After Maria’s stormy departure Mrs Garlick regained her sense of humour and her cheerfulness; but the inconveniences of being without Maria were important.

III

On the second day following, Mrs Garlick received a letter from “young Lawton,” the solicitor.  Young Lawton, aged over forty, was not so-called because in the Five Towns youthfulness is supposed to extend to the confines of forty-five, but because he had succeeded his father, known as “old Lawton”; it is true that the latter had been dead many years.  The Five Towns, however, is not a country of change.  This letter pointed out that Maria’s wages were not L1, 13s. 4d. a month, but L1, 13s. 4d. a month plus her board and lodging, and that consequently, in lieu of a month’s notice, Maria demanded L1, 13s. 4d. plus the value of a month’s keep.

There was more in this letter than met the eye of Mrs Garlick.  Young Lawton’s offices were cleaned by a certain old woman; this old woman had a nephew; this nephew was a warehouseman at the Mayor’s works, and lived up in Toft End, and at least twice every day he passed by Mrs Garlick’s house.  He was a respectful worshipper of Maria’s, and it had been exclusively on his account that Maria had insisted on changing the historic curtains.  Nobody else of the slightest importance ever passed in front of the house, for important people have long since ceased to live at Toft End.  The subtle flattering of an unspoken love had impelled Maria to leave her situation rather than countenance soiled curtains.  She could not bear that the warehouseman should suspect her of tolerating even the semblances of dirt.  She had permitted the warehouseman to hear the facts of her departure from Mrs Garlick’s.  The warehouseman was nobly indignant, advising an action for assault and battery.  Through his aunt’s legal relations Maria had been brought into contact with the law, and, while putting aside as inadvisable an action for assault and battery, the lawyer had counselled a just demand for more money.  Hence the letter.

Mrs Garlick called at Lawton’s office, and, Mr Lawton being out, she told an office-boy to tell him with her compliments that she should not pay.

Then the County Court bailiff paid her a visit, and left with her a blue summons for L2, 8s., being four weeks of twelve shillings each.

Many house-mistresses in Bursley sympathized with Mrs Garlick when she fought this monstrous claim.  She fought it gaily, with the aid of a solicitor.  She might have won it, if the County Court Judge had not happened to be in one of his peculiar moods—­one of those moods in which he felt himself bound to be original at all costs.  He delivered a judgment sympathizing with domestic servants in general, and with Maria in particular.  It was a lively trial.  That night the Signal was very interesting.  When Mrs Garlick had finished with the action she had two and threepence change out of a five-pound note.