BESIDES the old lady, there
was another relative of the family,
whose visits were a great annoyance
to me - this was 'Uncle Robson,'
Mrs. Bloomfield's brother; a
tall, self-sufficient fellow,
with dark hair and sallow complexion
like his sister, a nose that
seemed to disdain the earth,
and little grey eyes, frequently
half- closed, with a mixture
of real stupidity and affected
contempt of all surrounding objects.
He was a thick-set, strongly-built
man, but he had found some means
of compressing his waist into
a remarkably small compass; and
that, together with the unnatural
stillness of his form, showed
that the lofty-minded, manly
Mr. Robson, the scorner of the
female sex, was not above the
foppery of stays. He seldom deigned
to notice me; and, when he did,
it was with a certain supercilious
insolence of tone and manner
that convinced me he was no gentleman:
though it was intended to have
a contrary effect. But it was
not for that I disliked his coming,
so much as for the harm he did
the children - encouraging all
their evil propensities, and
undoing in a few minutes the
little good it had taken me months
of labour to achieve.
Fanny and little Harriet he
seldom condescended to notice;
but Mary Ann was something of
a favourite. He was continually
encouraging her tendency to affectation
(which I had done my utmost to
crush), talking about her pretty
face, and filling her head with
all manner of conceited notions
concerning her personal appearance
(which I had instructed her to
regard as dust in the balance
compared with the cultivation
of her mind and manners); and
I never saw a child so susceptible
of flattery as she was. Whatever
was wrong, in either her or her
brother, he would encourage by
laughing at, if not by actually
praising: people little know
the injury they do to children
by laughing at their faults,
and making a pleasant jest of
what their true friends have
endeavoured to teach them to
hold in grave abhorrence.
Though not a positive drunkard,
Mr. Robson habitually swallowed
great quantities of wine, and
took with relish an occasional
glass of brandy and water. He
taught his nephew to imitate
him in this to the utmost of
his ability, and to believe that
the more wine and spirits he
could take, and the better he
liked them, the more he manifested
his bold, and manly spirit, and
rose superior to his sisters.
Mr. Bloomfield had not much to
say against it, for his favourite
beverage was gin and water; of
which he took a considerable
portion every day, by dint of
constant sipping - and to that
I chiefly attributed his dingy
complexion and waspish temper.
Mr. Robson likewise encouraged
Tom's propensity to persecute
the lower creation, both by precept
and example. As he frequently
came to course or shoot over
his brother-in-law's grounds,
he would bring his favourite
dogs with him; and he treated
them so brutally that, poor as
I was, I would have given a sovereign
any day to see one of them bite
him, provided the animal could
have done it with impunity. Sometimes,
when in a very complacent mood,
he would go a-birds'-nesting
with the children, a thing that
irritated and annoyed me exceedingly;
as, by frequent and persevering
attempts, I flattered myself
I had partly shown them the evil
of this pastime, and hoped, in
time, to bring them to some general
sense of justice and humanity;
but ten minutes' birds'-nesting
with uncle Robson, or even a
laugh from him at some relation
of their former barbarities,
was sufficient at once to destroy
the effect of my whole elaborate
course of reasoning and persuasion.
Happily, however, during that
spring, they never, but once,
got anything but empty nests,
or eggs - being too impatient
to leave them till the birds
were hatched; that once, Tom,
who had been with his uncle into
the neighbouring plantation,
came running in high glee into
the garden, with a brood of little
callow nestlings in his hands.
Mary Ann and Fanny, whom I was
just bringing out, ran to admire
his spoils, and to beg each a
bird for themselves. 'No, not
one!' cried Tom. 'They're all
mine; uncle Robson gave them
to me - one, two, three, four,
five - you shan't touch one of
them! no, not one, for your lives!'
continued he, exultingly; laying
the nest on the ground, and standing
over it with his legs wide apart,
his hands thrust into his breeches-pockets,
his body bent forward, and his
face twisted into all manner
of contortions in the ecstasy
of his delight.
'But you shall see me fettle
'em off. My word, but I WILL
wallop 'em? See if I don't now.
By gum! but there's rare sport
for me in that nest.'
'But, Tom,' said I, 'I shall
not allow you to torture those
birds. They must either be killed
at once or carried back to the
place you took them from, that
the old birds may continue to
feed them.'
'But you don't know where that
is, Madam: it's only me and uncle
Robson that knows that.'
'But if you don't tell me,
I shall kill them myself - much
as I hate it.'
'You daren't. You daren't touch
them for your life! because you
know papa and mamma, and uncle
Robson, would be angry. Ha, ha!
I've caught you there, Miss!'
'I shall do what I think right
in a case of this sort without
consulting any one. If your papa
and mamma don't happen to approve
of it, I shall be sorry to offend
them; but your uncle Robson's
opinions, of course, are nothing
to me.'
So saying - urged by a sense
of duty - at the risk of both
making myself sick and incurring
the wrath of my employers - I
got a large flat stone, that
had been reared up for a mouse-trap
by the gardener; then, having
once more vainly endeavoured
to persuade the little tyrant
to let the birds be carried back,
I asked what he intended to do
with them. With fiendish glee
he commenced a list of torments;
and while he was busied in the
relation, I dropped the stone
upon his intended victims and
crushed them flat beneath it.
Loud were the outcries, terrible
the execrations, consequent upon
this daring outrage; uncle Robson
had been coming up the walk with
his gun, and was just then pausing
to kick his dog. Tom flew towards
him, vowing he would make him
kick me instead of Juno. Mr.
Robson leant upon his gun, and
laughed excessively at the violence
of his nephew's passion, and
the bitter maledictions and opprobrious
epithets he heaped upon me. 'Well,
you ARE a good 'un!' exclaimed
he, at length, taking up his
weapon and proceeding towards
the house. 'Damme, but the lad
has some spunk in him, too. Curse
me, if ever I saw a nobler little
scoundrel than that. He's beyond
petticoat government already:
by God! he defies mother, granny,
governess, and all! Ha, ha, ha!
Never mind, Tom, I'll get you
another brood to-morrow.'
'If you do, Mr. Robson, I shall
kill them too,' said I.
'Humph!' replied he, and having
honoured me with a broad stare
- which, contrary to his expectations,
I sustained without flinching
- he turned away with an air
of supreme contempt, and stalked
into the house. Tom next went
to tell his mamma. It was not
her way to say much on any subject;
but, when she next saw me, her
aspect and demeanour were doubly
dark and chilled. After some
casual remark about the weather,
she observed - 'I am sorry, Miss
Grey, you should think it necessary
to interfere with Master Bloomfield's
amusements; he was very much
distressed about your destroying
the birds.'
'When Master Bloomfield's amusements
consist in injuring sentient
creatures,' I answered, 'I think
it my duty to interfere.'
'You seemed to have forgotten,'
said she, calmly, 'that the creatures
were all created for our convenience.'
I thought that doctrine admitted
some doubt, but merely replied
- 'If they were, we have no right
to torment them for our amusement.'
'I think,' said she, 'a child's
amusement is scarcely to be weighed
against the welfare of a soulless
brute.'
'But, for the
child's own sake, it ought
not to be encouraged
to have such amusements,' answered
I, as meekly as I could, to make
up for such unusual pertinacity.
'"Blessed are the merciful, for
they shall obtain mercy."'
'Oh! of course; but that refers
to our conduct towards each other.'
'"The merciful man shows mercy
to his beast,"' I ventured to
add.
'I think YOU have not shown
much mercy,' replied she, with
a short, bitter laugh; 'killing
the poor birds by wholesale in
that shocking manner, and putting
the dear boy to such misery for
a mere whim.'
I judged it prudent to say
no more. This was the nearest
approach to a quarrel I ever
had with Mrs. Bloomfield; as
well as the greatest number of
words I ever exchanged with her
at one time, since the day of
my first arrival.
But Mr. Robson and old Mrs.
Bloomfield were not the only
guests whose coming to Wellwood
House annoyed me; every visitor
disturbed me more or less; not
so much because they neglected
me (though I did feel their conduct
strange and disagreeable in that
respect), as because I found
it impossible to keep my pupils
away from them, as I was repeatedly
desired to do: Tom must talk
to them, and Mary Ann must be
noticed by them. Neither the
one nor the other knew what it
was to feel any degree of shamefacedness,
or even common modesty. They
would indecently and clamorously
interrupt the conversation of
their elders, tease them with
the most impertinent questions,
roughly collar the gentlemen,
climb their knees uninvited,
hang about their shoulders or
rifle their pockets, pull the
ladies' gowns, disorder their
hair, tumble their collars, and
importunately beg for their trinkets.
Mrs. Bloomfield had the sense
to be shocked and annoyed at
all this, but she had not sense
to prevent it: she expected me
to prevent it. But how could
I - when the guests, with their
fine clothes and new faces, continually
flattered and indulged them,
out of complaisance to their
parents - how could I, with my
homely garments, every-day face,
and honest words, draw them away?
I strained every nerve to do
so: by striving to amuse them,
I endeavoured to attract them
to my side; by the exertion of
such authority as I possessed,
and by such severity as I dared
to use, I tried to deter them
from tormenting the guests; and
by reproaching their unmannerly
conduct, to make them ashamed
to repeat it. But they knew no
shame; they scorned authority
which had no terrors to back
it; and as for kindness and affection,
either they had no hearts, or
such as they had were so strongly
guarded, and so well concealed,
that I, with all my efforts,
had not yet discovered how to
reach them.
But soon my trials in this
quarter came to a close - sooner
than I either expected or desired;
for one sweet evening towards
the close of May, as I was rejoicing
in the near approach of the holidays,
and congratulating myself upon
having made some progress with
my pupils (as far as their learning
went, at least, for I HAD instilled
SOMETHING into their heads, and
I had, at length, brought them
to be a little - a very little
- more rational about getting
their lessons done in time to
leave some space for recreation,
instead of tormenting themselves
and me all day long to no purpose),
Mrs. Bloomfield sent for me,
and calmly told me that after
Midsummer my services would be
no longer required. She assured
me that my character and general
conduct were unexceptionable;
but the children had made so
little improvement since my arrival
that Mr. Bloomfield and she felt
it their duty to seek some other
mode of instruction. Though superior
to most children of their years
in abilities, they were decidedly
behind them in attainments; their
manners were uncultivated, and
their tempers unruly. And this
she attributed to a want of sufficient
firmness, and diligent, persevering
care on my part.
Unshaken firmness, devoted
diligence, unwearied perseverance,
unceasing care, were the very
qualifications on which I had
secretly prided myself; and by
which I had hoped in time to
overcome all difficulties, and
obtain success at last. I wished
to say something in my own justification;
but in attempting to speak, I
felt my voice falter; and rather
than testify any emotion, or
suffer the tears to overflow
that were already gathering in
my eyes, I chose to keep silence,
and bear all like a self-convicted
culprit.
Thus was I dismissed, and thus
I sought my home. Alas! what
would they think of me? unable,
after all my boasting, to keep
my place, even for a single year,
as governess to three small children,
whose mother was asserted by
my own aunt to be a 'very nice
woman.' Having been thus weighed
in the balance and found wanting,
I need not hope they would be
willing to try me again. And
this was an unwelcome thought;
for vexed, harassed, disappointed
as I had been, and greatly as
I had learned to love and value
my home, I was not yet weary
of adventure, nor willing to
relax my efforts. I knew that
all parents were not like Mr.
and Mrs. Bloomfield, and I was
certain all children were not
like theirs. The next family
must be different, and any change
must be for the better. I had
been seasoned by adversity, and
tutored by experience, and I
longed to redeem my lost honour
in the eyes of those whose opinion
was more than that of all the
world to me.
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