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257
Cranford
·
Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
217
The
next
morning,
very
early,
I
received
a
note
from
Miss
Pole,
so
mysteriously
wrapped
up,
and
with
so
many
seals
on
it
to
secure
secrecy,
that
I
had
to
tear
the
paper
before
I
could
unfold
it.
And
when
I
came
to
the
writing
I
could
hardly
understand
the
meaning,
it
was
so
involved
and
oracular.
I
made
out,
however,
that
I
was
to
go
to
Miss
Pole’s
at
eleven
o’clock;
the
number
eleven
being
written
in
full
length
as
well
as
in
numerals,
and
A.M.
twice
dashed
under,
as
if
I
were
very
likely
to
come
at
eleven
at
night,
when
all
Cranford
was
usually
abed
and
asleep
by
ten.
There
was
no
signature
except
Miss
Pole’s
initials
reversed,
P.E.;
but
as
Martha
had
given
me
the
note,
“with
Miss
Pole’s
kind
regards,”
it
needed
no
wizard
to
find
out
who
sent
it;
and
if
the
writer’s
name
was
to
be
kept
secret,
it
was
very
well
that
I
was
alone
when
Martha
delivered
it.
I
went
as
requested
to
Miss
Pole’s.
The
door
was
opened
to
me
by
her
little
maid
Lizzy
in
Sunday
trim,
as
if
some
grand
event
was
impending
over
this
work-day.
And
the
drawing-room
upstairs
was
arranged
in
accordance
with
this
idea.
The
table
was
set
out
with
the
best
green
card-cloth,
and
writing
materials
upon
it.
On
the
little
chiffonier
was
a
tray
with
a
newly-decanted
bottle
of
cowslip
wine,
and
some
ladies’-finger
biscuits.
Miss
Pole
herself
was
in
solemn
array,
as
if
to
receive
visitors,
although
it
was
only
eleven
o’clock.
Mrs
Forrester
was
there,
crying
quietly
and
sadly,
and
my
arrival
seemed
only
to
call
forth
fresh
tears.
Before
we
had
finished
our
greetings,
performed
with
lugubrious
mystery
of
demeanour,
there
was
another
rat-tat-tat,
and
Mrs
Fitz-Adam
appeared,
crimson
with
walking
and
excitement.
It
seemed
as
if
this
was
all
the
company
expected;
for
now
Miss
Pole
made
several
demonstrations
of
being
about
to
open
the
business
of
the
meeting,
by
stirring
the
fire,
opening
and
shutting
the
door,
and
coughing
and
blowing
her
nose.
Then
she
arranged
us
all
round
the
table,
taking
care
to
place
me
opposite
to
her;
and
last
of
all,
she
inquired
of
me
if
the
sad
report
was
true,
as
she
feared
it
was,
that
Miss
Matty
had
lost
all
her
fortune?
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