_WHAT A BIT OF SOAP DID._
MRS. HALLOWELL was quite satisfied with Rhoda's way of "taking hold."
Rhoda's work was to set and wait on the table, to take care of the
dishes, to dust and once or twice a week to sweep the library and
school-room, and to attend to the door. She found it very easy and
not at all disagreeable; but all her philosophy could not prevent her
eyes from filling sometimes, when she heard the girls practising or
saw them tripping into the school-room with their books at the time of
morning prayer. It was hard to dust and arrange the piano and organ and
never touch the keys, but she had laid down a rigid rule for herself
in that matter, and adhered to it. She did venture to ask for a book
to read; and once, when Miss Hardy spoke to her in passing through the
dining-room, she preferred another petition.
"How do you like your place, Rhoda? Do you feel at home?"
"Oh yes, ma'am; I like it very much."
"Mrs. Marshall said you spoke about having something to read. Miss
Adams has the charge of the books, and will let you have anything you
like. Is there anything else?"
"If you please, Miss Hardy, if I might come in to prayers," said Rhoda,
with a little hesitation; "I generally have my work done by that time,
and it would seem more like home."
"Certainly you can come," said Miss Hardy. "I am glad you spoke of it."
And thenceforth Rhoda joined the rest of the family at prayers, just as
if—so Hetty said—she felt herself as good as anybody.
Hester and Rhoda did not get on very well together. Hester had been
somewhat affronted, in the first place, by Rhoda's preferring "a little
hole," as she said, to a room with her. Then, Rhoda had not been
disposed to encourage the flood of gossip which Hetty poured forth
concerning the teachers, the girls, and the neighbours. Then, Rhoda
preferred sitting in her own room and reading or studying when her work
was done to strolling about the streets. She went once or twice when
Hester asked her to go shopping, and even went into a saloon and got
some ice cream, but the third time she declined.
"You needn't be afraid," said Hetty. "Ayers's is a very nice place.
Miss Hardy goes there herself and lets the girls go."
"Yes, I know, and see how much money they spend! Miss Sellers must get
rid of as much as a dollar a week there, I should think."
"Well, what of it? Her family is rich, and she has lots of money."
"And I haven't lots of money nor any family," said Rhoda; "and what
little I have I want to save for a special purpose. That is one reason
why I don't like to go shopping. I see things that take my fancy, and
am tempted to spend a quarter here and ten cents there for what I don't
need at all. And 'that's the way the money goes,' you know."
"Oh, well, if you are such a miser, there's no more to be said; only
I'm thankful I'm not."
"I don't think I am a miser, Hetty; but I am saving money for a special
reason."
Then, Rhoda did not show a proper spirit, in Hetty's opinion. She was
always ready to do all sorts of odd jobs, and seemed ambitious of
accomplishing rather more than her allotted task.
"Let me do that," she said, one day, to Mrs. Hallowell, who was washing
the urn and other silver at breakfast. "I am used to it. I took care of
all the silver at Mrs. Ferrand's, and they used a great deal."
"I shall be glad if you will," answered Mrs. Hallowell.
And thenceforth Rhoda had the care of the silver.
"More fool you!" said Hetty. "Now you will have to do it all the time."
"That is just what I want," said Rhoda as she lifted the urn to put it
away.
"Oh yes, no doubt," said Hetty, sarcastically, to Aunt Sarah, a very
efficient and intelligent coloured woman, who was filling the place of
cook for the present. "She just wants to get the blind side of Miss
Hardy: that's what she wants, with her work and reading and going to
prayers."
"She'll be smart if she does," remarked Aunt Sarah. "I've been working
for Miss Hardy off and on a good many years, and I never found out that
she had any 'blind side.' If you mean that she wants to please Miss
Hardy, I guess you are right, and I guess she'll make it out. That's
the kind Miss Hardy likes, you see. You'd better be taking pattern by
her than finding fault with her, my girl."
Hetty twisted her head and said she "wasn't going to be a slave to
nobody."
"You won't be a slave, nor nothing else," declared Sarah, "not if you
don't mend your ways. I never did see a young gal with such slomiking
ways, never. Down goes everything just where you happen to be, and
there you leave it. I'd like to know how long that old petticoat
of yours has been lying on the stairs, and this morning I found a
hairbrush right on the top step. You'll have somebody's life to answer
for some day, you'll see."
The time flew quickly, as it generally does with busy people; and there
remained only a few days to the end of school.
"Well, Rhoda, I believe I have provided a home for you during
vacation," said Miss Hardy, calling Rhoda into her room one evening.
"Mrs. Elsmore, the doctor's wife, is going to take a cottage at Cape
May for the season, and she wants a girl to take care of little Harry.
It will be an easy place; for Harry is a good little fellow, and Mrs.
Elsmore is a very pleasant woman. Do you think you would like to go?
Say just what you think."
"I should like it ever so much," said Rhoda, with sparkling eyes. "I
love children, and I always did want to see the ocean."
"You don't ask anything about the wages," said Miss Hardy, smiling.
"I thought you would settle that," answered Rhoda. "I shouldn't know
how much I ought to ask."
"You must learn to be a woman of business. Mrs. Elsmore will give you
two dollars a week. It that enough?"
"Oh yes, ma'am, plenty."
"You must make yourself a bathing-dress and get all the good out of it
you can," remarked Miss Hardy. "Would you like to take something to
read?"
"Yes, ma'am. I should like to take the first volume of 'The Pictorial
History of England,' if you have no objection."
"Certainly I have not. Take two volumes if you like. You seem to be
fond of solid reading."
"I can't say I am so very fond of it," answered Rhoda, candidly, "but
I don't have much time, and I want to improve myself. I think history
is rather horrid and disgusting a great many times, but I suppose one
needs to know it, especially—I beg your pardon, ma'am," said Rhoda,
becoming conscious that she was, as Mr. Ferrand would have said,
"getting out of her station."
"For thinking history horrid? You need not do that, for I think so
myself," said Miss Hardy, smiling. "Well, especially what?"
"Especially if one is thinking of teaching, I was going to say,"
answered Rhoda.
"You are right, Rhoda. Teachers are too apt to be deficient in general
knowledge. They know their own special branches, and often very little
beyond them; and I am afraid the same is true of many school-girls."
"I am sure it is so with Miss Isa," Rhoda ventured to say. "Her father
never lets her read an amusing book—not even a magazine—for fear of
dissipating her mind. Have you heard from her lately, Miss Hardy?"
"Not very lately. Her mother wrote that she was taking music and French
lessons from very superior masters. I am afraid she works too hard."
"Indeed she does, Miss Hardy," said Rhoda; "and the mischief is she
works all the time. She never has any real amusement or any time for
idleness. I never see our young ladies going out with the boat or
botanizing but I wish Miss Isa was with them. I know she will break
down some day, and have fits or something. I like work as well as
anybody, but I think idleness is very nice sometimes."
"Not only nice, but necessary. Well, Rhoda, I am glad you like my
arrangements for you."
"That girl has an uncommon mind," observed Mrs. Marshall, who had been
busy writing, but who had a way of seeing and hearing everything. "She
ought to be doing something better than waiting on the table."
"I am thinking about her case," replied Miss Hardy. "I almost wish I
had set her to teaching the little ones when she first came. She has
very nice manners."
But Rhoda was not destined to see Cape May or to use her new
bathing-suit this season. School had closed with the usual exercises,
and all the scholars had gone. Hester had secured a place in a hotel at
Cape May, much to her own delight. The teachers had gone their several
ways, including Mrs. Marshall, who had set out for a visit to her only
sister, in California; and the day came when the house was to be locked
up and left to its own devices, and to the gambols of the mice and the
centipedes.
"We will just go over the house once more," said Miss Hardy to Rhoda.
"Then Aunt Sarah can close the shutters and lock up."
The survey was nearly completed. Miss Hardy had gone through to one of
the back staircases, with which the old house was very well provided,
when Rhoda, who had lingered a moment in the painting-room, heard a
heavy fall. Both Sarah and herself rushed to the spot, to find Miss
Hardy lying at the bottom of the stairs, with one leg doubled under
her, pale as death, and unable to rise, but, as usual, quite collected
and composed.
"I believe I have broken my leg," said she. "I can't move in the least.
I slipped on something that lay on the top stair and fell all the way
down. Run and bring Doctor Elsmore, Rhoda; and, Sarah, call James to
help you and get me on the drawing-room sofa. That is the nearest
place."
When Rhoda came back with the doctor, she found Miss Hardy on the sofa,
and Sarah standing over her loosening her dress.
"It's all that Hester," said she, indignantly, "just going and leaving
a piece of soap on the stairs, of all places in the world."
"She ought to be whipped, or any one else who leaves things on stairs,"
said the doctor. "One of the loveliest wives and mothers I ever knew
was killed by just such a piece of careless stupidity. It was well this
was no worse."
The leg was set and Miss Hardy made as comfortable as circumstances
admitted, and then arose the question of what was to be done. Aunt
Sarah would stay and do the work, but who was to wait on Miss Hardy?
"I shall, of course," said Rhoda, quietly—"that is, if Mrs. Elsmore
will release me. I dare say she can find somebody to fill my place
easily enough."
"More easily than Miss Hardy can, I dare say. Mrs. Elsmore is a
reasonable woman, and won't stand in the way," said the doctor. "But,
my girl, you are young. Do you think you are competent to nurse a woman
with a broken leg?"
"I think so, doctor, with Aunt Sarah's help," answered Rhoda, modestly.
"I have had a good deal of experience at nursing, and under a
professional nurse. I took most of the care of Miss Brown when she had
her broken leg; and when I don't know what to do, I can always ask, you
know."
"Can you? Well, perhaps you can. I have known people that couldn't.
Miss Hardy, I don't think you can do better than to accept this young
woman's offer."
"But it will be such a great disappointment to you, Rhoda," said Miss
Hardy. "I know you wished to go to Cape May, and I am afraid it won't
be very pleasant for you in this great, shut up house with no company."
"Aunt Hannah used to say 'It isn't pleasant' was no reason at all,"
said Rhoda. "I think I ought to stay, Miss Hardy."
"Aunt Hannah is a sensible woman, as I should expect an Aunt Hannah
to be," said the doctor. "But there must be no talking, or we shall
have our patient in a fever. I think we had better consider the matter
settled, Miss Hardy."