feet, will take no laudanum, and lives in a constant state of terror that is dreadful to behold! He is now come to expect daily, and even hourly, that he shall be carried away; and kept in his room from the time breakfast was over till four o'clock on Sunday last, in spite of repeated messages from Madam, because he was afraid somebody would take possession of his bed, and prevent his lying down on it any more!" A few days previously Lady Hesketh had written to Dr. Willis for the first time since September. She told him, what she indeed thought, that Cowper had no chance either for health or life except by passing some time under his care, and she desired him to inform her whether he had, or was likely to have in the course of the summer, room for the unhappy invalid. To Johnson she said: "The expense of this will, I know, be very great; but I will with pleasure do all in my power to make this easy to him. Of his pension he has not received one farthing, nor is likely to do so before next winter." 195. Hannah's Extravagance. The conduct of Hannah Willson, who, it will be remembered, we took notice of in § 150 as Cowper's second protégéé, likewise added to Lady Hesketh's embarrassments. This girl had for a considerable time been thoroughly spoilt by the foolish partiality of Mrs. Unwin, who, astonishing as it may seem, not only indulged her at home, but paid for her to be sent to a boarding school. Says Teedon in his diary: "July 19 (1792), I went over to Weston, found Hannah better. Madam (Mrs. Unwin) informed me she should send her out for a year and a half." On January 18, 1793, Hannah calls at Teedon's "to take her leave." On September 28th of the same year he writes: "I went and drank tea with the Esq. (Cowper). Mrs. Dumvile, who had been lately at Bedford, told us Hannah could not bare (bear) staying at Bedford, and has sent a letter for the Esq." By and by Hannah returned to Weston, and as Mrs. Unwin grew more feeble, the whole management of the house gradually devolved upon her. Instead, however, of doing as she ought to have done, she neglected her duty, and cultivated extravagant habits in dress, attention to which and writing loveletters took up the greater part of her time. One of Teedon's entries refers to his making "her 12 crowpens ;" and his numerous references to her, and the way he speaks of her, show that she was no unimportant member of Cowper's household. Several of the entries run: "Drank tea with Hannah and Madam" (Mrs. Unwin). Like most spoilt people she was sometimes ill-behaved. "June 24 (1793)," writes Teedon, "Hannah came in very wet from a heavy shower, warmed, dried, &c., and not so much as returned a thank." Under the sway of Hannah everything at the Lodge had long been going to rack and ruin, and even Lady Hesketh, when she arrived in November, 1793, was able to effect but little reformation. Her ladyship thus writes to Mr. Johnson on May 5, 1794: "Hannah's amazing extravagance has not cost less than one hundred and fifty pounds since last July! What can become of our poor cousin, sick or well, if All in she is to go on in this manner I cannot guess. my power I have done to put some stop to such shameful proceedings, but in vain: the boarding school has finished what Mrs. Unwin's absurd, unpardonable indulgence had begun, and what is to become of her I know not! She literally does nothing but walk about, and dress herself, and write love-letters. If you saw her sweep the village with muslin dresses of twelve shillings a yard, and feathers a yard long, you would really think it was some duchess. I have told her that the daughter of a man of five thousand pounds a year would not be allowed to dress as she does; and when one considers that all this finery is to dine in the kitchen, it makes one sick. She certainly looks very elegant and showy, and as Mrs. Unwin does not restrain her, I wonder not at the girl." Further on she says of Cowper: "All he is worth in the world would not half keep Hannah, taking finery and idleness into the account, for she puts out all her clothes and linen to be mended, as well as made. I am sure she is a singular instance of foolish fondness; and now Mrs. Unwin lies in bed till past one, this girl never attends her in her room, or does the least thing for her in return for all her indulgence!" It was indeed high time some altogether fresh move should be made, for on the 17th of the previous month Mrs. Unwin had had another attack. "It affected her face and voice only. She is a dreadful spectacle," continues Lady Hesketh; " yet within these two days she has made our wretched cousin drag her round the garden; though even Samuel can scarce support her." Part of the time she could spare from the invalids, Lady Hesketh spent in the pleasing task of arranging and putting into books the various letters that Cowper had written to her. Mr. Johnson arrived at the Lodge in the month of July, and very soon came to the conclusion that things could go on as they were no longer. He then set about the very difficult task of persuading Cowper and Mrs. Unwin to return with him to Norfolk. To the great joy of both himself and Lady Hesketh he succeeded; and he at once commenced to make arrangements for the proposed change. CHAPTER XXIV. IN NORFOLK. (July, 1795-April 25, 1800.) 196. The Journey into Norfolk. W HEN it was proposed that a removal should be made, neither Cowper nor his friends thought of anything further than a temporary absence. Had, indeed, a final separation from Weston been suggested it is doubtful whether either Cowper or Mrs. Unwin could have been persuaded to move, and as it was, Mr. Johnson was not at all certain whether even when the journey was begun they might not insist upon turning back. Cowper, however, had a presentiment that he should never return, and on a panel of the window-shutter in his bedchamber-a room that overlooked his garden -he wrote, unknown to any one at the time, the following lines: 66 Farewell, dear scenes, for ever closed to me; with two dates below, written thus : "July 22. - 28, 1795." |