Mr. Godfrey followed the announcement of his name--as Mr. Godfrey does
everything else--exactly at the right time. He was not so close on the
servant's heels as to startle us. He was not so far behind as to cause
us the double inconvenience of a pause and an open door. It is in the
completeness of his daily life that the true Christian appears. This
dear man was very complete.
"Go to Miss Verinder," said my aunt, addressing the servant, "and tell
her Mr. Ablewhite is here."
We both inquired after his health. We both asked him together whether he
felt like himself again, after his terrible adventure of the past week.
With perfect tact, he contrived to answer us at the same moment. Lady
Verinder had his reply in words. I had his charming smile.
"What," he cried, with infinite tenderness, "have I done to deserve
all this sympathy? My dear aunt! my dear Miss Clack! I have merely been
mistaken for somebody else. I have only been blindfolded; I have only
been strangled; I have only been thrown flat on my back, on a very thin
carpet, covering a particularly hard floor. Just think how much worse it
might have been! I might have been murdered; I might have been robbed.
What have I lost? Nothing but Nervous Force--which the law doesn't
recognise as property; so that, strictly speaking, I have lost nothing
at all. If I could have had my own way, I would have kept my adventure
to myself--I shrink from all this fuss and publicity. But Mr. Luker made
HIS injuries public, and my injuries, as the necessary consequence,
have been proclaimed in their turn. I have become the property of the
newspapers, until the gentle reader gets sick of the subject. I am very
sick indeed of it myself. May the gentle reader soon be like me! And how
is dear Rachel? Still enjoying the gaieties of London? So glad to hear
it! Miss Clack, I need all your indulgence. I am sadly behind-hand with
my Committee Work and my dear Ladies. But I really do hope to look in at
the Mothers'-Small-Clothes next week. Did you make cheering progress at
Monday's Committee? Was the Board hopeful about future prospects? And
are we nicely off for Trousers?"
The heavenly gentleness of his smile made his apologies irresistible.
The richness of his deep voice added its own indescribable charm to
the interesting business question which he had just addressed to me.
In truth, we were almost TOO nicely off for Trousers; we were quite
overwhelmed by them. I was just about to say so, when the door opened
again, and an element of worldly disturbance entered the room, in the
person of Miss Verinder.
She approached dear Mr. Godfrey at a most unladylike rate of speed,
with her hair shockingly untidy, and her face, what I should call,
unbecomingly flushed.