“’Tis just my best and my worst,” she answered, “for I’ve got no other.”

And in truth I found that this young lady had left the paternal mansion with no more clothes of any kind than what she had on.  I immediately gave her money to purchase what was necessary for cleanliness and decency, and set to work with my daughters to make her a gown.  She grinned applause when our labour was completed, but never uttered the slightest expression of gratitude for that, or for any thing else we could do for her.  She was constantly asking us to lend her different articles of dress, and when we declined it, she said, “Well, I never seed such grumpy folks as you be; there is several young ladies of my acquaintance what goes to live out now and then with the old women about the town, and they and their gurls always lends them what they asks for; I guess you Inglish thinks we should poison your things, just as bad as if we was Negurs.”  And here I beg to assure the reader, that whenever I give conversations they were not made A LOISIR, but were written down immediately after they occurred, with all the verbal fidelity my memory permitted.

This young lady left me at the end of two months, because I refused to lend her money enough to buy a silk dress to go to a ball, saying, “Then ’tis not worth my while to stay any longer.”

I cannot imagine it possible that such a state of things can be desirable, or beneficial to any of the parties concerned.  I might occupy a hundred pages on the subject, and yet fail to give an adequate idea of the sore, angry, ever wakeful pride that seemed to torment these poor wretches.  In many of them it was so excessive, that all feeling of displeasure, or even of ridicule, was lost in pity.  One of these was a pretty girl, whose natural disposition must have been gentle and kind; but her good feelings were soured, and her gentleness turned to morbid sensitiveness, by having heard a thousand and a thousand times that she was as good as any other lady, that all men were equal, and women too, and that it was a sin and a shame for a free-born American to be treated like a servant.

When she found she was to dine in the kitchen, she turned up her pretty lip, and said, “I guess that’s ’cause you don’t think I’m good enough to eat with you.  You’ll find that won’t do here.”  I found afterwards that she rarely ate any dinner at all, and generally passed the time in tears.  I did every thing in my power to conciliate and make her happy, but I am sure she hated me.  I gave her very high wages, and she staid till she had obtained several expensive articles of dress, and then, un beau matin, she came to me full dressed, and said, “I must go.”  “When shall you return, Charlotte?” “I expect you’ll see no more of me.”  And so we parted.  Her sister was also living with me, but her wardrobe was not yet completed, and she remained some weeks longer, till it was.