Page 9 of Mr Collins in Love
I said, “I was not looking to hire a man,” because that was the truth.
“No, sir,” he murmured, ducking his head and seeming to shrink.
“Midsummer Day is past,” I added, because the quarter day would have been the time to take on new staff.
“So it is.”His voice was very quiet.
“George does the garden and sees to the animals,” I explained.“Mrs Fowke’s brother.”
“Aye.Course.”His voice was a whisper.He was staring down at his boots.After a moment, he took a deep breath.
“Well, I am very sorry to have troubled you, Mr William, sir.And I thank you again for the meal, and it was right good to see you and I will be off.”
His tone was all wrong.He was always polite, but he sounded formal, distant.He could have been any decent way-faring fellow, thanking me for a bit of charity.
“No—no,” I blurted.“I mean, wait but a moment.Tell me, where will you go?”
“Don’t rightly know, sir.Back to the…er…the tannery maybe, if they will have me.”
I frowned.Things were going terribly wrong.“But you said you were not suited to the work.”
“Well, maybe I can find something else.”But there was something despairing in his tone.
“Wait, Jem.Wait.Where will you sleep tonight?”
“Don’t trouble yourself over that, sir.I shall be all right.”
“At least…no, Jem…I cannot let you go.At least you must stay one night.”
“I could not put you to the trouble, sir.”
“Jem, please.Will you not wait?Listen, I have had an idea.”
“Aye, sir?”
“Yes.The thing is, George has not been well.He has terrible rheumatics.He can hardly walk sometimes.And he suffers from the ague too, very regularly.He is in bed with it now, I believe.”
“Oh.”He began to shake his head, very slow.“But I could not take a man’s job from him, sir.I could not.Not if he were at death’s door.”
“No, no,” I said, shocked.“Of course you will not be taking his job.But everybody knows he is old and that he suffers.So even though Midsummer’s Day is past, people will perhaps understand that I am taking you on because of that.He needs help, do you see?There is too much for him to manage.So, it will not seem odd if I take you on as well.Will it?”
A sudden hope lit his face.“No, sir.I think people will understand.”
“Do you?Yes, I think so too.Of course, it may seem profligate for a clergyman to have two men.Mr Hay who is the rector over the way in Medbridge has but one man and a boy, and Mr Chambers, who is vicar in Hockford, has but the one man, but that is because his boy grew too old and went for a soldier so he will certainly be getting another soon.And perhaps he will not even wait for Michaelmas?So that is perhaps all right.But the main thing, I think, is whether it would seem odd for the rector of Hunsford to have two men rather than one and a boy?Perhaps I must think on it.”
“I did hear, sir, as how there was a Mr Melling, who was a parson in Hastings, who had two men.I knew one of them.”
“Yes?And what did people say of Mr Melling?”
“He was a respected gentleman, sir.”
“That is promising.”
“Yes, sir.”
“People did not say he was profligate?”
“I never heard so, sir.”
