"Millie -- Part 2" by Megaera Callisto Lorenz

Two days later, I received a letter from my cousin, Constance:

My Dearest Henry,

Willie and I are hosting a dance to-morrow night, and you are of course invited.
I know that you find such events vexing, but you really must get out more. There
will be several eligible young ladies present, and I am sure you will have no
trouble finding a dance partner. Please do come.

Your Loving Cousin, Constance

I had always been close to Constance, although of late I found her rather overbearing. She had met Willie and married when she was no more than sixteen, and I eighteen. I was now thirty-five, and still a bachelor. Constance was so fretful of my single life that she might as well have been my mother.

I was racking my brain to devise a suitably convincing “previous engagement” when a sudden inspiration struck me. I leapt to my feet, clapping my hands in delight. “Of course I will come to your dance, dear Constance,” I said to myself. “And I will have no need to seek the attentions of any of those eligible ladies.”

I rushed at once to the house of Dr. Dupris. He welcomed me cordially, and this time Elsie took my coat. She seemed to be in an exceptionally poor mood, and did not greet me with her usual good cheer.

“What is troubling Elsie?” I asked when we were seated in the parlor.

Jonathan shook his head and sighed. “I’m afraid she doesn’t like Millie very well,” he said. “She is rather odd, so I suppose it is only to be expected. And I’m sure Elsie did not appreciate an automaton moving in on her duties in the downstairs parlor!”

I laughed. “How is Millie doing?” I asked him.

“So far as I can tell, quite well,” he replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “She is not one to discuss her feelings much.” Then his eyes lit up again. “But you know, I discovered something quite amazing about her the other day. She senses when she is about to wind down, and she demands to be wound up again! I am quite sure that she would be perfectly capable of keeping herself going forever if she could obtain a copy of the key. I know she is able to wind herself.”

“Where is she now?” I asked, looking around for her. I was somewhat disappointed that she had not already presented herself.

“She is not running at the moment,” said Dr. Dupris. “I built her with a switch that disengages her mechanism, so that she can be switched off at any given moment.”

“Why, that’s capital!” I exclaimed, slapping my knee. “Perhaps I should marry her. I could live with a wife that I could switch off.”

Jonathan laughed uneasily, and then said, “Well, Henry, my boy, I’m afraid she wouldn’t like it much if you made a habit of it.” He shook his head, his brow furrowing with concern. “She was quite upset about it when I went to disengage her to-day. I assured her that it would not be permanent, and that I thought her clockwork needed a rest now and then, but . . .” He shook his head again.

“Will you start her up again?” I pressed eagerly. “I have been dying to speak to her. I must give you credit -- she is quite fascinating!”

“Very well,” he said, raising himself with some reluctance from his comfortable seat. He began to move towards the stairs, and then stopped with one hand on the railing, a thoughtful expression coming over his features. "She can be so very difficult sometimes," he remarked. "Do you know, the other day I found her in the act of completely dismantling a lovely little music-box that I used to keep on the mantlepiece in the guest room. She had all of the little gears and mechanisms spread out before her. I asked her what the devil  she was doing, and she said that she wanted to see how it worked."

I grinned. "Clever old thing, isn't she?" I mused. Jonathan nodded pensively, and then went on his way. I was left alone, rubbing my hands together in anticipation.

In a few moments, I heard footsteps. I stood and watched as Millie walked down the flight of stairs slowly, but with a sure step. Dr. Dupris stood just behind her, watching her carefully. “Very good, my dear,” he assured her. “You’re doing quite well.”

When they had arrived at the bottom of the stairs, Millie approached me, curtseyed, and said, “How do you do, Mr. Kaufmann.”

I clapped with delight. “You really do remember me, then!” I exclaimed. “I am feeling very well, Millie. I came to see you because . . .” I glanced at Jonathan, not knowing how he would react to my proposal. “You see,” I said, now addressing my friend, “I have been invited to a dance, and I wondered if I might take Millie.”

His bushy eyebrows shot up in surprise. “Oh, my dear Henry!” he exclaimed. “I really don’t know that it would be such a good idea to expose her to the public at this point.”

“Come now,” I said, grinning. “She would be such a sensation! It would be wonderful publicity for your presentation. Just a sample, to whet the public appetite . . .”

Jonathan frowned down at his feet, biting his lip. “I’m reluctant, Henry. What if something should go wrong?”

“What could go wrong?” I asked.

“I did not want to expose her at all before my presentation . . .”

During this conversation, Millie had once again lapsed into complete stillness. Now her lovely, dark-haired head turned with a sudden whirr of gears as she fixed her gaze on Jonathan. The bellows hissed quietly, and she said, “You will let me go, Dr. Dupris.”

He met his creation’s stare with a further raising of the eyebrows. “You seem quite eager to go, Millie!” he said.

Millie merely turned her head back to me, blinking slowly. I looked back at Jonathan hopefully.

“Well,” he said grudgingly, “there is no point in arguing with a lady. I suppose she may go. But you will have to bring me along, as well. I want to keep an eye on her.”

I nodded jovially. “Of course, of course!” I replied. “I’m sure Constance would be delighted to have you. The more the merrier, as far as she’s concerned.”