The Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush — John Shaqi
The Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. YellowplushThackeray, William Makepeace
General
The Memoirs of Mr. Charles J. Yellowplush
Thackeray, William Makepeace
Didactic fiction; England -- Fiction; Household employees -- Fiction; Humorous stories; Master and servant -- Fiction
Well, this Miss Jemima lived with her younger and more fortnat sister,
in the qualaty of companion, or toddy. Poar thing! I'd a soon be a gally
slave, as lead the life she did! Every body in the house despised her;
her ladyship insulted her; the very kitching gals scorned and flouted
her. She roat the notes, she kep the bills, she made the tea, she
whipped the chocklate, she cleaned the canary birds, and gev out the
linning for the wash. She was my lady's walking pocket, or rettycule;
and fetched and carried her handkercher, or her smell-bottle, like a
well-bred spaniel. All night, at her ladyship's swarries, she thumped
kidrills (nobody ever thought of asking HER to dance!); when Miss
Griffing sung, she played the piano, and was scolded because the singer
was out of tune; abommanating dogs, she never drove out without her
ladyship's puddle in her lap; and, reglarly unwell in a carriage, she
never got anything but the back seat. Poar Jemima! I can see her now
in my lady's SECKND-BEST old clothes (the ladies'-maids always got the
prime leavings): a liloc sattn gown, crumpled, blotched, and greasy; a
pair of white sattn shoes, of the color of Inger rubber; a faded yellow
velvet hat, with a wreath of hartifishl flowers run to sead, and a bird
of Parrowdice perched on the top of it, melumcolly and moulting, with
only a couple of feathers left in his unfortunate tail.
Besides this ornyment to their saloon, Lady and Miss Griffin kept a
number of other servants in the kitching; 2 ladies'-maids; 2 footmin,
six feet high each, crimson coats, goold knots, and white cassymear
pantyloons; a coachmin to match; a page: and a Shassure, a kind
of servant only known among forriners, and who looks more like a
major-general than any other mortial, wearing a cock-hat, a unicorn
covered with silver lace, mustashos, eplets, and a sword by his side.
All these to wait upon two ladies; not counting a host of the fair sex,
such as cooks, scullion, housekeepers, and so forth.
My Lady Griffin's lodging was at forty pound a week, in a grand sweet
of rooms in the Plas Vandome at Paris. And, having thus described their
house, and their servants' hall, I may give a few words of description
concerning the ladies themselves.
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