“The tradesmen? People who keep retail shops.”
“In the small interior towns many of them have achieved sufficient prosperity and leisure, and they are very keen about it. But in the large towns it is usually the wealthier class that goes in for it; the families of business and professional men, successful on a large scale.”
And then I saw the lilies.
I must tell you that Mrs. Van Worden often goes into the kitchen and sits in a rocking chair by the window and talks to Mrs. Opp, and that sometimes, when the men are out, she invites her into the living-room. It appears that unless these people were treated with a certain amount of consideration they would not remain. A city servant is a servant, but in the country they appear to have studied the Declaration of Independence, and doubtless they all know that Abraham Lincoln’s sister “lived out.” Mrs. Opp is quite insensible of her noble blood but she is as proud as Lucifer all the same, and because her untainted Americanism teaches her that she is “as good as anybody.” She is willing to work for hire and envies no one, but the slightest display of “airs,” an unthinking snub, and she would pack her bundle and march over the mountain with a majesty the self-conscious American of high degree never will achieve. It is truly delightful and I love her. I often go out and sit in the rocker and watch her great bulk move lightly about the exquisite kitchen, and listen to her kindly drawl emphasised by little gracious bends of the head. She tells me the gossip of the mountains, and alluded the other day to the cook at Boulder Lake as “a lovely woman.” I told her about Jemima, and she said:
“Poor child. I guess she was right, but she didn’t know how to take it. Of course you folks nat’rally wants ter eat with yourselves, and the hired help as is used to farms and little country towns don’t just see how it is at first. Different people has different ways and all we ask up here is to be treated right, we don’t expect the hull earth. I’ve always knowed that, because I’ve lived so much to hotels, but Jemima, I guess she’s pretty green yet.”
When I told her about Jemima wanting to see “a dook,” she laughed heartily.
“Well, I guess I’d like to see one, myself,” she admitted, “not that I’d expect them to be so different from other folks, but just because I’ve read so much about ’em. That’s it. That’s it. I’m glad he’s gittin’ on so nice. He had orter drink plenty of milk.”
Curiously enough, that evening I received a letter from Bertie saying that another “eminent doctor” had put him on a milk diet and promised him complete health in one year if he would be faithful to it and the Adirondacks for that period.
“Its beastly uninteresting diet, Nell, and required all the will I’ve got to make up my mind to it,” he wrote; “but I want to get back to England and be alive once more, so I’ve plunged in—literally enough. I’ve leased an Inn on one of the big public lakes from October till June, so we’ll have a big old-fashioned house, they tell me, and not a care, for the proprietor will ‘run it.’ Rogers has promised to come up twice a month and I have written to Nugent and asked him to come often and bring all the friends he likes. I fancy from your letters that I should like the men—and women—over there better than these—Rogers excepted. I believe he is in love with you, Nell, and so is Nugent; but you mustn’t marry an American. By the way Roddy Spencer is coming over here—wrote me to expect him any day, and that he’d look me up at once. He has just succeeded—old Landsburghe died last month, and left Roddy all his personal property. That must amount to three or four hundred thousand and with the estates will set up Roddy as well as he could wish—and his debts must have been a pretty penny.”
I shall be rather glad to see Roddy. He was always with Bertie when they were boys, but I have not seen much of him of late years. Didn’t he go to South Africa in the hope that Rhodes would put him in the way of making a fortune—after he had loaded himself too heavily with debts to remain in London. I forget the details. The legacy must have been a pleasant surprise, for the old Marquis was very eccentric and had refused to pay his debts. Well, I shall be glad to see him and suppose he is as good looking as ever.