XLVIII
Ruby a Prisoner
Ruby had run away from her lover in great dudgeon after the dance at the Music Hall, and had declared that she never wanted to see him again. But when reflection came with the morning her misery was stronger than her wrath. What would life be to her now without her lover? When she escaped from her grandfather‚Äôs house she certainly had not intended to become nurse and assistant maid-of-all-work at a London lodging-house. The daily toil she could endure, and the hard life, as long as she was supported by the prospect of some coming delight. A dance with Felix at the Music Hall, though it were three days distant from her, would so occupy her mind that she could wash and dress all the children without complaint. Mrs.¬ÝPipkin was forced to own to herself that Ruby did earn her bread. But when she had parted with her lover almost on an understanding that they were never to meet again, things were very different with her. And perhaps she had been wrong. A gentleman like Sir Felix did not of course like to be told about marriage. If she gave him another chance, perhaps he would speak. At any rate she could not live without another dance. And so she wrote him a letter.
Ruby was glib enough with her pen, though what she wrote will hardly bear repeating. She underscored all her loves to him. She underscored the expression of her regret if she had vexed him. She did not want to hurry a gentleman. But she did want to have another dance at the Music Hall. Would he be there next Saturday? Sir Felix sent her a very short reply to say that he would be at the Music Hall on the Tuesday. As at this time he proposed to leave London on the Wednesday on his way to New York, he was proposing to devote his very last night to the companionship of Ruby Ruggles.
Mrs.¬ÝPipkin had never interfered with her niece‚Äôs letters. It is certainly a part of the new dispensation that young women shall send and receive letters without inspection. But since Roger Carbury‚Äôs visit Mrs.¬ÝPipkin had watched the postman, and had also watched her niece. For nearly a week Ruby said not a word of going out at night. She took the children for an airing in a broken perambulator, nearly as far as Holloway, with exemplary care, and washed up the cups and saucers as though her mind was intent upon them. But Mrs.¬ÝPipkin‚Äôs mind was intent on obeying Mr.¬ÝCarbury‚Äôs behests. She had already hinted something as to which Ruby had made no answer. It was her purpose to tell her and to swear to her most solemnly‚ÅÝ‚Äîshould she find her preparing herself to leave the house after six in the evening‚ÅÝ‚Äîthat she should be kept out the whole night, having a purpose equally clear in her own mind that she would break her oath should she be unsuccessful in her effort to keep Ruby at home. But on the Tuesday, when Ruby went up to her room to deck herself, a bright idea as to a better precaution struck Mrs.¬ÝPipkin‚Äôs mind. Ruby had been careless‚ÅÝ‚Äîhad left her lover‚Äôs scrap of a note in an old pocket when she went out with the children, and Mrs.¬ÝPipkin knew all about it. It was nine o‚Äôclock when Ruby went upstairs‚ÅÝ‚Äîand then Mrs.¬ÝPipkin locked both the front door and the area gate. Mrs.¬ÝHurtle had come home on the previous day. ‚ÄúYou won‚Äôt be wanting to go out tonight;‚ÅÝ‚Äîwill you, Mrs.¬ÝHurtle?‚Äù said Mrs.¬ÝPipkin, knocking at her lodger‚Äôs door. Mrs.¬ÝHurtle declared her purpose of remaining at home all the evening. ‚ÄúIf you should hear words between me and my niece, don‚Äôt you mind, ma‚Äôam.‚Äù
‚ÄúI hope there‚Äôs nothing wrong, Mrs.¬ÝPipkin?‚Äù
‚ÄúShe‚Äôll be wanting to go out, and I won‚Äôt have it. It isn‚Äôt right; is it, ma‚Äôam? She‚Äôs a good girl; but they‚Äôve got such a way nowadays of doing just as they pleases, that one doesn‚Äôt know what‚Äôs going to come next.‚Äù Mrs.¬ÝPipkin must have feared downright rebellion when she thus took her lodger into her confidence.
Ruby came down in her silk frock, as she had done before, and made her usual little speech. “I’m just going to step out, aunt, for a little time tonight. I’ve got the key, and I’ll let myself in quite quiet.”
‚ÄúIndeed, Ruby, you won‚Äôt,‚Äù said Mrs.¬ÝPipkin.
“Won’t what, aunt?”
“Won’t let yourself in, if you go out. If you go out tonight you’ll stay out. That’s all about it. If you go out tonight you won’t come back here any more. I won’t have it, and it isn’t right that I should. You’re going after that young man that they tell me is the greatest scamp in all England.”
“They tell you lies then, Aunt Pipkin.”
“Very well. No girl is going out any more at nights out of my house; so that’s all about it. If you had told me you was going before, you needn’t have gone up and bedizened yourself. For now it’s all to take off again.”
Ruby could hardly believe it. She had expected some opposition‚ÅÝ‚Äîwhat she would have called a few words; but she had never imagined that her aunt would threaten to keep her in the streets all night. It seemed to her that she had bought the privilege of amusing herself by hard work. Nor did she believe now that her aunt would be as hard as her threat. ‚ÄúI‚Äôve a right to go if I like,‚Äù she said.
“That’s as you think. You haven’t a right to come back again, any way.”
‚ÄúYes, I have. I‚Äôve worked for you a deal harder than the girl downstairs, and I don‚Äôt want no wages. I‚Äôve a right to go out, and a right to come back;‚ÅÝ‚Äîand go I shall.‚Äù
“You’ll be no better than you should be, if you do.”
‚ÄúAm I to work my very nails off, and push that perambulator about all day till my legs won‚Äôt carry me‚ÅÝ‚Äîand then I ain‚Äôt to go out, not once in a week?‚Äù
‚ÄúNot unless I know more about it, Ruby. I won‚Äôt have you go and throw yourself into the gutter;‚ÅÝ‚Äînot while you‚Äôre with me.‚Äù
“Who’s throwing themselves into the gutter? I’ve thrown myself into no gutter. I know what I’m about.”
‚ÄúThere‚Äôs two of us that way, Ruby;‚ÅÝ‚Äîfor I know what I‚Äôm about.‚Äù
“I shall just go then.” And Ruby walked off towards the door.
‚ÄúYou won‚Äôt get out that way, any way, for the door‚Äôs locked;‚ÅÝ‚Äîand the area gate. You‚Äôd better be said, Ruby, and just take your things off.‚Äù
Poor Ruby for the moment was struck dumb with mortification. Mrs.¬ÝPipkin had given her credit for more outrageous perseverance than she possessed, and had feared that she would rattle at the front door, or attempt to climb over the area gate. She was a little afraid of Ruby, not feeling herself justified in holding absolute dominion over her as over a servant. And though she was now determined in her conduct‚ÅÝ‚Äîbeing fully resolved to surrender neither of the keys which she held in her pocket‚ÅÝ‚Äîstill she feared that she might so far collapse as to fall away into tears, should Ruby be violent. But Ruby was crushed. Her lover would be there to meet her, and the appointment would be broken by her! ‚ÄúAunt Pipkin,‚Äù she said, ‚Äúlet me go just this once.‚Äù
‚ÄúNo, Ruby;‚ÅÝ‚Äîit ain‚Äôt proper.‚Äù
‚ÄúYou don‚Äôt know what you‚Äôre a‚Äô doing of, aunt; you don‚Äôt. You‚Äôll ruin me‚ÅÝ‚Äîyou will. Dear Aunt Pipkin, do, do! I‚Äôll never ask again, if you don‚Äôt like.‚Äù
Mrs.¬ÝPipkin had not expected this, and was almost willing to yield. But Mr.¬ÝCarbury had spoken so very plainly! ‚ÄúIt ain‚Äôt the thing, Ruby; and I won‚Äôt do it.‚Äù
‚ÄúAnd I‚Äôm to be‚ÅÝ‚Äîa prisoner! What have I done to be‚ÅÝ‚Äîa prisoner? I don‚Äôt believe as you‚Äôve any right to lock me up.‚Äù
“I’ve a right to lock my own doors.”
“Then I shall go away tomorrow.”
“I can’t help that, my dear. The door will be open tomorrow, if you choose to go out.”
‚ÄúThen why not open it tonight? Where‚Äôs the difference?‚Äù But Mrs.¬ÝPipkin was stern, and Ruby, in a flood of tears, took herself up to her garret.
Mrs.¬ÝPipkin knocked at Mrs.¬ÝHurtle‚Äôs door again. ‚ÄúShe‚Äôs gone to bed,‚Äù she said.
‚ÄúI‚Äôm glad to hear it. There wasn‚Äôt any noise about it;‚ÅÝ‚Äîwas there?‚Äù
‚ÄúNot as I expected, Mrs.¬ÝHurtle, certainly. But she was put out a bit. Poor girl! I‚Äôve been a girl too, and used to like a bit of outing as well as anyone‚ÅÝ‚Äîand a dance too; only it was always when mother knew. She ain‚Äôt got a mother, poor dear! and as good as no father. And she‚Äôs got it into her head that she‚Äôs that pretty that a great gentleman will marry her.‚Äù
“She is pretty!”
‚ÄúBut what‚Äôs beauty, Mrs.¬ÝHurtle? It‚Äôs no more nor skin deep, as the scriptures tell us. And what‚Äôd a grand gentleman see in Ruby to marry her? She says she‚Äôll leave tomorrow.‚Äù
“And where will she go?”
‚ÄúJust nowhere. After this gentleman‚ÅÝ‚Äîand you know what that means! You‚Äôre going to be married yourself, Mrs.¬ÝHurtle.‚Äù
‚ÄúWe won‚Äôt mind about that now, Mrs.¬ÝPipkin.‚Äù
“And this’ll be your second, and you know how these things are managed. No gentleman’ll marry her because she runs after him. Girls as knows what they’re about should let the gentlemen run after them. That’s my way of looking at it.”
“Don’t you think they should be equal in that respect?”
‚ÄúAnyways the girls shouldn‚Äôt let on as they are running after the gentlemen. A gentleman goes here and he goes there, and he speaks up free, of course. In my time, girls usen‚Äôt to do that. But then, maybe, I‚Äôm old-fashioned,‚Äù added Mrs.¬ÝPipkin, thinking of the new dispensation.
“I suppose girls do speak for themselves more than they did formerly.”
‚ÄúA deal more, Mrs.¬ÝHurtle; quite different. You hear them talk of spooning with this fellow, and spooning with that fellow‚ÅÝ‚Äîand that before their very fathers and mothers! When I was young we used to do it, I suppose‚ÅÝ‚Äîonly not like that.‚Äù
“You did it on the sly.”
‚ÄúI think we got married quicker than they do, any way. When the gentlemen had to take more trouble they thought more about it. But if you wouldn‚Äôt mind speaking to Ruby tomorrow, Mrs.¬ÝHurtle, she‚Äôd listen to you when she wouldn‚Äôt mind a word I said to her. I don‚Äôt want her to go away from this, out into the street, till she knows where she‚Äôs to go to, decent. As for going to her young man‚ÅÝ‚Äîthat‚Äôs just walking the streets.‚Äù
Mrs.¬ÝHurtle promised that she would speak to Ruby, though when making the promise she could not but think of her unfitness for the task. She knew nothing of the country. She had not a single friend in it, but Paul Montague;‚ÅÝ‚Äîand she had run after him with as little discretion as Ruby Ruggles was showing in running after her lover. Who was she that she should take upon herself to give advice to any female?
She had not sent her letter to Paul, but she still kept it in her pocketbook. At some moments she thought that she would send it; and at others she told herself that she would never surrender this last hope till every stone had been turned. It might still be possible to shame him into a marriage. She had returned from Lowestoft on the Monday, and had made some trivial excuse to Mrs.¬ÝPipkin in her mildest voice. The place had been windy, and too cold for her;‚ÅÝ‚Äîand she had not liked the hotel. Mrs.¬ÝPipkin was very glad to see her back again.