The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1884-01-02
INTERESTING STORY.
THE lLF-CASTE.
AN OLD GovERnEss's TALE
FOUNDED ON FACT.
ny MISS MuLocK

~ niiSo MO LONAs
I'VE know what we are, but we
quantity clever niece and name-child,
Cassia a great reader and quoter of
Shakespeare, would say. And truly,
who could have thought that /, a plain
g0verness. should in my old age have
become writer. Yet | cannot invent
a plot-l must write nothing but truth.
Here l pause. recollecting painfully
that in my first sentence L have sinned
against truth by emitting Cassia my
niece and name-child, when, strictly
speaking. she is neither the one nor the
other. She is no blood-relation at all,
and my own name happens to be Cas-
sandra. | always disliked it heartily
until Mr.. Sutherland called me- But
forgot that must explain little.
Mr.. Sutherland was--no, thank IIeav-
enl-is, a very good man; a friend of
my late father, and of the same bust
ness-an Indian merchant. When in
my twenty-fifth year my dear father
died, and we were ruined-a quiet way
of expressing this, but in time one
learns to speak so quietly of every pang
MIR. Sutherland was very kind to my
mother and to me. | remember, as
though it were yesterday, one day,
when he sat with us in our little parlor,
and hearing my mother calling me
Cassie, said laughingly that always
put him in mind of certain Indian
spice. I'm fact, he added, looking af-
fectionately at my dear, gentle, little
mother, and approvingly-yes, it was
approvingly. at me-''in fact, think
cit ht.C -.
the center, might be likened to myrrh,
aloes, and cassia." One similitude was
untrue; for he was not bitter but
''sweet rs summer" However, from
that time he always called me Cassia.
rather like the name, and latterly it
was very kind of him To- There
am forestalling my history againl
When | was twenty-five, as | said, |
first went out as governess. This plan
was the result of many consultations
between my mother and myself A
hard thing was my leaving home; but |
found | could thereby earn a larger and
more regular salary, part of which be-
ing put by, would sometime enable me
to live altogether with my mother.
Such were her plannings and hopes for
the future. As for my own-Buti it
is idle to dwell upon things so long
"
to the same at the end of life.
1t was through Mr.. Sutherland that |
got my first situation. He wrote my
mother hurried letter, saying he had
arranged for me to enter family con-
cerning whom he would explain before
my departure. But something him
dered his coming; it was a public meet
ing, | remember; for, though still a
young man. he was held in much honor
among the city merchants, and knew
the affairs of India well, from early res
idence there. OF course, having these
duties to fulfill, it was natural he
should not recolleet my departure; so |
started without seeing him, and with
out knowing more of my future abode
than its name, and that of my employ
er. 1T was Yorkshire village, and the
gentleman whose family | was going to
was Mr.. lie Peer.
My long journey was dreary-God
knows how dreary! in youth one suffers
so much; and parting from my mother
was any time a sufficient grief. In
those days railways were not numer-
Gus, and | had to journey good way
by coach. About eleven at night |
found myself at my destination. AT
the door maid-servant appeared: no
one else: it was scarcely to be expected
by 1.-THE goyerness.n This was new
and sad coming homen to me. | was
shown 10 my bedroom, hearing, as |
passed the landing, much rustling of
dresses and 'squitling'' away of little
feet q ought to apologize for that odd
expression, which | think | learned
when was quite a child. and used to
go angling with my father and Mr..
Sutherland. 1t means scattering off
in all directions. as shoal of minnows
do when you throw pebble among
them.) asked If the family were gone
to bed, and was Informed mo- so ar
ranged my dress and went downstairs,
unconsciously treasured by the fact
that the house was neither so large nor
so aristocratic as my very liberal salary
had inclined me to expect.
WHO shall | say. MISS" asked the
rather untidy servant. meeting me in
the lobby, and staring with all her eyes,
as if a stranger were some rare sight.
Miss Pryor | said. thinking re-
gretfully that | should be henceforth
that, and not "Cassia;n and seeing the
maid still stared, | added, with an
effort: II am the new governess.
So under that double announcement
appeared at the parlor-door. The
room was rather dark there were two
candles; but one had been extin-
guished, and was being hurriedly re-
lighted as | entered, AT first saw
nothing clearly: then perceived lit
tie pale lady sitting at one end of the
table, and two half-grown up girls,
dressed in going-out-to-tea costume,
seated primly together on the sofa.
There was third; but she vanished out
of one door as entered the other. rgI
miss Pryor, + believer" said timid
voice-so timid that | could hardly be-
lieve that it was lady addressing her
governess. | glanced at her: she was
little woman with pale hair and light
eyes - frightened-looking eyes = that
just rose and fell in a minute. | said
II was Miss Pryor, and concluded | adj
dressed Mrs. LIE Poer." She answered,
Yes, yes" and held out, hesitatingly,
a thin, cold, bird-like hand, which /
took rather warmly than otherwise; for
felt really sorry for her evident ner-
vousness. 1t seemed so strange for
anybody to be afraid of me. MY
daughters, Miss Pryor" she then said,
in a louder tone. Whereupon the two
girls rose. courtesied, blushed-seem-
ingly more from awkwardness than
modesty-and sat down again. shook
hands with both, trying to take the in
itiative, and make myself sociable and
at home--a difficult matter, my position
feeling much like that of a fly in an ice
house.
"These are my pupils, then?" said 1,
cheerfully. (which is Miss ZillahY'--
for / remembered Mr.. Sutherland had
mentioned that name in his letter, and
its popularity naturally struck me.
The mother and daughters looked
rather blankly at each other; and the
former said: This is Miss LIE Poer
and Miss Matilda--Zillah is not in the
room at present"
"Oh. third sister?" / observed.
NO" rather pertly answered Miss
LIE Poer; "Zill is not onr sister at all,
but only sort of distant relation of
pas, whom he is very kind to and
maintains at his own expense, and who
mends our stockings and brushes our
hair of nights, and whom we are very
kind to Also"
.'Oh, indeed'' was all said In reply
to this running stream of very provin-
cially-spOken and unpunctuated Eng
lish. | was rather puzzled, too, for If
my memory was correct-and general
lv remembered Mr.. Sutherland's letters