III

A few days later Constance was arranging the more precious of her wedding presents in the parlour; some had to be wrapped in tissue and in brown paper and then tied with string and labelled; others had special cases of their own, leather without and velvet within.  Among the latter was the resplendent egg-stand holding twelve silver-gilt egg-cups and twelve chased spoons to match, presented by Aunt Harriet.  In the Five Towns’ phrase, ’it must have cost money.’  Even if Mr. and Mrs. Povey had ten guests or ten children, and all the twelve of them were simultaneously gripped by a desire to eat eggs at breakfast or tea—­even in this remote contingency Aunt Harriet would have been pained to see the egg-stand in use; such treasures are not designed for use.  The presents, few in number, were mainly of this character, because, owing to her mother’s heroic cession of the entire interior, Constance already possessed every necessary.  The fewness of the presents was accounted for by the fact that the wedding had been strictly private and had taken place at Axe.  There is nothing like secrecy in marriage for discouraging the generous impulses of one’s friends.  It was Mrs. Baines, abetted by both the chief parties, who had decided that the wedding should be private and secluded.  Sophia’s wedding had been altogether too private and secluded; but the casting of a veil over Constance’s (whose union was irreproachable) somehow justified, after the event, the circumstances of Sophia’s, indicating as it did that Mrs. Baines believed in secret weddings on principle.  In such matters Mrs. Baines was capable of extraordinary subtlety.

And while Constance was thus taking her wedding presents with due seriousness, Maggie was cleaning the steps that led from the pavement of King Street to the side-door, and the door was ajar.  It was a fine June morning.

Suddenly, over the sound of scouring, Constance heard a dog’s low growl and then the hoarse voice of a man: 

“Mester in, wench?”

“Happen he is, happen he isn’t,” came Maggie’s answer.  She had no fancy for being called wench.

Constance went to the door, not merely from curiosity, but from a feeling that her authority and her responsibilities as house-mistress extended to the pavement surrounding the house.

The famous James Boon, of Buck Row, the greatest dog-fancier in the Five Towns, stood at the bottom of the steps:  a tall, fat man, clad in stiff, stained brown and smoking a black clay pipe less than three inches long.  Behind him attended two bull-dogs.

“Morning, missis!” cried Boon, cheerfully.  “I’ve heerd tell as th’ mister is looking out for a dog, as you might say.”

“I don’t stay here with them animals a-sniffing at me—­no, that I don’t!” observed Maggie, picking herself up.

“Is he?” Constance hesitated.  She knew that Samuel had vaguely referred to dogs; she had not, however, imagined that he regarded a dog as aught but a beautiful dream.  No dog had ever put paw into that house, and it seemed impossible that one should ever do so.  As for those beasts of prey on the pavement ...!