It is a good thing my aunt Harriet died years ago.If she were alive
today she would not be able to air her views on her favourite topic
of conversation:domestic servant.Aunt Harriet lived in that leisurely
age when servants were employed to do housework.She had a huge,
rambling country house called"The Gables".She was sentimentally
attached to this house,for even though it was far too big for her needs,
she persisted in living there long after her hus.band's death.Before she
grew old,Aunt Harriet used to entertain lavishly.I often visited The Gables
when I was a boy.No matter how many guests were present,the great house
was always immaculate.The parquet floors shone like mirrors;highly polished
silver was displayed in gleaming glass cabinets;even my uncle's huge collection
of boos was kept miraculously free from dust.Aunt Harriet presided over an
invisible army of servants that continuously scrubbed,cleaned,and polished.
She always referred to them as"the shifting population",for they came and
went with such frequency that I never got a chance to learn their names.
Though my aunt pursued what was,in those days,an enlightened policy,
in that she never allowed her domestic staff to work more than eight hours
a day,she was extremely difficult to please.While she always criticized the
the fickleness of human nature,she carried on an unrelenting search for the
ideal servant to the end of her days,even she had been sadly disillusioned by
Bessie.
Bessie worked for Aunt Harriet for three years.During that time she so grained
my aunt's confidence,that she was put in charge of the domestic staff.Aunt Harriet
could not find words to praise Bessie's industriousness and efficiency.In addition
to all her other qualification,Bessie was an expert cook.She acted the role the
perfect servant for three years before Aunt Harriet discovered her'little weakness'.
After being absent from The Gables for a week,my aunt unexpectedly returned
on afternoon with a party of guests and instructed Bessie to prepare dinner.Not
only was the meal well below the usual standard,but Bessie seemed unable to
walk steadily.She bumped int to furniture and kept mumbling about the guests.
When she came in with the last course-a huge pudding-she tripped on the carpet
and the pudding went flying through the air,narrowly missed my aunt,and crashed
on the dining table with considerable force.Though this caused great mirth among
the guests,Aunt Harriet was horrified.She reluctantly came to conclusion that Bessie
was drunk.The guests had,of course,realized this from the moment Bessie opened
the door for them and,long before the final catastrophe,had had a difficult time trying
to conceal their amusement.The poor girl was dismissed instantly.After her departure,
Aunt Harriet discovered that there were piles of empty wine bottles of all shapes and
sizes nearly stacked in what had once been Bessie's wardrobe.They had mysteriously
found their way there from the wine cellar!