Bleak House - страница 23

'The finest climate in the world!' said Mrs. Jellyby.

'Indeed, ma'am?'

'Certainly. With precaution,' said Mrs. Jellyby. 'You may go into Holborn, without precaution, and be run over. You may go into Holborn, with precaution, and never be run over. Just so with Africa.'

I said, 'No doubt,'—I meant as to Holborn.

'If you would like,' said Mrs. Jellyby, putting a number of papers towards us, 'to look over some remarks on that head, and on the general subject (which have been extensively circulated), while I finish a letter I am now dictating – to my eldest daughter, who is my amanuensis—'

The girl at the table left off biting her pen, and made a return to our recognition, which was half bashful and half sulky.

'—I shall then have finished for the present,' proceeded Mrs. Jellyby, with a sweet smile; 'though my work is never done. Where are you, Caddy?'

' "Presents her compliments to Mr. Swallow, and begs –"'said Caddy.

' "And begs," ' said Mrs. Jellyby, dictating,' "to inform him, in reference to his letter of inquiry on the African project." – No, Peepy! Not on any account!'

Peepy (so self-named) was the unfortunate child who had fallen down-stairs, who now interrupted the correspondence by presenting himself, with a strip of plaister on his forehead, to exhibit his wounded knees, in which Ada and I did not know which to pity most – the bruises or the dirt. Mrs. Jellyby merely added, with the serene composure with which she said everything, 'Go along, you naughty Peepy!' and fixed her fine eyes on Africa again.

However, as she at once proceeded with her dictation, and as I interrupted nothing by doing it, I ventured quietly to stop poor Peepy as he was going out, and to take him up to nurse. He looked very much astonished at it, and at Ada's kissing him; but soon fell fast asleep in my arms, sobbing at longer and longer intervals, until he was quiet. I was so occupied with Peepy that I lost the letter in detail, though I derived such a general impression from it of the momentous importance of Africa, and the utter insignificance of all other places and things, that I felt quite ashamed to have thought so little about it.

'Six o'clock!' said Mrs. Jellyby. 'And our dinner hour is nominally (for we dine at all hours) five! Caddy, show Miss Glare and Miss Summerson their rooms. You will like to make some change, perhaps? You will excuse me, I know, being so much occupied. O, that very bad child! Pray put him down, Miss Summerson!'

I begged permission to retain him, truly saying that he was not at all troublesome; and carried him up-stairs and laid him on my bed. Ada and I had two upper rooms, with a door of communication between. They were excessively bare and disorderly, and the curtain to my window was fastened up with a fork.

'You would like some hot water, wouldn't you?' said Miss Jellyby, looking round for a jug with a handle to it, but looking in vain.

'If it is not being troublesome,' said we.

'Oh, it's not the trouble,' returned Miss Jellyby; 'the question is, if there is any.'

The evening was so very cold, and the rooms had such a marshy smell, that I must confess it was a little miserable; and Ada was half crying. We soon laughed, however, and were busily unpacking, when Miss Jellyby came back to say that she was sorry there was no hot water; but they couldn't find the kettle, and the boiler was out of order.