Home Scenes and Home Influence; a series of tales and sketchesArthur, T. S. (Timothy Shay)
General
Home Scenes and Home Influence; a series of tales and sketches
Arthur, T. S. (Timothy Shay)
Didactic fiction; Domestic fiction; Family life -- Fiction; Marriage -- Fiction
"It's the cream, ma'am, as I said. Here's the milk." And she
presented two vessels.
Mrs. Jones took both from her hands with an ill-natured jerk. Sure
enough, it was as the girl had said.
"Such cream!" fell from the lips of our hostess, as she commenced
pouring it into the cups already filled with tea.
The girl went down-stairs to take back the milk she had brought up,
but she was scarcely at the bottom of the stairs, when the bell was
rung for her.
"Why don't you stay here? What are you running off about?" said Mrs.
Jones, as she came in hurriedly. "You know I want you to wait on the
table."
And so it was during the whole meal. The girl was not once spoken to
except in a tone of anger or offensive authority.
I was no longer surprised that Mrs. Jones found it difficult to keep
good domestics, for no one of feeling can long remain with a woman
who speaks to them always in a tone of command, or who reproves them
in the presence of visitors.
My husband was very severe upon Mrs. Jones after we returned home.
"No lady," said he, "ever spoke in anger or reproof to a domestic
before a visitor or stranger. Nothing more surely evinces a vulgar
and unfeeling mind."
I did not attempt to gainsay his remark, for he expressed but my own
sentiment. So far from uttering a reproof in the presence of a
visitor, I am careful not to speak to my domestics about any fault
even in the presence of my husband. They have a certain respect for
themselves, and a certain delicacy of feeling, which we should
rather encourage than break down. Nearly all domestics are careful
to appear as well as possible in the eyes of the head of the family,
and it hurts them exceedingly to be reproved, or angrily spoken to,
before him. This every woman ought to know by instinct, and those
who do not are just so far deficient in the aggregate of qualities
that go to make up the true lady.
I was by no means surprised to hear from Mrs. Jones, a few days
afterwards, that the "good-for-nothing creature" who waited upon the
table on the occasion of our taking tea at her house, had gone away
and left her. I thought better of the girl for having the spirit to
resent, in this way, the outrage committed upon her feelings.
Domestics have rights and feelings; and if people were to regard
these more, and treat them with greater kindness and consideration
than they do, there would be fewer complaints than there are at
present. This is my opinion, and I must be pardoned for expressing
it.
HAVEN'T THE CHANGE.
IT was house-cleaning time, and I had an old coloured woman at work
scrubbing and cleaning paint.
"Polly is going, ma'am," said one of my domestics, as the twilight
began to fall.
"Very well. Tell her that I shall want her tomorrow."
"I think she would like to have her money for to-day's work," said
the girl.
I took out my purse, and found that I had nothing in it less than a
three-dollar bill.
"How much does she have a day?"
"Six shillings, ma'am."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account