Oh, mother, only think! I might have been in the Ladies Gallery, in the House. I might have heard Mr. Macaulays answer to the Lords denial, with his grand question to the Commons, Ought we to abandon the Reform Bill because the Lords have rejected it? No! We must respect the lawful privileges of their House, but we ought also to assert our own. No wonder the Commons cheered, and cheered, and cheered him. Oh, how gladly I would have helped them!
You are going too far and too fast, Katherine.
Father ought to have been in the House on the third of February and it is now the seventh of March: Is that right?
A great many landed men will not go to this session. The Reform Bill, re-written by Lord Russell, is to come up again and father does not want to vote either for, or against it.
Why?
He hes his reasons. I doant know that his reasons are any business of thine.
Harry Bradley was explaining things to me this morning, and I am for the Reform Bill. I am sure the people are right.
I wouldnt say as much on thy opinion. Wisdom wasnt born wi thee and I doant expect she will die wi thee. I think if thou went to London this spring thou would make more enemies than thou could manage. Father is following my advice in staying home, and London isnt a fit place for a young girl like thee and the way there is full of rioters. Thy father is a landed man and he doesnt believe in giving every weaver and hedger and ditcher a voice in the government of England.
Harry Bradley says, some of their leaders and speakers are very clever eloquent men.
I wouldnt talk nonsense after Harry Bradley. Whos Harry Bradley?
He is my friend, mother. We have been friends nearly twenty years.
Not you! It is not yet eighteen years since thou showed thy face in this world.
I was speaking generally, mother.
Eh, but theres something wrong in that way! A lot o bother can come out of it. I wouldnt mind anything Harry Bradley says, thy father wont hev any nonsense about him. I can tell thee that!
Father is so set in his own way. No one suits him lately. We met Captain Chandos last Monday, and he would hardly notice him.
Well, then, there are plenty of folk no one can suit, and varry often they cant suit themselves.
Oh, I dont care about Chandos, mother; but I feel angry when Harry is slighted. You see, mother, I might come to marry Harry Bradley.
I do hope thou wont be so far left to thysen, as that would mean.
Then you would be wise to let me go to London. A girl must have a lover, or she feels out in the cold, and Harry is the best specimen of a man round about Annis.
All right. Let me tell thee that I hev noticed that the girls who never throw a line into the sea of marriage, do a deal better than them that are allays fishing.
Perhaps so, but then there is the pleasure of throwing the line.
And perhaps the pleasure of being caught by some varry undesireable fisherman for tha neednt think that women are the only fishers. The men go reglar about that business and they will soon find out that thou hes a bit o money o thy awn and are well worth catching. See if they doant.
Mother, I want to go to London and see the passing of the great Reform Bill. I am in love with those brave men Earl Grey and Lord Russell and Mr. Macaulay, who dared to speak up for the poor, before all England.
I rather think they are all married men, Katherine, and marrying for love is an unwise and generally an unprofitable bit of business.
Business and Love have nothing to do with each other.
Eh, but they hev!
I shall marry for love.
Well, then, marry for love, but love wisely.
Money is only one thing, mother.
To be sure, but it is a rayther important thing.
You might persuade father that he had better take me to London out of Harrys way. Dear mammy, do this for your little girl, wont you? You can always get round father in some way or other.
I will ask thy father again but I shall take no roundabout way. Straightforrard is the best. And I am above a bit astonished at thee, a Yorkshire lass, thinking of any crooked road to what thou wants! If tha cant get thy way openly and fairly make up thy mind any other way isnt worth while, for it will be full of ups and downs, and lonely bits, and stony bits, and all sorts and kinds of botherations. Keep these words in thy mind.
I will.
Then Ill ask thy father again, to take thee with him to London if he goes himsen if he does not go at all, then
I must find out some other way, and really the most straightforward way would be to marry Harry Bradley, and go to London with him as a wedding trip.
Thou must stop talking nonsense or else it will stop my talking one word for thy wish.
I was just joking, mother.
Always keep everything straight between thysen and thy mother. The first deception between me and thee opens the gates of Danger.
I will never forget that, mother. And if I should go away I ask you to take my place with Faith Foster, who is making clothing for the poor in the village.
Well, Katherine, what with one thing and what with another, I doant know what tha wants. Does tha know thysen?
Well, I think it would look better if the Hall should trouble itself a little about the suffering in the village. Faith Foster is the only person doing anything. I was helping her, but
I should think thou would have told thysen that it was varry forrard in a young person putting herself in my place without even a word to me on the matter. She ought to hev come and told me what was needed and offered her help to me. Thy father is Lord of the Manor of Annis, and it is his business to see the naked clothed. I wonder at thee letting any one take my place and then asking me to help and do service for them. That is a bit beyond civility, I think.
It was very thoughtless. I am sorry I did it. I was so touched by Faiths description of the hunger and nakedness in Abram Oddys family, that I thought of nothing but how to relieve it.
Well, well! It is all right, someway or other. I see father coming towards the house. I wonder what he is wanting.
And he is walking so rapidly and looks so happy, something must have pleased him. I will go away, mother. This may be a good hour for our request.
Why our?
Katherine had disappeared. She left the room by one door as the squire entered by the other. Madam rose to meet him but before she could speak the squire had kissed her and was saying in glad eager tones, I hev hurried a bit, my Joy, to tell thee that both thysen and Katherine can go wi me to London. I had a lump of good fortune this afternoon. Mark Clitheroe sent me the thousand pounds he owed, when he broke up five years ago. He told me he wouldnt die till he had paid it; and I believed him. The money came to-day and it came with a letter that does us both credit.
However has Clitheroe made a thousand pounds to spare since his smash-up? Thou said, it wer a varry complete ruin.
It was all of that, yet he tells me, he will be able to pay the last farthing he owes to anyone, during this year some time.
It caps me! How hes he made the money?
Why, Annie, his father built a factory for him and filled it with the finest power-looms and he says he hes been doing a grand business. Old Clitheroe hed allays told him he was wasting time and good brass in hand weaving but Mark would hev his awn way, and somehow his awn way took him to ruin in three years. I was his main creditor. Well, well! I am both astonished and pleased, I am that! Now get thysen and Katherine ready for London.