Her daughters, by soothing and argument, allayed the alarm, though the
impression was not easily done away with, and they feared that it might
yet cost her a night's rest. These attacks--absurd as they were--induced
Rachel to take measures for their confutation, by writing to Mr.
Mauleverer, that she thought it would be well to allow the pupils to pay
a short visit to their homes, so as to satisfy their friends.
She did not receive an immediate answer, and was beginning to feel vexed
and anxious, though not doubtful, when Mr. Mauleverer arrived, bringing
two beautiful little woodcuts, as illustrations for the "Journal of
Female Industry." They were entitled "The free maids that weave their
thread with bones," and one called "the Ideal," represented a latticed
cottage window, with roses, honeysuckles, cat, beehives, and all
conventional rural delights, around a pretty maiden singing at her
lace-pillow; while the other yclept the "Real," showed a den of
thin, wizened, half-starved girls, cramped over their cushions in
a lace-school. The design was Mr. Mauleverer's, the execution the
children's; and neatly mounted on cards, the performance did them great
credit, and there was great justice in Mr. Manleverer's view that while
they were making such progress, it would be a great pity to interrupt
the preparation of the first number by sending the children home even
for a few hours. Rachel consented the more readily to the postponement
of the holiday, as she had now something to show in evidence of the
reality of their doings, and she laid hands upon the cuts, in spite of
Mr. Mauleverer's unwillingness that such mere essays should be displayed
as specimens of the art of the F. U. E. E. When the twenty pounds which
she advanced should have been laid out in blocks, ink, and paper,
there was little doubt that the illustrations of the journal would be a
triumphant instance of female energy well directed.
Meantime she repaired to Ermine Williams to persuade her to write an
article upon the two pictures, a paper in the lively style in which
Rachel herself could not excel, pointing out the selfishness of wilfully
sentimental illusions. She found Ermine alone, but her usual fate
pursued her in the shape of, first, Lady Temple, then both Colonel and
Captain Keith, and little Rose, who all came in before she had had time
to do more than explain her intentions. Rose had had another fright, and
again the Colonel had been vainly trying to distinguish the bugbear of
her fancy, and she was clinging all the more closely to him because he
was the only person of her aquaintance who did not treat her alarms as
absolutely imaginary.
Rachel held her ground, well pleased to have so many spectators of this
triumphant specimen of the skill of her asylum, and Lady Temple gave
much admiration, declaring that no one ought to wear lace again without
being sure that no one was tortured in making it, and that when she
ordered her new black lace shawl of Mrs. Kelland, it should be on
condition that the poor girls were not kept so very hard at work.