john hooper, esquire, barrister-at-law, of fountain court, inner temple, was the employer of mr. eustace gibb, who was the brother of miss gibb. it is not easy to define the relation which mr. gibb occupied with regard to mr. hooper. mr. hooper, although, presumably, learned in the law, had never held a brief in his life, and, to be frank, did not particularly want one; only his uncle worried. he had a small income of his own, and great expectations from his uncle; as his expenditure always exceeded his income, he regarded it as of the first importance that he should continue to stand in what he called his uncle's "good books," since he looked to that gentleman for sufficient financial assistance to enable him to what he termed "rub along." to please his uncle, who appeared to think he ought, very shortly, to be sitting on the woolsack, since he could get no briefs of his own he worked on those of other people; in other words he devilled for a gentleman who was always promising to do more work than, as he knew very well, he could do, and who, therefore, allowed mr. hooper, among others, to do some of the work which he was paid to do, but for which he paid mr. hooper nothing; there was not so much of this as mr. hooper chose to allow his uncle to imagine; still, from his point of view, there was emphatically enough.
what position mr. gibb filled in his chambers he himself occasionally wondered. to those whom he wished to impress with his legal standing he spoke of him as his clerk; to those whom it was impossible to impress, and they were many, as his office boy; while in his own circle of intimates, which was of rather a peculiar kind, he generally referred to him as king solomon. mr. gibb generally referred to himself as mr. hooper's right-hand man.
"i'm his right hand man, that's what i am," he was wont to tell any one who showed interest in the subject; whereat the listener whistled, or did worse, and wondered, if he stopped at that. his duties appeared chiefly to consist in sitting, if mr. hooper was in his chambers, in a sort of lobby, which opened on to the staircase, which he called his office, and where he did nothing; or if mr. hooper was not in his chambers, he went out, as far out as he thought was discreet, and did nothing there. sometimes when, as was not infrequently the case, both employer and employed had nothing to do, mr. hooper would summon mr. gibb into his inner room, and would talk to him--and mr. gibb would talk to him. it was the words of wisdom which mr. gibb would casually let drop in the course of these conversations which induced mr. hooper to allude to him, in the privacy of his own circle, as king solomon; the barrister declared that it was worth his while to pay mr. gibb ten shillings a week, which he with difficulty did, merely on account of the benefit which he derived from hearing him talk.
it was during one of these conversations that mr. gibb touched on a subject which was foremost both in his heart and head. he had taken a strenuous part in the family endeavours to find for miss lindsay some employment by means of which she could at least provide herself with the wherewithal to keep herself alive. he had entered on the search with sanguine zest. apart from any feeling which he might himself entertain for the lady he felt that his reputation was at stake. he had pledged himself to find for her at least half-a-dozen ways of earning a living in a ridiculously short space of time; and as yet he had not found her one; and she herself still searched. he was aware of the visits to mr. thompson; they troubled him nearly as much as they troubled nora; he felt almost as if he was himself responsible for their continuation. he knew that any day another might have to be paid; the knowledge made him desperate. he had had, for some time, a vague intention of speaking to his employer on the matter; but he was aware that mr. hooper did not always take him seriously, and he was curiously unwilling to have miss lindsay made the subject of that gentleman's chaff. yet the thought of that further impending visit pressed heavily on his mind; so that presently the barrister perceived that in his air there was something singular.
"you're not up to your usual mark, mr. gibb; those pearls of wisdom which i love to cherish as they drop from your lips don't seem dropping; stock run out?"
mr. gibb looked up at the ceiling, then down to mr. hooper.
"the fact is, sir, i've got something on my mind."
"is it possible? my good mr. gibb, do i ever allow anything to stop on my mind? get it off!"
"it's easy to talk, sir, but i don't seem as though i can."
"perhaps it would do your mind good to tell me what's on it; i have known that prescription work a cure. give your mind its head, mr. gibb, let her go."
mr. gibb hesitated; he was trying to find fitting words in which to express what he had to say.
"it's like this, sir; i know somebody who very much wants to find the means of earning a living."
"not an uncommon character, mr. gibb. i suppose there are the usual requirements, large salary wanted, and very little work."
"not at all, sir, not in this case. the person to whom i'm alluding would be only too glad to do any amount of work, for very little wages."
"that is unusual; i fear an effort has been made to impose upon your innocence. who's the gentleman?"
"it's not a gentleman, sir, it's a lady."
"a lady? i say, mr. gibb! warnings out all along that coast; if at this period of your existence you get yourself mixed up with a lady, especially one who is on the look out for means of earning a living, your whole career may be blighted. she may look upon you as her living, and then where are you?"
"no fear of that, sir; this is a lady born and bred; she's as high as the heavens above me."
"is she? then she's tallish. old?"
"no, sir; in her early prime."
"meaning?"
"i couldn't say exactly, sir; i should say somewhere about twenty. you could tell better than me.
"what on earth do you mean?"
"if you saw her."
"if i saw her! look here, mr. gibb, have you got anything at the back of your head?" mr. gibb sighed. "is she hideous?"
"no, sir; she's the most beautiful young lady ever i set eyes on; and i've seen a few."
"you have, mr. gibb, i admit it; still as i don't know what your type of beauty really is your remark conveys little to me."
"it would convey more, sir, if you were to see her. you wouldn't want to see her twice to know that she's the most beautiful young lady ever you set eyes on. i feel sure of it. i wish you would see her, sir."
"may i ask, mr. gibb, what it is you're driving at? why should i see her?"
"so that you might understand."
"understand what?"
"how it is."
"how what is? i'll trouble you, mr. gibb, to be a trifle more explicit. where's this lady of birth and breeding, who's as high as the heavens above you, to be found?"
"she's lodging at my mother's. yes, sir, i don't wonder you look surprised; i know it's no place for a lady, especially one like her; and that's the trouble, she is a lady; i know a lady when i see one as well as i know a gentleman."
"you must forgive me, mr. gibb, but i'm wondering if you do; it's not every one who can tell a lady by the look of her."
"perhaps not, sir; but you can. if you saw her you'd soon tell. she'd have found something long ago she could have turned her hand to if she'd been one of your common sort; but that's the mischief, she's a lady; and i happen to know that she's in a very bad way. she lost her father and her mother, and she doesn't seem to have a friend in the world; if she doesn't find something soon by which she can earn a little money i don't know what will become of her. i wish you would see her, sir."
"what good do you suppose will be gained by my seeing her? what sort of work does she want?"
"she has been trying for a secretaryship; but she's tried, and tried, and nothing's come of it; and now she'd be only too glad to do anything by which she could earn money. you see, sir, you know all kinds of people, and i thought that if you saw her, so that you might know what she's like, and how it is with her, you might think of some one who could give her work; i know you wouldn't regret it if you did."
"mr. gibb, you're a--you're a person of a mephistophelian habit! mind you, i've no more chance of putting anything in the way of your lady born and bred, who's as high as the heavens above you, than the man in the moon; but i've got plenty of time on my hands; i'm always ready to see any one; and i've no objection to see her."
"thank you, sir. will you see her to-morrow morning?"
"look here, mr. gibb, are you trying to bustle me?"
"well,' sir, you see she's pawning her things----"
"pawning her things! and you say she's a lady."
"yes, sir, she is pawning her things, and she is a lady; and it's because i've reason to know that she may have to pawn something else either to-day or to-morrow that i've mentioned her to you at all; because when she's pawned all she's got what will she do?"
"do you want me to lend her some money? or to give her some?"
mr. gibb smiled.
"when you've seen her, sir, you won't need to ask me that. then you'll see her to-morrow morning?"
"now don't you go putting any false hopes in her head, you'll only be doing her a disservice if you do; nothing will come of my seeing her, i'm only doing it to oblige you; let that be clearly understood."
"yes, sir; thank you very much."
when mr. gibb got home he rushed straight up to miss lindsay, who was commencing the nondescript apology for a meal which served her as tea and supper.
"miss lindsay, i believe i've found you something which may lead to something."
"oh, eustace! have you? what is it?"
"it's my chief." mr. gibb never would refer to him as "governor," as other clerks did; he thought it vulgar. "it's mr. hooper!"
"mr. hooper?"
"i happened to mention to him to-day that you were looking out for a secretaryship, and he said would you call round and see him to-morrow morning."
"oh, eustace! how shall i ever thank you? is it for himself he wants a secretary?"
"that i can't say; but if you'll take my advice you'll call and see him."
"of course i'll call and see him; i'm--i'm all trembling! as if i wouldn't call and see him! do you think i've any chance?"
"that also i can't say; but if you'll allow me to give you what i should describe as a hint----"
"please do! what is it? you are so clever!"
"if i were you i should put on your prettiest frock, and your prettiest hat, and the prettiest everything you've got."
"eustace! why?"
mr. gibb put his hand up to his mouth, and coughed discreetly.
"fact is, mr. hooper's more of an eye for female beauty than he thinks, and if you come to him looking as i've seen you look, you'll knock him."
"knock him?"
mr. gibb was apologetic.
"it's not often that i do use words of that kind, but, asking your pardon, this time i mean it."
"but--i don't understand what you do mean. you can't mean that mr. hooper would engage me as his secretary merely because i happened to be wearing my prettiest frock?"
"i don't say anything of the kind; not at all. i don't know that he wants a secretary; i only know he told me to ask you to call. you want to make a good impression when you do call, don't you?"
"of course i do."
"exactly; of course you do! what i say is don't leave anything undone which will help you to make a good impression; and that's all i do say."
when mr. gibb went nora was left blushing, trembling, excited, and slightly bewildered; she continued her meal without having any clear idea of what it was that she was eating.
"that's a queer boy," she said to herself, more than once.
mr. gibb was a queer boy; which was why his "chief" occasionally alluded to him as king solomon.
