Unhistoric Acts (5)

The prospect of adventure that she had lost

There were as usual some half-dozen yearly boarders at the school – three with family in Hon Company service in the Indies, one with parents gone as missionaries to the South Seas, two with sailor fathers – one merchant captain, one Naval officer – that Miss Churtall today took to the Royal Academy exhibition. For they did not just leave the girls idling at their own devices during the school holidays! No, they boasted (and 'twas reflected in the fees) that they provided 'em with a deal of edifying and educational excursions and healthful recreations.

Last week Trudie herself had taken 'em to the Zoological Gardens – two of the day-girls were the nieces of that noted explorer Mr Josiah Ferraby, a Fellow of the Zoological Society, that had, during his last passage through the metropolis, been entirely happy to provide a note of permission for any time they might wish to take a party.

But today she was about the tiresome but necessary business of sorting out the book cupboard and deciding which books might still be usable if repaired, and which must be discarded and replaced. Well, she had had an agreeable walk the morn –

Perhaps it had not been entirely wise to take a post at a school so near the river, where she might walk out and look down upon the ships plying to and fro and sailing away to remote places. But sure she might have yearned anywhere.

Here was a book with the cover entirely hanging off! – well, it might be resewn, perchance – the pages looked to be still intact – why, a copy of Mrs Marcet’s Conversations on Chemistry! Where had that come from? That was somewhat took her back to her own childhood – lessons with Aunty Geraldine alongside Reddie – a lovely husky voice saying, la, you are lucky children! Never had such fine teaching in my own youth –

One might mend it, she supposed, putting it on that pile.

Oh, she should be grateful! As schools went, this was a good one, and her lot was better than that of the vast majority of private governesses. She might hope, in due course, to be taken into partnership and eventually succeed Miss Churtall as headmistress.

But was not the life she had imagined for herself as a hopeful girl and young woman. There had been Galen Frith, offered a fine post at this college in Montreal – and Trudie, once I am established there, you may come out and we may marry there, and I am like to suppose that there will be fine opportunities for us to be naturalists when I am not about my profession. Gaze at the stars – see the Northern Lights ablaze – study the geology of the place – observe the flora and fauna –

Then there came the cholera there, and of course he saw it his duty to tend to the suffering, contracted the disease himself, and was buried in that far land.

There had been other young men, visiting dear Papa to talk over matters of science and politics, had looked upon her with some interest, but she had not come about to incline to any of 'em, and sure it did not seem any matter that one should be in great haste over. Not like the Marriage Mart within Society when a young woman was considered stale and on the shelf after her second season.

Then Papa died, and they were obliged to give up the Canonbury house, and Mama went to live with Aunty Amy and her family. So Trudie was no longer meeting that assorted company twice or thrice in a month, on leave from her school duties, and life became a deal duller. And 'twas not as though she might go out to India and keep house for Reddie, for his work, she apprehended, kept him travelling about – camping out or at best staying in dawk bungalows – rather than having a settled residence.

She sighed, not sure whether she sighed for Galen, or the prospect of adventure that she had lost.

There was a tap upon the door of the book-room, and Millie put her head around it. Miss Mortman – here is a young gentleman comes calling, specific to see you.

Me? – why, thought Trudie, must be some friend of Reddie’s, mayhap brought a letter or some specimens or such. So she put down the volume she was holding, and dusted her hands together, and hoped that there were no smudges upon her face, as she went downstairs to the front parlour.

The young man was standing looking out of the window when she entered. He turned and said with a smile that the maid had been off so sharp he had not had a chance to offer her his card, and held it out to Trudie.

She took it and looked at it, and looked back at the young man, and cried, Thorne! For, casting a longer look at him, she saw a certain familiarity in his visage, and there was an open-air look to his complexion that indeed spoke of the colonies. O, Mr Thorne, she said, I am delighted to see you – do you sit down – that chair there is the more comfortable one – and I will ring for tea.

He told her of his endeavours to discover what had become of the family – Aunty Geraldine was married to a professor in Aberdeen, Aunty Amy to a physician in Manchester, where Mama went live with her, she told him, and mayhap he had heard that Reddie was in India? But she was all eagerness to hear about the Thornes.

Abigail Gowing that had become Mrs Thorne had seemed to the young Trudie a most romantic figure. She had apprehended that there was some sad tale that led to her coming to take refuge at their house in Canonbury, while the business of putting her wedding in hand and the preparations for the voyage to New South Wales were in train, but there had been hushed voices and not before the children about that.

So lovely! – and with a trunk of fine garments that she had convoked with Mama about selling – but is there anything that you should like? – and she must have seen Mama’s yearning look at that cashmere shawl, for she had pressed it on her and would take no refusal – and there had been the distribution of certain matters of lacy kerchiefs &C to her and to Aunty Amy and Aunty Geraldine. And so fascinated by everything. From the habits of the guinea-pigs to lessons in cartography to the progress of Martha Knowles’ courtship with Jacob Samuels.

She had heard somewhat since, of course – reports of the fine work they were doing for the elevation of the condition of the convicts, their scientific observations that were published in learned journals – George Carter’s writings on the Aboriginal population –

But oh, it sounded quite heavenly! A community of the Thorne and Carter families – for Mr Carter had married a young woman that had gone out as the governess to the Thorne children, and also to teach those convicts that desired to alleviate their state of ignorance, and besides that, now undertook to study the languages of the Aborigines – and various of the convicts that had now served their term, and others that were still serving their time out.

Trudie sighed.

But, said Mr Thorne, occurs to me you may be able to advize me over a couple of matters I have been asked to look into. There is a fine boys’ school near us – for the free settlers and the government officials are eager to give their sons a crack education – and my sisters – that is, the twins, Joey and Zellie, have been minded to set up a girls’ school, but we are like to suppose that 'twould be advizable to have one that had some experience in the matter – Aunty Ellie was a private governess so does not feel that she would have the requisite understandings –

Trudie felt her heart give an enormous thud –

– so do you know any that might wish to make that venture – The other matter was, as I said, I am sailing with the Ollifaunts, and their governess is very suddenly going to be married and will not be coming after all, so I said I would make some enquiries whilst I was in Town – shall be calling on the Lowndes, but I hazard you may know of someone?

Mr Thorne, said Trudie, this may come ridiculous impetuous, but I have longed this while for adventure – she alluded to the sad tale of Galen ­– and I have the very fondest memories of your dear parents. Might I, do you think, suit?

My mother, said Mr Thorne, keeps your astronomical sampler as a treasured heirloom. She would be ecstatic at this prospect.

Trudie burst into tears, somewhat to the young man’s embarrassment. After she had blown her nose and wiped her eyes with the large manly handkerchief he had handed her, she said, I still preserve the elegant kerchief she gave me – bring it out only for the most ceremonious occasions. Moreover, she added, should be entire delighted to act as governess for the Ollifaunt offspring.