The Daily Governess; Or, Self-Dependence

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. LUCY'S TRIALS BEGIN BETIMES. Poor Lucy Blair's damp feet and wet garments had, however, not escaped the notice of Hannah, the schoolroom maid, who was very vain, envious, and ill-tempered; and, who being always much better dressed than Miss Blair, felt very angry at having to wait upon her, and at the involuntary deference inspired in her own heart, in spite of herself, by Lucy's gentle dignity of manner. Hannah was a smart, neat-looking girl, who would have been pretty, but for a nosewhich Jeames, the handsome footman, and professed wit of the servants' hall, had said was a hook, only the hook was turned the wrong way?up instead of down; and who had cherry lips, but more like the stick of cherries sold at the stalls, than the twin cherries to which ladies' lips are so often compared. Now, Jeames, who was, or who pretended to be, a great connoisseur in female beauty, had been heard to declare that Our daily governess was prettier than any girl at the Queen's last Drawing Room, or in 'the Gardens, ' on Sunday, where Jeames, with a number of his fellows, (congregated outside), had criticised every haughty darne and tripping miss, who little dreamt of the severe scrutiny bestowed in such a quarter on her person, her dress, and even her walk. Jeames's admiration of our governess had put the finishing stroke to Hannah's hatred of that young lady, particularly when, Vol. i. c coming down one day to dinner with a very gay cap, and ridiculing the plain attire of poor Lucy, Jeames set the table in a roar by observing, That some had all their bows about their ears, and some had them all dangling about their tails. Upon which Mr. Malmsey had remarked, That if he, ' Jeames, ' presumed to allude to Miss Blair, that young lady was no f...