Последний отзыв
Очень интересная!
По всем вопросам обращайтесь на: info@litportal.ru
(©) 2003-2024.
✖
Nobody
Настройки чтения
Размер шрифта
Высота строк
Поля
"I will; but I want to tell you first. She says there is a certainfriend of a friend of hers – a very nice person, a widow lady, who wouldlike to live in the country if she could find a good place; and Mrs.Wishart wants to know, if we would like to have her in our house."
"To board?" cried Madge.
Lois nodded, and watched the faces around her.
"We never did that before," said Madge.
"No. The question is, whether we will do it now."
"Take her to board!" repeated Charity. "It would be a great bother.
What room would you give her?"
"Rooms. She wants two. One for a sitting-room."
"Two! We couldn't, unless we gave her our best parlour, and had nonefor ourselves. That wouldn't do."
"Unless she would pay for it," Lois suggested.
"How much would she pay? Does Mrs. Wishart say?"
"Guess, girls! She would pay – twelve dollars a week."
Charity almost jumped from her chair. Madge stood leaning with herhands upon the table and stared at her sister. Only the old grandmotherwent on now quietly with her knitting. The words were re-echoed by bothsisters.
"Twelve dollars a week! Fifty dollars a month!" cried Madge, andclapped her hands. "We can have bonnets all round; and the hay and theapples won't matter. Fifty dollars a month! Why, Lois! – "
"It would be an awful bother," said Charity.
"Mrs. Wishart says not. At least she says this lady – this Mrs.Barclay – is a delightful person, and we shall like her so much we shallnot mind the trouble. Besides, I do not think it will be so muchtrouble. And we do not use our parlour much. I'll read you the letternow."
So she did; and then followed an eager talk.
"She is a city body, of course. Do you suppose she will be contentedwith our ways of going on?" Charity queried.
"What ways do you mean?"
"Well – will our table suit her?"
"We can make it suit her," said Madge. "Just think – with fifty dollarsa month – "
"But we're not going to keep a cook," Charity went on. "I won't dothat. I can do all the work of the house, but I can't do half of it.And if I do the cooking, I shall do it just as I have always done it. Ican't go to fussing. It'll be country ways she'll be treated to; andthe question is, how she'll like 'em?"
"She can try," said Lois.
"And then, maybe she'll be somebody that'll take airs."
"Perhaps," said Lois, laughing; "but not likely. What if she did,
Charity? That would be her affair."
"It would be my affair to bear it," said Charity grimly.
"Daughters," said Mrs. Armadale gently, "suppose we have some tea."
This suggestion brought all to their bearings. Madge set the tablebriskly, Charity made the tea, Lois cut bread and made toast; andpresently talking and eating went on in the harmonious combinationwhich is so agreeable.
"If she comes," said Lois, "there must be curtains to the parlourwindows. I can make some of chintz, that will look pretty and not costmuch. And there must be a cover for the table."
"Why must there? The table is nice mahogany," said Charity.
"It looks cold and bare so. All tables in use have covers, at Mrs.
Wishart's."
"I don't see any sense in that. What's the good of it?"
"Looks pretty and comfortable."
"That's nothing but a notion. I don't believe in notions. You'll tellme next our steel forks won't do."
"Well, I do tell you that. Certainly they will not do, to a personalways accustomed to silver."
"That's nothing but uppishness, Lois. I can't stand that sort of thing.Steel's just as good as silver, only it don't cost so much; that'sall."
"It don't taste as well."
"You don't need to eat your fork."
"No, but you have to touch your lips to it."
"How does that hurt you, I want to know?"
"It hurts my taste," said Lois; "and so it is uncomfortable. If Mrs.Barclay comes, I should certainly get some plated forks. Half a dozenwould not cost much."
"Mother," said Charity, "speak to Lois! She's getting right worldly, Ithink. Set her right, mother!"
"It is something I don't understand," said the old lady gravely. "Steelforks were good enough for anybody in the land, when I was young. Idon't see, for my part, why they ain't just as good now."
Lois wisely left this question unanswered.
"But you think we ought to let this lady come, mother, don't you?"
"My dear," said Mrs. Armadale, "I think it's a providence!"
"And it won't worry you, grandmother, will it?"
"I hope not. If she's agreeable, she may do us good; and if she'sdisagreeable, we may do her good."
"To board?" cried Madge.
Lois nodded, and watched the faces around her.
"We never did that before," said Madge.
"No. The question is, whether we will do it now."
"Take her to board!" repeated Charity. "It would be a great bother.
What room would you give her?"
"Rooms. She wants two. One for a sitting-room."
"Two! We couldn't, unless we gave her our best parlour, and had nonefor ourselves. That wouldn't do."
"Unless she would pay for it," Lois suggested.
"How much would she pay? Does Mrs. Wishart say?"
"Guess, girls! She would pay – twelve dollars a week."
Charity almost jumped from her chair. Madge stood leaning with herhands upon the table and stared at her sister. Only the old grandmotherwent on now quietly with her knitting. The words were re-echoed by bothsisters.
"Twelve dollars a week! Fifty dollars a month!" cried Madge, andclapped her hands. "We can have bonnets all round; and the hay and theapples won't matter. Fifty dollars a month! Why, Lois! – "
"It would be an awful bother," said Charity.
"Mrs. Wishart says not. At least she says this lady – this Mrs.Barclay – is a delightful person, and we shall like her so much we shallnot mind the trouble. Besides, I do not think it will be so muchtrouble. And we do not use our parlour much. I'll read you the letternow."
So she did; and then followed an eager talk.
"She is a city body, of course. Do you suppose she will be contentedwith our ways of going on?" Charity queried.
"What ways do you mean?"
"Well – will our table suit her?"
"We can make it suit her," said Madge. "Just think – with fifty dollarsa month – "
"But we're not going to keep a cook," Charity went on. "I won't dothat. I can do all the work of the house, but I can't do half of it.And if I do the cooking, I shall do it just as I have always done it. Ican't go to fussing. It'll be country ways she'll be treated to; andthe question is, how she'll like 'em?"
"She can try," said Lois.
"And then, maybe she'll be somebody that'll take airs."
"Perhaps," said Lois, laughing; "but not likely. What if she did,
Charity? That would be her affair."
"It would be my affair to bear it," said Charity grimly.
"Daughters," said Mrs. Armadale gently, "suppose we have some tea."
This suggestion brought all to their bearings. Madge set the tablebriskly, Charity made the tea, Lois cut bread and made toast; andpresently talking and eating went on in the harmonious combinationwhich is so agreeable.
"If she comes," said Lois, "there must be curtains to the parlourwindows. I can make some of chintz, that will look pretty and not costmuch. And there must be a cover for the table."
"Why must there? The table is nice mahogany," said Charity.
"It looks cold and bare so. All tables in use have covers, at Mrs.
Wishart's."
"I don't see any sense in that. What's the good of it?"
"Looks pretty and comfortable."
"That's nothing but a notion. I don't believe in notions. You'll tellme next our steel forks won't do."
"Well, I do tell you that. Certainly they will not do, to a personalways accustomed to silver."
"That's nothing but uppishness, Lois. I can't stand that sort of thing.Steel's just as good as silver, only it don't cost so much; that'sall."
"It don't taste as well."
"You don't need to eat your fork."
"No, but you have to touch your lips to it."
"How does that hurt you, I want to know?"
"It hurts my taste," said Lois; "and so it is uncomfortable. If Mrs.Barclay comes, I should certainly get some plated forks. Half a dozenwould not cost much."
"Mother," said Charity, "speak to Lois! She's getting right worldly, Ithink. Set her right, mother!"
"It is something I don't understand," said the old lady gravely. "Steelforks were good enough for anybody in the land, when I was young. Idon't see, for my part, why they ain't just as good now."
Lois wisely left this question unanswered.
"But you think we ought to let this lady come, mother, don't you?"
"My dear," said Mrs. Armadale, "I think it's a providence!"
"And it won't worry you, grandmother, will it?"
"I hope not. If she's agreeable, she may do us good; and if she'sdisagreeable, we may do her good."
Другие электронные книги автора Susan Warner
Последний отзыв
Очень интересная!