"I will show it to you now, because I have time."
I really had not time to look at it, as any one of common powers of observation would have seen; but, as she was my superior officer, I followed her without further remark.
As she passed through the prison, and saw the men at work, she gave me another illustration of her luminous capacity by remarking,—
"You must be careful and not let your women get with the men."
"Yes, ma'am."
She took me up the sixth flight of stairs into the roof of the prison, into a room where the receiving officer packs away the clothing that he takes off the convicts when they come into the prison. After showing me the dust on the floor, and cobwebs on the walls, she said,—
"You had better send one of your women up to clean it. I always begin at the top when I clean house."
"I don't see how I can spare one to-day. If the Deputy will send me in one to do it, I will do my best to oversee it. But you see how inconvenient that will be, it is so far up here, and there is so much going on in the kitchen."
"It won't be much to clean this."
I thought, but did not say it, it might appear differently to you if you were to do it. I should consider it a good day's work for two strong women.