Lucy (Chapter_09)

CHAP 9 Take thy sick {pomp?} Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel That thou mayst shake the {suffer--?} to them And show the heavens more just. King Lear

Lucy every day grew worse and worse; the intermissions of fever shorter, until they entirely ceased, and a burning, unremitting fever took place. Few were the alleviations Becky could administer; her tea-canister was now exhausted, and tea of the herbs she gather'd in the woods, the only bevarage she could now afford her poor guest. Richard, would not hire himself by the month, that he might be able of an evening to assist his wife in her house-hold duties and the care of the stranger. Every morning he sallied forth with his wood-saw, and by this gain'd a scanty and precarious supply for the wants of his family. He knew that until congress met, he could not do better; then he was certain of high-wages and full employment as a waiter. Even of corn-meal and herring, he was not always able to carry home a sufficiency, as some portion of his earnings had to be laid out in clothing, and however small his pittance, he never fail'd devoting a part, to buy a little sugar, or wheat bread for the poor invalid. "Something," said Becky to herself one day as she sat by Lucy's bed side, "something must be done for this poor thing, or she will perish.--I never yet begged for myself, but I must go and beg a little doctor's stuff, and something nice for this poor sick {?}." [She then bade her eldest child, to attend to her infant, and to the young lady, and set off on a long walk to see a lady, for whom she had been in the habit of washing. [When she enquired for her, the servant sent her into the kitchen, til the Madam could see her. She was conducted to a large kitchen where there were several servants, very {happy?} in clearing up the things, after a large dinner party they had had the day before. As the company had remain'd til late at night and the servants had been wanted above stairs, the plates, dishes and -?-had been set aside, and they were now washing them. [As Becky, sat by the fire, she could not help watching with wishful eyes, the plates--full of scraps as they call'd them, which they threw in the slop tub-fine slices of ham, large pieces of meat, and poultry and

variety of vegetables, taken by the guests, just tasted perhaps and then the plate changed for some other article, were in one undistinguished heap, consign'd to the slop tub. ["Dear me,", said Becky, "I wonder as how you waste such nice victuals, an't it a pity to throw all that to the cows and dogs?" ["Why who else do you suppose would eat them scraps and leavings on the plates?" ["I shouldn't thinks them any the worse for a gentleman or a lady's having tasted it? ["You, wouldn't," said the Cook with a scornful look, "well, let me tell you, we would"--["Eat the scraps left on the plates indeed!" said a saucy foot-man, "Mistress might see me hang'd first." ["Laws," said a foot-girl, "them there, poor ragamuffin negros," (casting a look at poor Becky's coarse, tho' decent garb,) "has no notions of quality! You don't think now do ye, that the servints of in great houses, live like poor field-negros? if you do you, you'r much mistaken for we think as much of ourselves, as the quality thinks of there selves--dont we Mr Brown?" ["Faith, and so we do, Miss Jenkins, and if some folks, (looking contempteously on Becky), could see our Balls and parties, they'd would know what became as better, than to suppose we would eat other peoples leavings." ["I meant no offence," said Becky meekly--"if you never have been poor, that is no why, you mayn't be so, some dog or other, and then I can tell you you wont throw such things to the dogs." ["Well ma'am-as you seem to fancy them so much, pray help yourself," said the conceited fellow, taking up a great tub of slop and handing it to her, with as obsequious an air, as he would a tray of jellies to a lady.--The cook and scullion roar'd out a laughing,--[Poor Becky rose hastily, and going out, stopped at the foot of the stairs, to wipe her eyes, and tie on her bonnet.--[A very old man, who had been cleaning knives in a corner, without joining his fellow-servants discourse now turn'd angrily round, and holding up his arm in a threatening posture--["you jack-a-napes" said he, "who taught you them their manners

was it in the dirt hovel where you were born and bred, or in the jail, out of which master bought you, that you learn'd such manners? Go, along and take the poor woman up to Mistress, and dare say another saucy word, and you shall feel the weight of this fist, where you don't like." [The foot-man did not dare dispute the orders of this old family servant, who was respected for his grey hairs and faithful services, even by his master and mistress--He found Becky leaning against the foot of the banisters, and in a more civil way, offer'd to show her to his mistress. [The lady of the house was in a back-room crowded with tables, cover'd with elegant china, plates, dishes, cups, and cut-glass that shone like diamonds, heaps of silver spoons, knives and forks, baskets of flowers pyramids of cake and all the splendid ruin and confusion of a grand-dinner. She seem'd sadly out of humour, and did nothing but scold the servants or mutter to herself. ["Make haste I tell you--'am I to stay here all day watching you? I might as well be a slave myself, for all the good you do--not one minute dare I leave you, even if I turn my head round, pop, goes something in your pockets-where are all the spoons?--I tell you there is one missing; one of you have stolen it, and if it is not brought to me, in ten minutes, you shall be well whipped. And where are all the oranges, and grapes, and cakes? you villains, you could'nt bring them from the dining room here; with out stealing one half!" [While she thus rated the poor servants, she was {busily?} collecting all the fragments of cakes, fruit, jellies etc and putting them most carefully away, not an almond, or raison that was on a plate, not even the melted ice cream, was thrown away, --"it would answer she said, as she drain'd all the glasses, in one bowl "it would answer to freeze over again"--The driblets of porter, cider, claret, champagne, madeira etc,et were as carefully collected, and to which even were added the rinsings of the glasses, which she said must be saved for the vinegar barrel

The parsimony of the mistress, amidst such heaps of gold and silver, and china and glass--things more splendid, than Becky had ever conceived, altho' often described by her husband, Amidst such great jars of sweet meats, bottles of wine, barrels of apples and nuts, and a hundred other things, greatly astonish'd her more than the waste, she had seen in the kitchen, yet Becky thought to herself, "sure I have come in a lucky time, and the madam, tho' she does seem so saving won't mind giving me a cup, of something nice to carry to Miss!"--[Still she loiter'd, til the busy lady should have time to notice her, but thinking at last, she had neither seen or heard her on her entrance, she ventured in a low, humble voice to say, ["if Madam would please to give me a little trucks, (meaning medicine) for a poor sick body as lays at my house, I would be mighty obligated." ["I'll give you work, and thats enough; its not my way to encourage idleness and beggary if you can stay and wash up a parcel of table cloths and napkins, you may, and I will pay you, or give you some broken victuals, --but as to supporting beggars, its contrary to my principles"--["Indeed mistress, I would do the work and thank you too, if I could stay from home; but you kind mistress, it would'nt be right to leave a poor creature just nigh to deaths door." I only came to mistress for a little truck, or a little presarves, or the like, to help the poor young lady." ["Nonsence," said the lady, "if she's night death's door, what does she want with preserves? Not a day, not an hour, scarcely, but some vagabond or other is coming after preserves, and nice things, and wine, for some sick body or other; its all an excuse, to stuff the' selves, a parcel of lazy vermin, as they are. The only way to get rid of them is to offer them worth, and thats the resolution I have come to; if honest and industrious, they will be glad of work--and if they will not work, they deserve no relief--so you may go about your business--No worth--no pay"--

Just then the man who had been sent to look for the spoon enter'd, declaring he could not find it. Upon this his mistress flew into a perfect rage--declar'd she would have them all soundly whipped; when turning all at once on poor Becky ["Who knows but you may have stolen it," cried she, "Beggars are generaly thieves," and catching her by the arm, shook her violently, to try if the spoon would fall from her clothes. Becky quickly extricated herself from her grasp, and losing all her timidity and respect, in the indignation of insulted honesty, ["Thief madam!" said she--"I am no more a thief than you are, and as for beggar, I had rather be a beggar than such a hard-hearted woman as you are--So let me go I tell you; Thanks God, I am no slave of yours, and if you go for to strike me, who am as free as your own proud self, I'll have the law of you so I will!" [This was past bearing, the enraged lady thrust poor Becky out of the room, slamb'd the door on her, and told her, if she darken'd her door, another minute, she would send a Constable after her.-It was after her return from this worse than useless expedition, that Richard on his going home, found Becky, sulking and out of humour--He himself, was not in a much better plight, for not one cent had he been paid for his days hard work. Lucy was laying in a kind of stupour; the children had gone supperless to bed; Becky was moping in the chimney corner, when Richard came in with a bundle of faggots, part of which he put on the fire, then hanging up his cap, he drew his seat near to dry his feet. ["And whats the matter now, Mammy," said he "whats put you so out of humour tonight?" ["Matter enough," replied she--"more than any christian soul, can put up with-[It must be a weighty matter indeed then, so do lets hear it" ["To be call'd a thief!--did you ever know as how your wife was a thief?" ["And who call'd you so?" ["Oh some of your grand quality, that you speak up so for--Just becase, I axed for a little help for that poor dying soul there--to be treated