The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties (Volume 3 of 5)Burney, Fanny
History
The Wanderer; or, Female Difficulties (Volume 3 of 5)
Burney, Fanny
France -- History -- Revolution, 1789-1799 -- Refugees -- Fiction; Historical fiction; Refugees -- Fiction; War stories
The only, as well as immediate notion that occurred to her, in this new
difficulty, was to apply to Mrs Hart, who seemed kind as well as civil,
for employment.
When she was summoned, therefore, by Miss Matson, with surprize and
authority, back to the shop, she returned equipped for going abroad;
and, after thanking her for the essay which she had permitted to be made
in the millinery-business, declared that she found herself utterly unfit
for so active and so public a line of life.
Leaving then Miss Matson, Flora, and the young journey-women to their
astonishment, she bent her course to the house of Mrs Hart; where her
application was happily successful. Mrs Hart had work of importance just
ordered for a great wedding in the neighbourhood, and was glad to engage
so expert a hand for the occasion; agreeing to allow, in return, bed,
board, and a small stipend per day.
With infinite relief, Juliet went back to make her little preparations,
and take leave of Miss Matson; by whom she was now followed to her room,
with many earnest instances that she would relinquish her design. Miss
Matson, in unison with the very common character to which she belonged,
had appreciated Juliet not by her worth, her talents, or her labours,
but by her avowed distress, and acknowledged poverty. Notwithstanding,
therefore, her abilities and her industry, she had been uniformly
considered as a dead weight to the business, and to the house. But now,
when it appeared that the pennyless young woman had some other resource,
the eyes of Miss Matson were suddenly opened to merits to which she had
hitherto been blind. She felt all the advantages which the shop would
lose by the departure of such an assistant; and recollected the many
useful hints, in fashion and in elegance, which had been derived from
her taste and fancy: her exemplary diligence in work; her gentle
quietness of behaviour; and the numberless customers, which the various
reports that were spread of her history, had drawn to the shop. All,
now, however, was unavailing; the remembrance of what was over occurred
too late to change the plan of Juliet; though a kinder appreciation of
her character and services, while she was employed, might have engaged
her to try some other method of getting rid of the libertine Baronet.
Miss Matson then admonished her not to lose, at least, the benefit of
her premium.
'What premium?' cried Juliet.
'Why that Sir Jaspar paid down for you.'
Juliet, astonished, now learnt, that her admission as an inmate of the
shop, which she had imagined due to the gossipping verbal influence of
Miss Bydel, was the result of the far more substantial money-mediation
of Sir Jaspar.
She felt warmly grateful for his benevolence; yet wounded, in reflecting
upon his doubts whether she deserved it; and confounded to owe another,
and so heavy an obligation, to an utter stranger.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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