Nobody's Girl by Hector Malot Chapter 24
GETTING AN EDUCATION
The next morning, when Theodore and Casimir entered their uncle's officeto attend to the correspondence, they were amazed to see Perrineinstalled at her table as though she were a fixture there.
Talouel had taken care not to tell them, but he had contrived to bepresent when they entered so as to witness their discomfiture. The sightof their amazement gave him considerable enjoyment. Although he wasfurious at the way this little beggar girl had imposed, as he thought,upon the senile weakness of an old man, it was at least somecompensation to know that the two nephews felt the same astonishment andindignation that he had.
Evidently they did not understand her presence in this sacred office,where they themselves only remained just the time necessary to report onthe business of which they were in charge.
Theodore and Casimir looked in dismay at one another, but they did notdare ask questions. Talouel left the room the same time as they.
"You were surprised to see that girl in the boss' office, eh?" he said,when they got outside.
They did not deign to reply.
"If you had not come in late this morning, I should have let you knowthat she was there, and then you would not have looked so taken back.She noticed how surprised you were."
He had managed to give them two little knocks: First, there was a gentlescolding for them being late; secondly, he had let them see that he, aforeman, had noticed that they had been unable to hide theirdiscomfiture and that the girl had noticed it, too. And they were M.Vulfran's nephews! Ah! ha!
"M. Vulfran told me yesterday that he had taken that girl to live at thechateau with him, and that in the future she would work in his office."
"But who is the girl?"
"That's what I'd like to know. I don't think your uncle knows either. Hetold me he wanted someone to be with him whom he could trust."
"Hasn't he got us?" asked Casimir.
"That is just what I said to him. I mentioned you both, and do you knowwhat he replied?"
He wanted to pause to give more effect to his words, but he was afraidthat they would turn their backs upon him before he had said what hewanted.
"'Oh, my nephews,' he said, 'and what are they?' From the tone in whichhe said those few words I thought it better not to reply," continuedTalouel. "He told me then that he intended to have that girl up at thechateau with him because there was someone trying to tempt her to tellsomething that she should not tell. He said he knew that she could betrusted, but he said he didn't like others that he could not trust toput the girl in such a position. He said she had already proved to himthat she could be trusted. I wonder who he meant had tried to tempt her?
"I thought it my duty to tell you this, because while M. Edmond is awayyou two take his place," added Talouel.
He had given them several thrusts, but he wanted to give them one lastsharp knock.
"Of course, M. Edmond might return at any moment," he said. "I believethat your uncle is on the right track at last. He has been makinginquiries, and from the looks of things I think we shall have him backsoon."
"What have you heard? Anything?" asked Theodore, who could not restrainhis curiosity.
"Oh, I keep my eyes open," said Talouel, "and I can tell you that thatgirl is doing a lot of translating in the way of letters and cables thatcome from India."
At that moment he looked from a window and saw a telegraph boy strollingup to the office.
"Here is another cable coming," he said. "This is a reply to one thathas been sent to Dacca. It must be very annoying for you not to be ableto speak English. You could be the first to announce to the boss thatyour cousin will be coming back. Now that little tramp will be the oneto do it."
Talouel hurried forward to meet the telegraph boy.
"Say, you don't hurry yourself, do you?" he cried.
"Do you want me to kill myself?" asked the boy, insolently.
He hurried with the message to M. Vulfran's office.
"Shall I open it, sir?" he asked eagerly.
"Yes, do," said M. Vulfran.
"Oh, it is in English," replied Talouel, as he looked at the missive.
"Then Aurelie must attend to it," said M. Vulfran, and with a wave ofhis hand dismissed the manager.
As soon as the door had closed Perrine translated the cable.
It read: "Friend Leserre, a French merchant. Last news from Dehra fiveyears. Wrote Father Makerness according to your wish."
"Five years," cried M. Vulfran. Then, as he was not the sort of man towaste time in regrets, he said to Perrine: "Write two cables, one to M.Leserre in French and one to Father Makerness in English."
She quickly wrote the cable that she had to translate into English, butshe asked if she could get a dictionary from Bendit's office before shedid the one in French.
"Are you not sure of your spelling?" asked M. Vulfran.
"No, I am not at all sure," she replied, "and I should not like them atthe office to make fun of any message that is sent by you."
"Then you would not be able to write a letter without making mistakes?"
"No, I know I should make a lot of mistakes. I can spell French wordsall right at the commencement, but the endings I find very difficult. Ifind it much easier to write in English, and I think I ought to tell youso now."
"Have you never been to school?"
"No, never. I only know what my father and mother taught me. When westopped on the roads they used to make me study, but I never studiedvery much."
"You are a good girl to tell me so frankly. We must see to that, but forthe moment let us attend to what we have on hand."
It was not until the afternoon, when they were driving out, that heagain referred to her spelling.
"Have you written to your relations yet?" he asked.
"No, sir."
"Why not?"
"Because I would like nothing better than to stay here with you, who areso kind to me," she said.
"Then you don't want to leave me?" asked the blind man.
"No, I want to help you all I can," said Perrine softly.
"Very well, then you must study so as to be able to act as a littlesecretary for me. Would you like to be educated?"
"Indeed I would! And I will work so hard," said Perrine.
"Well, the matter can be arranged without depriving myself of yourservices," said M. Vulfran; "there is a very good teacher here and Iwill ask her to give you lessons from six to eight in the evenings. Sheis a very nice woman; there are only two things against her; they areher height and her name; she is taller than I am, and her shoulders aremuch broader than mine. Her name is Mademoiselle Belhomme. She is indeeda _bel homme_, for although she is only forty her shoulders and figureare more massive than any man's I know ... I must add that she has not abeard."
Perrine smiled at this description of the teacher that she was to have.
After they had made a tour of the factories they stopped before a girl'sschool and Mlle. Belhomme ran out to greet M. Vulfran. He expressed awish to get down and go into the school and speak with her. Perrine, whofollowed in their footsteps, was able to examine her. She was indeed agiant, but her manner seemed very womanly and dignified. At times hermanner was almost timid and did not accord at all with her appearance.
Naturally she could not refuse anything the all-powerful master ofMaraucourt asked, but even if she had had any reasons to refuse M.Vulfran's request the little girl with the beautiful eyes and hairpleased her very much.
"Yes," she said to M. Vulfran, "we will make her an educated girl. Doyou know she has eyes like a gazelle. I have never seen a gazelle, but Ishould imagine their great brown eyes are like hers. They arewonderful...."
The next day when M. Vulfran returned to his home at the dinner hour heasked the governess what she thought of her new pupil. Mlle. Belhommewas most enthusiastic in her praise of Perrine.
"Does she show any intelligence?" asked M. Vulfran.
"Why she is wonderfully intelligent," replied Mlle. Belhomme; "it wouldhave been such a calamity if she had remained without an education...."
M. Vulfran smiled at Mlle. Belhomme's words.
"What about her spelling?" he asked.
"Oh, that is very poor but she'll do better. Her writing is fairly goodbut, of course, she needs to study hard. She is so intelligent it isextraordinary. So as to know exactly what she knew in writing andspelling I asked her to write me an account of Maraucourt. In twenty toa hundred lines I asked her to describe the village to me. She sat downand wrote. Her pen flew over the paper; she did not hesitate for words;she wrote four long pages; she described the factories, the scenery,every thing clearly and in detail. She wrote about the birds and thefishes over near the pond, and about the morning mists that cover thefields and the water. Then of the calm, quiet evenings. Had I not seenher writing it I should have thought that she had copied it from somegood author. Unfortunately the spelling and writing is very poor but, asI said, that does not matter. That is merely a matter of a few months,whilst all the lessons in the world would not teach her how to write ifshe had not been gifted with the sense of feeling and seeing in such aremarkable manner; that she can convey to others what she feels andsees. If you have time to let me read it to you, you will see that Ihave not exaggerated."
The governess read Perrine's narrative to him. He was delighted. He hadwondered once or twice if he had been wise in so promptly befriendingthis little girl and giving her a place in his home. It had appeared tohim strange the sudden fancy that he had taken to her.
He told Mlle. Belhomme how her little pupil had lived in a cabin in oneof the fields, and how, with nothing except what she found on hand, shecontrived to make kitchen utensils and shoes, and how she had made hermeals of the fish, herbs and fruit that she found.
Mlle. Belhomme's kind face beamed as the blind man talked. She wasgreatly interested in what he told her. When M. Vulfran stopped thegoverness remained silent, thinking.
"Don't you think," she said at last, "that to know how to create thenecessities that one needs is a master quality to be desired above all?"
"I certainly do, and it was precisely because that child could do thatthat I first took an interest in her. Ask her some time to tell you herstory and you will see that it required some energy and courage for herto arrive where she is now."
"Well, she has received her reward since she has been able to interestyou."
"Yes, I am interested, and already attached to her. I am glad that youlike her, and I hope that you will do all that you can with her."
Perrine made great progress with her studies. She was interested ineverything her governess had to tell her, but her beautiful eyesbetrayed the greatest interest when Mlle. Belhomme talked of hergrandfather. Many times Perrine had spoken of M. Vulfran's illness toRosalie, but she had only received vague replies to her queries; now,from her governess, she learned all the details regarding hisaffliction.
Like everyone at Maraucourt, Mlle. Belhomme was concerned with M.Vulfran's health, and she had often spoken with Dr. Ruchon so she was ina position to satisfy Perrine's curiosity better than Rosalie could.
Her grandfather had a double cataract. It was not incurable; if he wereoperated upon he might recover his sight. The operation had not yet beenattempted because his health would not allow it.... He was sufferingfrom bronchial trouble, and if the operation was to be a success hewould have to be in a perfect state of health. But M. Vulfran wasimprudent. He was not careful enough in following the doctor's orders.How could he remain calm, as Dr. Ruchon recommended, when he was alwaysworked up to a fever of anxiety over the continued absence of his son.So long as he was not sure of his son's fate, there was no chance forthe operation and it was put off. But ... would it be possible to haveit later? That the oculists could not decide. They were uncertain, solong as the blind man's health continued in this precarious state.
But when Mlle. Belhomme saw that Perrine was also anxious to talk aboutTalouel and the two nephews and their hopes regarding the business shewas not so communicative. It was quite natural that the girl should showan interest in her benefactor, but that she should be interested in thevillage gossip was not permissible. Certainly it was not a conversationfor a governess and her pupil.... It was not with talks of this kindthat one should mould the character of a young girl.
Perrine would have had to renounce all hope of getting any informationfrom her governess if Casimir's mother, Madame Bretoneux, had notdecided to come to the chateau on a visit. This coming visit opened thelips of Mlle. Belhomme, which otherwise would certainly have remainedclosed.
As soon as the governess heard that Mme. Bretoneux was coming she had avery serious talk with her little pupil.
"My dear child," she said, lowering her voice, "I must give you someadvice; I want you to be very reserved with this lady who is coming heretomorrow."
"Reserved, about what?" asked Perrine in surprise.
"Monsieur Vulfran did not only ask me to take charge of your educationbut to take a personal interest in you; that is why I give you thisadvice."
"Please, Mademoiselle, explain to me what I ought to do," said Perrine;"I don't understand at all what this advice means, and I am verynervous."
"Although you have not been very long at Maraucourt," said Mlle.Belhomme, "you must know that M. Vulfran's illness and the continuedabsence of his son is a cause of anxiety to all this part of thecountry."
"Yes, I have heard that," answered Perrine.
"What would become of all those employed in the works, seven thousand,and all those who are dependent on these seven thousand if MonsieurVulfran should die and his son not return? Will he leave his fortune andworks to his nephews, of which he has no more confidence in one than theother, or to one who for twenty years has been his right hand and who,having managed the works with him is, perhaps more than anyone else, ina position to keep his hold on them?
"When M. Vulfran took his nephew Theodore into the business everyonethought that he intended to make him his heir. But later, when MonsieurCasimir left college and his uncle sent for him, they saw that they hadmade a mistake and that M. Vulfran had not decided to leave his businessto these two boys. His only wish was to have his son back for, althoughthey had been parted for ten years, he still loved him. Now no one knewwhether the son was dead or alive. But there were those who wished thathe was dead so that they themselves could take M. Vulfran's place whenhe died.
"Now, my dear child," said the governess, "you understand you live herein the home of M. Vulfran and you must be very discreet in this matterand not talk about it to Casimir's mother. She is working all she canfor her son's interest and she will push anyone aside who stands in hisway. Now, if you were on too good terms with her you would be on badterms with Theodore's mother, and the other way about. Then, on theother hand, should you gain the good graces of both of them you wouldperhaps have reason to fear one from another direction. That is why Igive you this little advice. Talk as little as possible. And if you arequestioned, be careful to make replies as vague as possible. It isbetter sometimes to be looked upon rather as too stupid than toointelligent. This is so in your case ... the less intelligent you appear,the more intelligent you will really be."