"IT is too bad, Rachael, to put me to all this trouble; and you knowI can hardly hold up my head!"
Thus spoke Mrs. Smith, in a peevish voice, to a quiet-lookingdomestic, who had been called up from the kitchen to supply someunimportant omission in the breakfast-table arrangement.
Rachael looked hurt and rebuked, but made no reply.
"How could you speak in that way to Rachael?" said Mr. Smith, assoon as the domestic had withdrawn.
"If you felt just as I do, Mr. Smith, you would speak cross too!"Mrs. Smith replied a little warmly. "I feel just like a rag; and myhead aches as if it would burst."
"I know you feel badly, and I am very sorry for you. But still, Isuppose it is as easy to speak kindly as harshly. Rachael is veryobliging and attentive, and should be borne with in occasionalomissions, which you of course know are not wilful."
"It is easy enough to preach," retorted Mrs. Smith, whose temper,from bodily lassitude and pain, was in quite an irritable state. Thereader will understand at least one of the reasons of this, when heis told that the scene here presented occurred during the lastoppressive week in August.
Mr. Smith said no more. He saw that to do so would only be toprovoke instead of quieting his wife's ill-humour. The morning mealwent by in silence, but little food passing the lips of either. Howcould it, when the thermometer was ninety-four at eight o'clock inthe morning, and the leaves upon the trees were as motionless as ifsuspended in a vacuum? Bodies and minds were relaxed--and the oneturned from food, as the other did from thought, with an instinctiveaversion.
After Mr. Smith had left his home for his place of business, Mrs.Smith went up into her chamber, and threw herself upon the bed, herhead still continuing to ache with great violence. It so happenedthat a week before, the chambermaid had gone away, sick, and all theduties of the household had in consequence devolved upon Rachael,herself not very well. Cheerfully, however, had she endeavoured todischarge these accumulated duties, and but for the unhappy, peevishstate of mind in which Mrs. Smith indulged, would have dischargedthem without a murmuring thought. But, as she was a faithful,conscientious woman, and, withal, sensitive in her feelings, to befound fault with worried her exceedingly. Of this Mrs. Smith waswell aware, and had, until the latter part of the trying month ofAugust, acted toward Rachael with consideration and forbearance. Butthe last week of August was too much for her. The sickness of thechambermaid threw such heavy duties upon Rachael, whose dailyheadaches and nervous relaxation of body were borne without acomplaint, that their perfect performance was almost impossible.Slight omissions, which were next to unavoidable under thecircumstances, became so annoying to Mrs. Smith, herself, as it hasbeen seen, labouring under great bodily and mental prostration, thatshe could not bear them.
"She knows better, and she could do better, if she chose," was herrather uncharitable comment often inwardly made on the occurrence ofsome new trouble.
After Mr. Smith had taken his departure on the morning just referredto, Mrs. Smith went up into her chamber, as has been seen, and threwherself languidly upon a bed, pressing her hands to her throbbingtemples, as she did so, and murmuring,
"I can't live at this rate!"
At the same time, Rachael set down in the kitchen the large waiterupon which she had arranged the dishes from the breakfast-table, andthen sinking into a chair, pressed one hand upon her forehead, andsat for more than a minute in troubled silence. It had been threedays since she had received from Mrs. Smith a pleasant word; and thelast remark, made to her a short time before, had been the unkindestof all. At another time, even all this would not have moved her--shecould have perceived that Mrs. S. was not in a right state--thatlassitude of body had produced a temporary infirmity of mind. But,being herself affected by the oppressive season almost as much asher mistress, she could not make these allowances. While stillseated, the chamber-bell was rung with a quick, startling jerk.
"What next?" peevishly ejaculated Rachael, and then slowly proceededto obey the summons.
"How could you leave my chamber in such a condition as this?" wasthe salutation that met her ear, as she entered the presence of Mrs.Smith, who, half raised upon the bed, and leaning upon her hand,looked the very personification of languor, peevishness, andill-humour. "You had plenty of time while we were eating breakfastto have put things a little to rights!"
To this Rachael made no reply, but turned away and went back intothe kitchen. She had scarcely reached that spot, before the bellrang again, louder and quicker than before; but she did not answerit. In about three minutes it was jerked with an energy that snappedthe wire, but Rachael was immovable. Five minutes elapsed, and thenMrs. Smith, fully aroused from the lethargy that had stolen overher, came down with a quick, firm step.
"What's the reason you didn't answer my bell? say!" she asked, in anexcited voice.
Rachael did not reply.
"Do you hear me?"
Rachael had never been so treated before; she had lived with Mrs.Smith for three years, and had rarely been found fault with. She hadbeen too strict in regard to the performance of her duty to leavemuch room for even a more exacting mistress to find fault; but now,to be overtasked and sick, and to be chidden, rebuked, and evenangrily assailed, was more than she could well bear. She did notsuffer herself to speak for some moments, and then her voicetrembled, and the tears came out upon her cheeks.
"I wish you to get another in my place. I find I don't suit you. Mytime will be up day after tomorrow."
"Very well," was Mrs. Smith's firm reply, as she turned away, andleft the kitchen.
Here was trouble in good earnest. Often and often had Mrs. Smithsaid, during the past two or three years--"What should I do withoutRachael?" And now she had given notice that she was going to leaveher, and under circumstances which made pride forbid a request tostay. Determined to act out her part of the business with firmnessand decision, she dressed herself and went out, hot and oppressiveas it was, and took her way to an intelligence office, where shepaid the required fee and directed a cook and chambermaid to be sentto her. On the next morning, about ten o'clock, an Irish girl cameand offered herself as a cook, and was, after sundry questions andanswers, engaged. So soon as this negotiation was settled, Rachaelretired from the kitchen, leaving the new-comer in full possession.In half an hour after she received her wages, and left, in no veryhappy frame of mind, a home that had been for three years, untilwithin a few days, a pleasant one. As for Mrs. Smith, she was readyto go to bed sick; but this was impracticable. Nancy, the new cook,had expressly stipulated that she was to have no duties unconnectedwith the kitchen. The consequence was, that notwithstanding thethermometer ranged above ninety, and the atmosphere remained assultry as air from a heated oven, Mrs. Smith was compelled toarrange her chamber and parlours. By the time this was done, she wasin a condition to go to bed, and lie until dinner-time.
The arrival of this important period brought new troubles andvexations. Dinner was late by forty minutes, and then came on thetable in a most abominable condition. A fine sirloin was burnt to acrisp. The tomatoes were smoked, and the potatoes watery. As if thiswas not enough to mar the pleasure of the dinner hour for a hungryhusband, Mrs. Smith added thereto a distressed countenance anddiscouraging complaints. Nancy was grumbled at and scolded everytime she had occasion to appear in the room, and her single attemptto excuse herself on account of not understanding the cook-stove,was met by, "Do hush, will you! I'm out of all patience!"
As to the latter part of the sentence, that was a needless waste ofwords. The condition of mind she described was fully apparent.
About three o'clock in the afternoon, just as Mrs. Smith had found atemporary relief from a troubled mind, and a most intolerableheadache, in sleep, a tap on the chamber-door awoke her, and therestood Nancy, all equipped for going out.
"I find I won't suit you, ma'am," said Nancy, "and so you must lookout for another girl."
Having said this, she turned away and took her departure, leavingMrs. Smith in a state of mind, as it is said, "more easily imaginedthan described."
"Oh dear! what shall I do?" at length broke from her lips, as sheburst into tears, and burying her face in the pillow, sobbed aloud.Already she had repented of her fretfulness and fault-findingtemper, as displayed toward Rachael, and could she have made a trucewith pride, or silenced its whispers, would have sent for herwell-tried domestic, and endeavoured to make all fair with heragain. But, under the circumstances, this was now impossible. Whileyet undetermined how to act, the street-bell rung, and she wascompelled to attend the door, as she was now alone in the house. Shefound, on opening it, a rough-looking country girl, who asked if shewere the lady who wanted a chambermaid. Any kind of help was betterthan none at all, and so Mrs. Smith asked the young woman to walkin. In treating with her in regard to her qualifications for thesituation she applied for, she discovered that she knew "almostnothing at all about any thing." The stipulation that she was to bea doer-of-all-work-in-general, until a cook could be obtained, wasreadily agreed to, and then she was shown to her room in the attic,where she prepared herself for entering upon her duties.
"Will you please, ma'am, show me what you want me to do?" asked thenew help, presenting herself before Mrs. Smith.
"Go into the kitchen, Ellen, and see that the fire is made. I'll bedown there presently."
To be compelled to see after a new and ignorant servant, and directher in every thing, just at so trying a season of the year, andwhile her mind was "all out of sorts," was a severe task for poorMrs. Smith. She found that Ellen, as she had too good reason forbelieving, was totally unacquainted with kitchen-work. She did noteven know how to kindle a coal fire; nor could she manage the stoveafter Mrs. Smith had made the fire for her. All this did not in anyway tend to make her less unhappy or more patient than before. Onretiring for the night she had a high fever, which continuedunabated until morning, when her husband found her really ill; somuch so as to make the attendance of a doctor necessary.
A change in the air had taken place during the night, and thetemperature had fallen many degrees. This aided the efforts of thephysician, and enabled him so to adapt his remedies as to speedilybreak the fever. But the ignorance and awkwardness of Ellen,apparent in her attempts to arrange her bed and chamber, so worriedher mind, that she was near relapsing into her former feverish andexcited state. The attendance of an elder maiden sister was just intime. All care was taken from her thoughts, and she had a chance ofrecovering a more healthy tone of mind and body. During the nextweek, she knew little or nothing of how matters were progressing outof her own chamber. A new cook had been hired, of whom she waspleased to hear good accounts, although she had not seen her; andEllen, under the mild and judicious instruction of her sister, hadlearned to make up a bed neatly, to sweep, and dust in true style,and to perform all the little etceteras of chamber-work, greatly toher satisfaction. She was, likewise, good-tempered, willing, and toall appearance strictly trustworthy.
One morning, about a week after she had become too ill to keep up,she found herself so far recovered as to be able to go down stairsto breakfast. Every thing upon the table she found arranged in theneatest style. The food was well cooked, especially some tender ricecakes, of which she was very fond.
"Really, these are delicious!" said she, as the finely flavouredcakes almost melted in her mouth. "And this coffee is just thething! How fortunate we have been to obtain so good a cook! I wasafraid we should never be able to replace Rachael. But even she isequalled, if not surpassed."
"Still she does not surpass Rachael," said Mr. Smith, a littlegravely. "Rachael was a treasure."
"Indeed she was. And I have been sorry enough I ever let her go,"returned Mrs. Smith.
At that moment the new cook entered with a plate of warm cakes.
"Rachael!" ejaculated Mrs. Smith, letting her knife and fork fall."How do you do? I am glad to see you! Welcome home again!"
As she spoke quickly and earnestly, she held out her hand, andgrasped that of her old domestic warmly. Rachael could not speak,but as she left the room she put her apron to her eyes. Hers werenot the only one's dim with rising moisture.
For at least a year to come both Mrs. Smith and her excellent cookwill have no cause to complain of each other. How they will getalong during the last week of next August we cannot say, but hopethe lesson they have both received will teach them to bear andforbear.
THE END.
* * * * * * * * * * * *