The Case of William Smith

Chapter Nineteen

They went back to the shop on Monday morning, and received the acid congratulations of Miss Cole.

‘So very sudden. Quite unexpected, if I may say so. But Mrs. Bastable tells me she saw you married. And Mrs. Salt there too! Really I had no idea at all, though I naturally thought it very strange when you and Miss Eversley both took the afternoon off. If there had been a rush of business, I don’t know how I should have managed.’

This from Miss Cole who had steadily refused to have help in the shop. She hoped they would be happy in tones which suggested that she feared the worst. They escaped thankfully to the workshop.

At eleven o’clock Mrs. Salt rang up to say that Mr. Tattlecombe would be coming home that afternoon. She made no explanation, merely remarking that she had ordered a taxi for half-past three, and that she would of course accompany her brother. This diverted Miss Cole’s attention, and sent Mrs. Bastable into a perfect fever of preparation.

Mr. Tattlecombe arrived triumphantly at four o’clock. He kissed his sister and thanked her for all she had done for him, but he did not press her to stay. William helped him upstairs, gave him a footstool and a rug, and attended to his frank opinion of Emily Salt.

‘Listens at doors,’ said Abel, looking exactly like he had looked in William’s dream – hair sticking up on end and blue indignant eyes. ‘I always thought she did, and now I’ve caught her. Last night it was, after Abigail got back from chapel. I got talking to her about you getting married, and natural enough we got on to my leaving you the business.’

William began, ‘I hope Mrs. Salt – ’ but Mr. Tattlecombe put up a hand to stop him.

‘Abby’s agreeable. I told you she was when we talked about it before. The one that isn’t is Emily Salt.’ Two bright patches came up into his cheeks. ‘Emily Salt, if you please, that’s no more relation to me than she is to you! “Don’t talk about it in front of Emily,” my sister says. Well, that’s what I’ve never done, and so I told her. “Well,” she said, “Emily knows, and it’s upset her.” “What’s it got to do with her for her to be upset about it?” I said. “I’ll thank her to mind her own business – she’s no call to upset herself about mine. What does she know about it anyway?” Abby didn’t say anything, so I told her straight out. “She listens at doors,” I said.’

Abel had quite obviously enjoyed himself. He had wanted to say what he thought about Emily Salt for a long time. Well, now he had said it. And Abby had just sat there looking down into her lap. She hadn’t said anything because she couldn’t say anything. He explained this to William with a good deal of satisfaction.

‘Doctor came Saturday, and said I’d got to use my leg, so I got up out of the chair and tried it. Wasn’t too good, and wasn’t too bad. What I was aiming at was getting near the door, for there’s a stair that creaks, and I’d heard it. Abby’s a bit hard of hearing, but I’m not, thank the Lord. I’d heard that stair, but I hadn’t heard the one that goes on up, so I’d a pretty good idea where Emily was. I began talking about you again, and I raised my voice a bit, thinking it would be a pity for her to miss anything. I said I wondered if it would ever come out who you were. And that’s when I got to the door and pulled it open. I tell you I nearly had her in on top of me.’

‘Emily Salt?’

Abel nodded emphatically.

‘Right up against the door, with her hand on the knob, listening. Good thing for my leg she didn’t fall right on the top of me.’

William kept a straight face.

‘What did you do, sir?’

‘I said, “You’ll hear more comfortably if you come inside, Emily Salt.” She stared the way she does and said she was just coming in. So I told her what I thought about that. “Listening at the door,” I told her – “that’s what you were doing, and not the first time either. And I’ll thank you to keep your hands off my affairs, Miss Salt.” Abby came along then to get me back to my chair. “Now, Emily,” she says, and Emily flew right off the handle. I never heard anything like it – screamed like a wild cat and said I was doing Abby out of her rights. “And what’s it got to do with you if I am? ’ I said – and I could have said a whole lot more if my leg had been different. As soon as I got back to my chair Abby took Emily away. I could hear her screaming and going on all the way down the stairs.’

‘Mr. Tattlecombe – ’

Abel put up an imperious hand.

‘If it’s anything about my will, you can keep it to yourself. I’m agreeable, and Abby’s agreeable. And as for Emily Salt, she ought to be in a home, and so I told Abby when she came back. We didn’t have words about it, but we might have done if I’d stayed on,so I said I’d come home… That picture over the mantelpiece isn’t straight, and those two photograph albums have got changed over. The one with the gilt corners goes at the back of the table.’

He looked about him with a critical pleasure as William made these adjustments. None of the furniture was as handsome as Abigail Salt’s. The Brussels carpet was a good deal worn, the upholstery of the chairs was dingy. But it was his own place. The picture over the mantelpiece was an enlargement of the photograph taken of himself and Mary on their wedding-day – an earnest young man in an ill-cut suit, and a plain, sweet-faced young woman in balloon sleeves and a dreadful hat. The furniture was what they had bought together. He nodded approvingly, and said,

‘There’s no place like your own, William.’