"If cleaning your shoes be menial, brushing your hair must be royal," she added.
Hesper's heart was touched; and if at the same time her self was flattered, the flattery was mingled with its best antidote—love.
"Do you really mean," she said, "you would not mind doing such things for me?—Of course I should not be exacting."
She laughed again, afraid of showing herself too much in earnest before she was sure of Mary.
"You would not ask me to do anything menial ?" said Mary, archly.
"I dare not promise," said Hesper, in tone responsive. "How could I help it, if I saw you longing to do what I was longing to have you do?" she added, growing more and more natural.
"I would no more mind cleaning your boots than my own," said Mary.
"But I should not like to clean my own boots," rejoined Hesper.
"No more should I, except it had to be done. Even then I would much rather not," returned Mary, "for cleaning my own would not interest me. To clean yours would. Still I would rather not, for the time might be put to better use—except always it were necessary, and then, of course, it couldn't. But as to anything degrading in it, I scorn the idea. I heard my father once say that, to look down on those who have to do such things may be to despise them for just the one honorable thing about them.—Shall I tell you what I understand by the word menial ? You know it has come to have a disagreeable taste about it, though at first it only meant, as you say, something that fell to the duty of attendants."
"Do tell me," answered Hesper, with careless permission.