chapter-3

CHAPTER III. One morning, before twelve o 'clock, Martha came and said Miss Betty Barker was

waiting downstairs. Miss Matty told her to bring her upstairs. Miss Barker came, apologizing

for her visit. Miss Betty Barker was the daughter of the old clerk who had worked for Mr. Jenkins.

She and her sister had been ladies' maids. They had later opened a hat shop in town,

where the ladies of Cranfore would buy their hats. When her sister died, Miss Betty shut

up the shop and retired. She was the best dressed lady in Cranford because she wore all the caps and

ribbons that were left from the shop. And now Miss Betty Barker had called to invite Miss Matty

to tea at her house on the following Tuesday. She had invited Mrs. Jameson. She also invited me,

but I could see that she was worried. She thought that because my father had moved to

dumble and was now in the cotton business, he did not belong to high society anymore.

She seemed to forget that she used to be in business herself.

Mrs. Jameson is coming, you said, asked Miss Matty.

Yes, Mrs. Jameson was kind enough to accept.

And Miss Poll asked Miss Matty. I am going to ask Miss Poll. Of course, I had to ask you first,

Madam, as the rector's daughter. And Mrs. Forrester. And Mrs. Forrester. I will ask her before I ask

Miss Poll. We cannot forget she is related to the Biggars of Bigelow Hall.

Mrs. Fitts Adam asked Miss Matty. No, Madam, I have the greatest respect for Mrs. Fitts Adam,

but I do not think a lady like Mrs. Jameson would like to meet her.

Miss Betty Barker bowed to Miss Matty and looked at me. She tried to tell me that she

understood the different social classes.

Would you come to my house at half past six, Miss Matilda? She asked. Mrs. Jamison has promised

to come then. She curked, seared and left. Mrs. Fitts Adam was the sister of the Cranford doctor,

Mr. Hoggins. Their parents were respectable farmers, but they did not belong to high society.

Soon after Miss Mary Hoggins married Mr. Fitts Adam, she left Cranford and did not come back for many years.

After her husband's death, Mrs. Fitts Adam returned to Cranford as a widow and rented an old house.

I remember the ladies of Cranford coming together to discuss whether they should pay Mrs. Fitts Adam

a visit or not. They had not yet come to a decision when dear Miss Jenkins died.

Most of us old ladies in Cranford are unmarried or widows without children,

said Miss Pol. If we don't change our rules a little, soon we will have no society at all.

So everybody called on Mrs. Fitts Adam, everybody except Mrs. Jamison,

who was a baron's daughter -in -law. She used to show how important she was by never noticing

Mrs. Fitts Adam when they met at the Cranford parties. Mrs. Fitts Adam was a large woman,

and when Mrs. Jamison came in she would stand up and curtsy. But Mrs. Jamison did not see her.

It was a nice spring evening when the four of us met in front of Miss Barker's door.

Miss Pol, Miss Matty, Mrs. Forester and me. We could hear Miss Barker inside the house.

Wait, Peggy, wait until I run upstairs. When I cough, open the door.

A minute later we heard the cough and the door opened. We went in without a word.

The maid showed us into a small room which used to be the shop. We took off our caps,

shook our dresses and walked up the narrow stairs to Miss Barker's drawing room.

Mrs. Forester was given the second best seat. Of course the best one was saved for the honorable

Mrs. Jamison who came slowly up the stairs. Miss Betty Barker was now a proud and happy woman.

Her maid Peggy brought in the tea tray which was full of cakes. I was happy to see it because I

was very hungry but I thought, will the ladies think serving so many cakes is vulgar?

But no, the cakes were eaten up soon. I was surprised to see Mrs. Jamison eat three large

pieces of seed cake because she had told us that she did not like it and never had it in her house.

She would always serve us biscuits. After tea, four of the ladies played cards.

I was a little afraid of the Cranford ladies when they played cards because they would get very

serious and competitive so I did not join them. Mrs. Jamison fell asleep in an armchair.

Mrs. Barker gave me some books to look at but I preferred to sit and watch the card game.

It was very enjoyable to watch the ladies play. Suddenly the door opened. Mrs. Jamison woke up and

said that she had not been asleep and that she had been listening to the conversation.

Peggy had brought another tray. It was full of delicious things. We never used to eat supper

but the food looked so good that we had to give in. As we were drinking our coffee,

Mrs. Jamison told us some news. My sister -in -law Lady Glenmeyer is coming to stay with me.

How wonderful said all the ladies. Then there was silence. Everyone was thinking,

do I have the right dress to wear in the presence of a lady? We felt very excited and a bit anxious.

At twelve o 'clock the next day, Miss Pole called at Miss Matty's.

Do you know how we should call Lady Glenmeyer? She asked.

I have been puzzled all morning. Should we say, your ladyship, instead of you and my lady, instead of madam?

Miss Matty, you knew Lady Arley. What did you call her? Poor Miss Matty. She took off her glasses

and she put them on again but she could not remember. It was a long time ago, she said.

Dear, how stupid I am, I cannot remember, but I saw her only twice.

Well then I should go and ask Mrs. Forrester, said Miss Pole. We don't want Lady Glenmeyer to think

that in Cranford we are ignorant about the rules of high society.

Will you please drop by on your way back, dear Miss Pole? asked Miss Matty. Whatever you and Mrs.

Forrester decide will be quite right, I'm sure.

Who is Lady Glenmeyer? I asked Miss Matty when Miss Pole had gone.

Oh, she's the widow of Lord Glenmeyer, the eldest brother of Mrs. Jameson's late husband,

she said. My dear, if they decide to call her your ladyship, let me practice on you first.

I don't want to sound foolish when I say it to Lady Glenmeyer.

Miss Matty did not need to worry because a few minutes later Mrs. Jameson arrived to tell her

that she did not want the Cranford ladies to visit her sister -in -law. Miss Matty replied with

quiet respect. She was not hurt by Mrs. Jameson's rudeness, she had a gentle character. Mrs. Jameson

Well, it seems that we cannot call on Lady Glenmeyer. I saw Mrs. Jameson on my way to Mrs. Forrester's

and she told me, who is Lady Glenmeyer? She is just the widow of a Scottish lord. You, Miss Matty,

are the daughter of a rector and related to the Arlies. Miss Matty tried to calm her down

was now full of anger. And I ordered a new cap this morning, she said. Mrs. Jameson cannot

make me the fourth player next time she plays cards. When we were coming out of church on Lady

Glenmeyer's first Sunday in Cranford, we turned our backs on Mrs. Jameson and her guest. We did not

even look at her, but we were dying to know what she looked like. That afternoon, we asked Martha

about her. Do you mean the little lady with Mrs. Jameson, Mom? She was wearing an old black silk

dress, Mom, and she had very bright black eyes. She was not very young but younger than Mrs. Jameson.

She looked up and down the church like a bird and lifted her skirts as she came out.

I think she looks more like the landlady of the inn rather than a lady.

Hush Martha said, Miss Matty, that's not respectful.

Another Sunday passed, and we still turned our backs on Mrs. Jameson and her sister -in -law.

Perhaps Lady Glenmeyer was getting bored at Mrs. Jameson's house,

or perhaps Mrs. Jameson found that the families of high society outside London were not very lively.

For some reason, Mrs. Jameson changed her mind and sent the Cranford Lady's invitations for a

small party on the following Tuesday. Her butler, Mr. Mulliner, brought the invitation letter.

He always used the front door rather than the back door that the servants used.

Miss Matty and I quietly decided that we would not go,

but before we sent our reply, Miss Poll arrived.

The party is Tuesday evening, said Miss Matty. That is when I am busy making candlelighters.

If you like, you can bring your knitting and we could have tea together,

and I would have a better reason to refuse the invitation.

I saw Miss Poll's face change.

You mean you are not going? She asked.

Oh no, said Miss Matty quietly. Are you?

I think I am, replied Miss Poll. We don't want Mrs. Jameson to think that her words are important

enough to hurt us. It is wrong to be hurt and annoyed about anything for a long time,

said Miss Matty. But I could never say those things that Mrs. Jameson said about us. I really

don't think I will go. Oh, Miss Matty, you must go. You know our friend Mrs. Jameson is much more

logical than us, and she does not care for feelings which you have. I thought you had them too that

day she told us not to go. But Miss Poll had just bought a pretty cap,

and she wanted to show it to the world so she had forgotten her anger.

She said she was ready to forgive and forget, and told Miss Matty to do the same.

And so we all went to Mrs. Jameson's party that Tuesday evening.

Mrs. Jameson's drawing room was a cheerful room decorated with white and gold furniture.

It was full of the evening sun, and the large window was covered with flowers.

Mrs. Jameson's dog, Carlo, lay on a rug and barked at us when we entered. Mrs. Jameson stood up

and gave us a lazy smile of welcome. We were uneasy because we were not shown our chairs,

but thankfully Lady Glenmeyer came in and arranged the chairs for us.

She was a bright little woman of middle age. We could see that she had been very pretty when she was young.

At first we were all very silent. We did not know what to talk about.

At last Miss Poll, who was a brave lady, spoke.

Has your ladyship met with the Queen lately? She asked. Then she looked at us as if to say,

do you see how carefully I have chosen a topic?

I have never been at the court, said Lady Glenmeyer, in a sweet Scottish accent.

I have only been to London twice in my life. Have you been to Edinburgh? She asked,

hoping to find a topic to talk about. None of us had been there, but Miss Poll said she had an

uncle who once had passed a night there. Mrs. Jameson was wondering why Mr. Mulliner had not

brought the tea, but she was afraid of troubling him by ringing the bell. I think Mr. Mulliner was

busy reading the newspaper. In the end Lady Glenmeyer grew impatient and rang the bell.

In a few minutes tea was brought. The plates were thin, the bread and butter were thin,

and the sugar lumps were very small. Thankfully Lady Glenmeyer ordered more bread and butter.

After tea we chatted about daily life. Then the ladies played card games. Lady Glenmeyer was a

very good player, and all the ladies were having a good time. Miss Poll even forgot to say,

my lady, and your ladyship. That evening Lady Glenmeyer told us that she was planning to stay

in Cranford for some time. She had no connections in Edinburgh, so she did not have to return soon.

We were rather glad to hear this, because we liked her. We were preparing to leave,

when Mrs. Jameson asked, don't you think walking is very unpleasant? Mrs. Jameson never walked

because she had her own carriage.

Oh no, it is so pleasant to walk at night, said one of the ladies.

I love to walk after an exciting party, said another one.

The stars are so beautiful, said Miss Matty.

Are you interested in astronomy, asked Lady Glenmeyer?

Not very much, replied Miss Matty. She tried to remember which was astronomy,

and which was astrology. She had told me she could not believe that the earth was moving constantly,

and that it made her feel so tired and dizzy whenever she thought about it.

Soon after the party at Mrs. Jameson's, I was called back home to Drumble because my father fell ill.

Later, when my father was a little better, I took him to the seaside. So I had no contact

with my friends in Cranford for almost a year. At the end of November, when we returned home

from the seaside, I received a mysterious letter from Miss Matty. She wrote that she hoped my father

was better and asked if Turbans were fashionable. She said an exciting event was going to take place

in Cranford, so she needed a new cap. She asked me if I could buy her a turban from the hat shop.

Oh dear, how careless of me to forget that I am writing to invite you to my house next Tuesday.

There is going to be an exciting event, but I cannot tell you more. Sea Green is my favourite colour,

P .S. I think I can tell you that Signor Brunone is going to show his wonderful magic in the Cranford

assembly room next Wednesday evening. I gladly accepted the invitation from my dear Miss Matty

and went to Cranford. I was anxious to prevent her from wearing a great turban on her small face,

so I bought her a pretty lavender cap instead. She was very disappointed about this and she

followed me into my bedroom. She said she wanted to check the fire, but I think she was hoping to

find a sea green turban in my cap box. I am sure you did your best, my dear, she said.

But it is just like the caps all the ladies in Cranford are wearing. I would have liked to wear

something newer, but it is very pretty, my dear. I suppose turbans have not arrived in Drumble yet.

Later as I got dressed for the evening, I heard her welcome Miss Pole and Mrs. Forrester.

I shouldn't have expected anything fashionable from the Drumble shops, she said. Poor girl,

I'm sure she did her best. Among the three ladies, Miss Pole was the one who always had

some kind of adventure. That day too she looked excited to tell us her story.

I went into the George Inn today, she began. My maid Betty's cousin works as a maid there,

and I wanted to see how she was. There was no one around, so I walked up the stairs and went

into the assembly room. Suddenly I found myself in the middle of the preparations for tomorrow night.

I panicked and accidentally went behind the curtain. Then a gentleman stepped forward and

asked if I needed help, he had a broken English accent. Very politely, he showed me out of the room.

But wait a minute, that's not the end of my story. I was going downstairs when I ran into Betty's

cousin. She told me that the gentleman was Signor Brunone. Just at this moment he

passed us on the stairs and politely bowed. All foreigners have such polite manners. He went

downstairs and I went back upstairs to the assembly room to find the glove that I had dropped.

As I was looking for it, I saw the same gentleman again.

Ms. Pole had seen the magician himself. We had many questions to ask her.

Did he have a beard? Was he young or old? Was he fair or dark? What did he look like?

Magic was the topic of the evening. Ms. Pole did not believe in it and said there might be

a scientific explanation. Mrs. Forrester believed in ghosts and magic. Ms. Matty was uncertain.

She always agreed with the last speaker. The next day we were all in gentle excitement about the evening.

Ms. Matty got dressed early and hurried me to do the same. The Georgian was only five minutes away

and we had an hour and a half before the doors opened. So we sat quietly without lighting the

candles. Ms. Matty had a nap and I knitted. Finally we set off and met Mrs. Forrester and

Ms. Pole at the door of the George Inn. The four of us went up to the assembly room.

Mrs. Forrester and Ms. Matty found seats in the front row and soon Lady Glenn Meyer and Mrs.

Matty in the second row. Groups of shopkeepers sat at the back chatting happily and making lots

of noise. Soon I got bored from waiting and was about to turn around and look at the people at the

back. But Ms. Pole held my arm and asked me not to turn. It is not proper, she said.

We all sat there, eyes staring forward, looking at the green curtain on the stage,

afraid of being vulgar by making any noise. Mrs. Jamison was lucky because she fell asleep.

Finally the curtain went up. There was a fantastic looking gentleman in a Turkish costume

sitting behind a little table looking at us. He had a long beard and a turban on his head.

That's not Senior Brunoni, said Mrs. Pole loudly. Senior Brunoni had no beard.

The gentleman heard this and looked over at us. Ms. Matty turned towards me. You see, my dear,

people do wear turban's, she said in a sad but kind voice. But we had no time for more conversation.

The Grand Turk stood up and said he was Senior Brunoni.

I don't believe him, said Ms. Pole. He looked at her again.

I don't, she repeated. Senior Brunoni didn't have a beard.

Ms. Pole's words had woken up Mrs. Jamison who opened her eyes wide.

The Grand Turk began doing his magic in very broken English.

We were amazed and excited. I did not know how he did his tricks but Ms. Pole was not impressed.

She started explaining the tricks to us. Even though she was whispering the Grand Turk could

hear her and he looked angrily at her. Ms. Matty and Mrs. Forrester were extremely

surprised and puzzled. Mrs. Jamison kept taking her glasses off and wiping them,

trying to understand the tricks, and Lady Glenmy was very impressed and said not everybody could

do such tricks. Ms. Matty and Mrs. Forrester became worried.

Do you think it is right for us to see such things? Ms. Matty asked Mrs. Forrester.

I was thinking the same thing, replied Mrs. Forrester, shaking her heed.

I am feeling very uncomfortable. It is all very strange. I am certain that it is my handkerchief

that came out of the loaf of bread just now. After seeing your Brunoni's show in Cranford,

several worrying things happened. There were some robberies in town which scared us.

We heard strange stories from the shopkeepers and the townspeople about men in dark clothes

searching for unlocked doors in the night. For a long time Miss Matty Martha and I had to go

around the house checking the kitchens and sellers before going to bed. We tried to comfort ourselves

by saying that the robbers could not be from Cranford. They had to be strangers. Mrs. Forrester's

late husband had fought the French in Spain so she believed that the robbers were French.

She even had an incredible theory. Signor Brunoni spoke broken English like a Frenchman.

And although he wore a turban like a turk, the French also wore turban's.

So she was certain that Signor Brunoni was a Frenchman. In fact he was a French spy.

Then we heard about the robberies in modern. A small town about eight miles from Cranford.

Houses and shops were entered through holes made in the walls. When she heard this, Miss Matty was

scared. What is the use of locks and bolts on the doors? She asked. Why do we go around the house

every night? She now agreed that Signor Brunoni was connected to the robberies.

One afternoon we were scared by a loud knock at the door. Miss Matty told Martha not to open the

door. She picked up a vase to protect herself, opened the window slightly and asked who was there.

But it was just Miss Pole and her made Betty. Martha opened the door and let Miss Pole in.

Take care of that, said Miss Pole, as she gave me the basket she brought.

It's my dinner. I'm sure someone's planning to rob my house tonight. I would like to spend the

night at your house, Miss Matty. Betty is going to sleep with her cousin at the George Inn.

What happened? Asked Miss Matty. I saw two very bad looking men go past my house, answered Miss Pole,

and a beggar woman came half an hour ago. Betty told me she tried to stop her,

but the woman came in and asked to speak to the mistress. Why did she say mistress?

How did she know there was no master in the house? Thankfully Betty shut the door in her face and

came to me about it. We got the spoons together and rushed over here. So Miss Pole spent the night

at Miss Matty's, and before we went to bed the two ladies told many horrible stories of robbery and

murder. I was unable to sleep that night. The next morning there was nothing unusual in the house.

When Lady Glenmeyer came we were almost jealous of her. She told us that Mrs. Jamison's house had

been broken into. We found some footsteps in the garden this morning, said Lady Glenmeyer.

Carlo barked all night, so Mrs. Jamison and I rang the bell to call Mr. Mulliner. When he finally

woke up we told him about the problem. What do you think he did? He went back to his bedroom and

locked the door. I stayed in the drawing room and listened for some time. Then I told Mrs. Jamison

that we should go to bed. She wanted to stay up and watch the house. She made herself comfortable

on the sofa and the maid found her faster sleep at six o 'clock. I went to bed but I could not sleep

at all. When Miss Poll heard of this she was very happy.

I knew something would happen in Cranford last night, she said. Clearly they planned to attack my

house first, but when they saw Betty and me they changed their plan and went to Mrs. Jamison's.

Who knows what might have happened if Carlo had not barked? Poor Carlo. Two days after that

night he was found dead. Some people believed the robbers revenged him by poisoning the poor dog.

Others said he had a stroke because he used to eat too much and had very little exercise.

Mrs. Jamison could not get over the shock of Carlo's death. She had not been so depressed

since her husband's death. She could no longer eat or sleep like she used to. It was clear that

she needed a change of air, so she decided to go away for a while.

Lady Glenmire had become very fond of Cranford by then. When Mrs. Jamison went to Cheltenham,

together with Mr. Mulliner, Lady Glenmire decided to stay and take care of the house.

She had rented out her own house in Edinburgh and she was very comfortable in her sister -in -law's place.