Wilkie Collins

The Moonstone Wilkie Collins

I spoke of my lady a line or two back. Now the Diamond could never have been in our house, where it was lost, if it had not been made a present of to my lady's daughter; and my lady's daughterwould never have been in existence to have the present, if it had not been for my lady who (withpain and travail) produced her into the world. Consequently, if we begin with my lady, we are prettysure of beginning far enough back. And that, let me tell you, when you have got such a job as minein hand, is a real comfort at starting. If you know anything of the fashionable world, you have heard tell of the three beautiful MissHerncastles. Miss Adelaide; Miss Caroline; and Miss Julia-this last being the youngest and the bestof the three sisters, in my opinion; and I had opportunities of judging, as you shall presently see. Iwent into the service of the old lord, their father (thank God, we have got nothing to do with him, in this business of the Diamond; he had the longest tongue and the shortest temper of any man, high or low, I ever met with)-I say, I went into the service of the old lord, as page-boy in waitingon the three honourable young ladies, at the age of fifteen years. There I lived till Miss Julia marriedthe late Sir John Verinder. An excellent man, who only wanted somebody to manage him; and, between ourselves, he found somebody to do it; and what is more, he throve on it and grew fat onit, and lived happy and died easy on it, dating from the day when my lady took him to church to bemarried, to the day when she relieved him of his last breath, and closed his eyes for ever. I have omitted to state that I went with the bride to the bride's husband's house and lands downhere. "Sir John," she says, "I can't do without Gabriel Betteredge." "My lady," says Sir John, "I can'tdo without him, either." That was his way with her-and that was how I went into his service. Itwas all one to me where I went, so long as my mistress and I were together. Seeing that my lady took an interest in the out-of-door work, and the farms, and such like, I tookan interest in them too-with all the more reason that I was a small farmer's seventh son myself. Mylady got me put under the bailiff, and I did my best, and gave satisfaction, and got promotionaccordingly. Some years later, on the Monday as it might be, my lady says, "Sir John, your bailiff is astupid old man. Pension him liberally, and let Gabriel Betteredge have his place." On the Tuesday asit might be, Sir John says, "My lady, the bailiff is pensioned liberally; and Gabriel Betteredge has gothis place." You hear more than enough of married people living together miserably. Here is anexample to the contrary. Let it be a warning to some of you, and an encouragement to others. In themeantime, I will go on with my st