Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1879-09-03
As a Communion TO a Lady.

As a Companion to Lady.
"Pm sorry, miss, but I'm only a poor
woman myself, and as you can't pay the rent
of this room, | can't see as you can afford 10
pay the rent of the one up stairs"
Here my landlady rubbed her nose upon
her apron and stared straight out of the very
dirty window.
As this was evidently challenge to me to
reply, said, as firmly as | could, few
words which brought out the reason for the
woman's visit that morning.
Gam to understand, then, that you wish
me TO leave ?"
"1f you please, MISS at the end of the
week, for there's the gent on the first floor
would like to have this bedroom"
Very well, then, Mrs. Ruddock," | said,
al will find room elsewhere"
Thanky, miss" she said sharply and
giving her nose another vicious rub, she left
me TO my thoughts-and my tears.
For | was weary, faint and heart-sick
the coins in my purse had dwindled down
so that if did not succeed in obtaining an
engagement in very few days, / had no
resource but to creep back to the country
and avoid my failure.
just three months since, and we were all
so happy in the little country vicarage and
then, in visiting one of his people, my poor
father caught dangerous fever, while in
tending him my dear mother was stricken
with the same complaint, and ere three
weeks had passed, Minna and sat in the
study alone, in deep black for the struggle
had been brief, and those we loved lay to.
gether in the green churchyard, and we were
only intruders now in the little vicarage
that had been our home.
We were nearly penniless, too, but a
brother clergyman of my fathers, quite as
poor, came forward and offered us tempo
rary home till, as he said, some opening
should occur to us.
Igladly accepted it for Minna but for
myself / was determined to try London,
and unaided battle for myself. In two
years John Murray was to come back from
Australia to fetch me for his wife, and till
then | would be independent. So the day
came at last when, with many tears, we two
girls had to separate, and with aching heart
left the old Lincolnshire home, aud reached
the great dreary void of London early one
afternoon.
was not long in finding place where
could stay, in the shape of second floor
front room in one OF those heart-aching
streets near the Foundling-streets that
echo from morning till night with mourn.
full cries uttered by venders whose goods it
is impossible to surmise, and with the dis
NAL echoing tones of the various organs
So plaintive were these last to me that often
of an evening when | have returned from a
weary disheartening search for an engage
ment, aud sat alone and hungry, fearing tC
spend my money in anything beyond the
faa md at.l h,,tta htAl I
listed, these doleful strains-cheering, may
be, to some-have had such an effect on me
that have sat and sobbed, till utterly worn
out have fallen asleep to wake perhap;
hours after to find it very late and crawl
shivering off to bed.
As the weeks passed on and my advertise
ment and fees paid to the various registry
offices had been without effect, used tC
crawl back to my room growing more ant
more dishsartened. l was always plain
sallow-looking girl, and now in my fast
wearing black | began to feel thai wa!
day by day growing more shabby and weary
looking, and that my feeble chances of OBJ
tanning post were growing less and less.
| used to sit and ask myself whether
had tried hard aud knew | had, but i
was always the same; noticed a look o
disappointment as soon as ! entered th'
room, for | was neither pretty nor brigh
looking, and my mournful black helped
to sadden the aspect. 1t was always th
same-the lady did not think l should sui
her; and in blank disappointment | had Il
return.
And now it had come to this, that m,
landlady had grown as tired Of Inc as tn
people at the registry offices where | ha'
more than once been told rudely that | wa
not likely to get place as governess o
companion, but had better look lower. Tha
afternoon, evidently suspicious of my abilit,
to pay and perhaps disgusted with my mis-
cradle way Of living, and afraid that shoul,
be left an invalid on her hands, she had
rudely, it seemed--requested me to leave.
lay awake that night for many hour;
watching the light from the street lamp play
ing upon my ceiling and at last, toward
morning, the remembrance of words | ha
often heard came to me with calm sens
of repose, trust and restfulness, and bt
leve fell asleep at last with a smile upo
my lips, repeating portion OF that comfort
ing sentence ending, " Are ye not much bel
ter than they Z"
1t was bright, sunshiny morning whe
| awoke to hear some one knocking at m
door and hurrying on few things,
answered
"Ah was Just a-going to take 'em dow
again" said my landlady, harshly. " Som
folks can afford to lie in bed all day; can
, Here's two letters for you. And mind thi'
Miss Laurie, | never bargained to com
tramping up to the top of the house wit
letters and messages for you"
"Pm very much obliged, Mrs. Ruddock,
said gently, as | took the letters wit
ho 10 ,.tbtI., aud
planning their bearer went down stairs. |
seemed very hard then, but | believe it wa
the woman's habit and that she was not ba
at heart, but warped and cankered by po,
/, erty, hard work and ill-usage from drunke
husband, whom she entirely kept.
One letter l saw at glance was fror
Minna, the other was in a strange, crabbe
hand; aud longed to read them, but exei
cising my self-denial, | dressed, lit my fir
! and prepared my very frugal breakfast b'
! fore devouring Minna's news.
/, What right had to murmur as did las
night, asked myself, when she was ev
: IDENTIFY 80 happy aud contented2 Aud the
, opened with fluttering hand, the othe
letter, and was puzzled by it at first; but a
/, last recalled the fact that three weeks b'
fore | had answered an advertisement i
the Tunes where lady wanted a companion
The note was brief ana curt and ran thus
"If Miss Laurie is not engaged, she ca
call upon Mrs. Langdon Porter, No. AZ Mo
. ton street, Park Villa south, at eleve
' O'Clock to-morrow-Thursday."
I SAT last" | said to myself, jcyfully, an
5 with beating heart l prepared myself fc
4 my journey, Tor the appointment was tina
I morning
Just as had pretty well timed mysel
. for my walk sudden squall came on, tn
: sky was darkened, snow fell heavily, and i
place of morning in spring We seemed I
, have gone back into winter, for the sno'
y lay thickly in very short time, and tn
3 branches OF the trees in the squares wer
Q whitened.
. Weak as was, this disheartened me, bu
: fought my way bravely ON, and just a
eleven rang timidly at the door of an in
portant-lookiug house, and was supercil