Summary

In “A Memoir, Remembered”, the first person narrator, Ida Pantenza, learned that the renovations to turn Mr. Bevel’s mansion into a museum were complete. She had avoided passing by her former employer’s home in the past, but she was intrigued by the idea of reentering the mansion to read the Bevels’ private documents, which were now available to the public. When she was in her early twenties, Ida travelled to Manhattan to interview at Exchange Place, for a secretary position. She knew that her father, an Italian typesetter and anarchist, would not approve of her vocational choice. While she did not want to invoke his icy frustration, the job offered an ample salary, and the family was well overdue on rent. After interviewing with Mr. Bevel, Ida was offered a job as his personal secretary and stenographer. He told Ida...