A MASQUERADE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12543, 9 April 1904, Page 1 (Supplement)

A MASQUERADE.

[by incog.]

P.ABT V. THE GOOD MISTRESS.

Site was the kindest woman in Ihe world, arid she treated her servants as servants, but as human creatures. Old Dick who worked in the garden, would not. have left, for a pension, and I was as happy as if I were a guest making myself useful. She was very particular, would not leave a particle of dust, would not have an inch of food wasted; but she helped like a Briton. Old Dick told roe that the last girl had been delicate and had a delicate sister. Mrs. Bagehot asked the latter to come for a visit to her sister and made her stay for six months, nursing her health and finally sending her home quite strong and well. "To-morrow we'll turn out the drawingroom, Emma," That "we" does make "a difference. And we turned it out in so thorough a manner that I was ashamed of my own housekeeping. Walls were dusted from ceiling- to floor, curtains taken down and shaken, the door washed with all the woodwork. To me it had all looked perfectly clean. Nor was this a spring-clean-ing. It was only the usual round. We. went through the rooms, cleaning and polishing, every fortnight, besides the usual daily sweeping and dusting. My mistress gave me wrinkles in cooking, too. She was the most economical housekeeper I have ever known. She could make delicious cakes with dripping, and the most, tasty dishes out of a cold joint. " You're looking pale to-day," she said to me. '"I think you had better run into town this afternoon. Walk in and take, the car back. You can do some shopping for me. And when you are dressed come to the sittingroom."

I did, and the kindly soul insisted on my drinking a glass of wine.

" There's your car fare, and don't walk too quickly in."

Then another day, when we had cleaned out a large room, she said to me at dinnertime—we dined at mid-day" you've finished the dishes, Emma, lie down for an hour. There's not much to get ready for tea and I do not. expect visitors. If anyone comes„ I'll open the door." Of course, one could have lain down anyway, but it made all the difference to receive the consideration which thought of it.. It obviated the necessity of jumping up suddenly when steps came near, and of feeling ashamed to be caught idling. Each morning we discussed the dinner. Really, we lived so simply that we knew the day before all about it. But it was a formula never omitted. And Mrs. Bagehot gave me the most detailed instructions, how many potatoes, just how much is'aat, which jam, even which dish. "You don't, have many visitors, Emma!" she remarked. I stammered out something. I was ashamed of deceiving her. She was .so largehearted and unsuspicious. " You may, you know. And if you would like a friend to stay for a while I do not mind. Of course she must help you with your room and the washing and those things, so that you have no more to do." I almost confessed the deception, but I said that my friends were mostly married. I was quite glad to think that I was acting only temporarily during the other girl's illness.-. Mr?. Bagehot wrote to this girl quite regularly, told her not to harry back, that Emma was a good girl but not so particular as she. Maggie told me his. She used to talk of all kinds of things when she was doing any light work where I was. Over her pastry or cakes, which she usually made herself, except those she let. me make—for she said 1 ought to know how to do everything—she used to discuss the news ot the day, ask my opinion about things and generally treat me as an intelligent being. But she was dignified in a pleasant fashion. No girl would have presumed upon her kindliness. Do not think there was ho work to do? There was. She entertained simply, but quite often. She seldom had her spare room untenanted. Often she had more than one guest. But there was a regular round of work to do in the morning, with an hour or two off in the afternoon. There were orders, which were given pleasantly but which wero intended to be obeyed. And the housa was the cleanest I have ever seen, livery cupboard had its regular cleaning, and the mistress seemed to know every board in her house.

.1 stayed here till Maggie came back quitewell again. Then when 1 was leaving, I confessed. Said I really wanted to see what domestic service was like. Mrs. Bagehot was interested.

"It's not really deception," she said, "because you have workedat least while you've been here, I know. And I suppose there's no harm in trying to find out, if ifc is not nierelv idle curiosity. It may do you good in your own home, too, because there is something to learn from everyone. I always think that the average servant girl has the chance of becoming a very good housekeeper, because, if only she is interested, she can pick up so many hints from different mistresses." "Even from incapable mistresses?'' I asked. " Most- certainly; for if only she's honourable, she has the' opportunity of taking the responsibility of managing. That's a very useful experience, but girls do not- often value it. They presume 011 ifc. It is so difficult to get a girl who is in sympathy with her mistress." "You mean—?" "I mean that girls are too apt to take advantage of a weak mistress, that they study their own comfort, and abuse their chances. There are, 1 know, mistresses who do not give any consideration at all to their sen-ants. Weil, of course, they do not. deserve good girls; but, in the average household. the girl may be quite happy if. she will let herself be so. Buthere's my experience —if you want a good servant, give her certain defined duties, give her certain defined time of leisure, and draw the line, not socially of course, but so that she may recognise that in the house you are mistress ana she must dc the work that you appoint to be done. Don't leave things to her discretion. Tell her what you want done. Then see that she does it. Never get into the habit of letting her choose her work. That? fatal. Let her respect you, and respect her yourself." Much more we talked, and Mrs. Bagehot told me that she had always had good servants, that they had all married anil seemed to be good housekeepers, and all professed gratitude for being taught that to do housework happily method is the secret. Anyway, I am convinced that if a girl is willing to please, and will look at things from her mistress' point of view, she will receive consideration. But again; 1 see nothing demeaning in working for another woman. As to the effect on the constitution, which, by the way, includes the temper, the domestic life far and away outshines that in factories and offices, where masters are often many. Of course there are bad mistresses; but then there are bad servants; and the numbei of good, kind , women is larger than we sometimes think.