?'
The woman had a great desire to answer, but the man, with another oath, openly kicked at her foot with his heavy boot. He left it to Jenny's husband to say what he chose, and after a dogged silence the latter turned his shaggy head towards me.
'I'm not partial to gentlefolks coming into my place, as you've heerd me say afore now, I think, miss. I let their places be, and it's curious they can't let my place be. There'd be a pretty shine made if I was to go a-wisitin THEM, I think. Howsoever, I don't so much complain of you as of some others, and I'm agreeable to make you a civil answer, though I give notice that I'm not a-going to be drawed like a badger. Will Jenny be here soon? No she won't.
Where is she? She's gone up to Lunnun.'
'Did she go last night?' I asked.
'Did she go last night? Ah! She went last night,' he answered with a sulky jerk of his head.
'But was she here when the lady came? And what did the lady say to her? And where is the lady gone? I beg and pray you to be so kind as to tell me,' said I, 'for I am in great distress to know.'
'If my master would let me speak, and not say a word of harm-' the woman timidly began.
'Your master,' said her husband, muttering an imprecation with slow emphasis, 'will break your neck if you meddle with wot don't concern you.'
After another silence, the husband of the absent woman, turning to me again, answered me with his usual grumbling unwillingness.
