"No need at all, mother, I can do it much better alone, and at my age--"
So Rachel took a parasol and stepped out, looked at the outline newly
produced, thanked and praised the drawing that had been received, adding
that her mother would be glad to know what price Mr. Mauleverer set
upon it. She was met by a profession of ignorance of its value, and
of readiness to be contented with whatever might be conferred upon his
project; the one way in which he still hoped to be of service to his
fellow creatures, the one longing of his life.
"Ah!" said Rachel, greatly delighted with this congenial spirit, and as
usual preferring the affirmative to the interrogative. "I heard you
had been interesting yourself about Mrs Kelland's lace school. What a
miserable system it is!"
"My inquiries have betrayed me then? It is indeed a trying spectacle."
"And to be helpless to alleviate it," continued Rachel. "Over work, low
prices and middle-men perfectly batten on the lives of our poor girls
here. I have thought it over again and again, and it is a constant
burden on my mind."
"Yes, indeed. The effects of modern civilization are a constant burden
on the compassion of every highly constituted nature."
"The only means that seems to me likely to mitigate the evil," continued
Rachel, charmed at having the most patient listener who had ever fallen
to her lot, "would be to commence an establishment where some fresh
trades might be taught, so as to lessen the glut of the market, and to
remove the workers that are forced to undersell one another, and thus
oblige the buyers to give a fairly remunerative price."
"Precisely my own views. To commence an establishment that would drain
off the superfluous labour, and relieve the oppressed, raising the whole
tone of female employment."
"And this is the project you meant?"
"And in which, for the first time, I begin to hope for success, if it
can only receive the patronage of some person of influence."
"Oh, anything I can do!" exclaimed Rachel, infinitely rejoiced. "It is
the very thing I have been longing for for years. What, you would form
a sort of industrial school, where the children could be taught some
remunerative labour, and it might soon be almost self-supporting?"
"Exactly; the first establishment is the difficulty, for which I have
been endeavouring to put a few mites together."
"Every one would subscribe for such a purpose!" exclaimed Rachel.
"You speak from your own generous nature, Miss Curtis; but the world
would require patronesses to recommend."
"There could be no difficulty about that!" exclaimed Rachel; but at
this moment she saw the Myrtlewood pony carriage coming to the door, and
remembering that she had undertaken to drive out Ermine Williams in it,
she was obliged to break off the conversation, with an eager entreaty
that Mr. Mauleverer would draw up an account of his plan, and bring it
to her the next day, when she would give her opinion on it, and consider
of the means.