Chapter VI: Kate's Sunday Out

IT was late on the following morning when Mrs. Maybrick made her appearance. Sarah had taken her breakfast upstairs, but she said to Kate afterwards, "It will be your work to carry breakfasts to bedrooms when they are wanted, but mistress wished me to do it this time, you being a new comer. She seems rather taken with you, for she said to me, 'The new housemaid is one of the neatest looking girls I have seen for a long time.'"

Kate was glad that she had made a good impression, and later on, Mrs. Maybrick meeting her on the landing said a few careless words to her.

"Sarah will show you where things are, and tell you how the work has always been divvied between her and the housemaid. If there is anything special you want to ask about, such as you might want to come to me for, you may see nurse. She will tell you as well as I can, or perhaps better."

Before Kate had time to say a word, Mrs. Maybrick had swept past her and was going down to her carriage, which had already been waiting for nearly an hour on the drive.

From Sarah, Kate heard all about the establishment.

There were really six female servants, though only four slept in the house. Two young girls, the coachman's daughters, filled the places of kitchen-maid and under-nurse, but went home at nights. The latter carried up the nursery meals, and was entirely under the orders of the head-nurse, a good, trustworthy woman, as Sarah acknowledged.

"Mrs. Maybrick does not spend much time with the children. She 'calls on them' in a morning, and sometimes besides. She buys them lots of finery, though the eldest is but six and the other three are younger, and she is very proud of their prettiness, for they are darling little things.

"However, she does what is next best to looking after them herself, she gives them somebody that does, for Mrs. Ashley is a real good woman, and no children are better cared for. All the washing is done out."

Kate's looks seemed to say that there must be little for the servants to do, and Sarah read the expression.

"I daresay you are thinking that we have easy times, but don't you run away with that notion. When a house is crammed with gimcracks till you can hardly turn, there's work enough for one keeping them dusted. Then there's no order. No two days' dinner at the same time, and no knowing when breakfast can be cleared away, whether Mrs. Maybrick will have it upstairs or down, or at what time one will get to bed.

"The master lunches in the city, but mostly dines at home, and we seldom miss having some company on a Sunday. That is why we only get one out in three."

"But don't the master and mistress go to church, or anywhere on Sundays?" asked Kate.

"Sometimes, but quite 'unregular,' like everything else here," said Sarah.

"And I suppose you do not have family prayers, or on other Sundays a chance of going to a place of worship if you want to, just once, I mean, and nowhere else?" said Kate.

"Well, you are a queer one!" exclaimed Sarah, wiping her eyes after a hearty fit of laughter. "Why, I thought it was because you had too many prayers and too much church-going that you left your last place. Fanny Ellis said so. And here the first thing you ask about is whether you can get out once on Sunday just for church, and if we have prayers in the house? I'm sorry for you, but you'll have to do without family Bible reading and every week church-going, and when your Sunday out comes, I fancy you will be glad enough to get as much pleasure out of it as you can."

Kate's face flushed as she listened to Sarah's bantering remarks, but she did not answer sharply as she at first felt tempted to do. She found courage to say, "I am afraid I was very foolish, and did not know how to value all the privileges I had and the kindness I received in my last place.

"I did not like the notion of being forced to go to a place of worship, but I never thought of that until Fanny put it into my head, and I shall miss my old quiet Sundays very much, I am sure. It seems a dreadful long time to wait three weeks for a chance of going, but I do not think I shall stay away when I get one."

This conversation was repeated to Fanny Ellis by Sarah at the first opportunity, and the two girls laughed over it together.

"I told you she was just as weak as water," said Fanny. "You may turn her round your fingers. Before I went to Heyington, she was as meek as a mouse, and did not know she was being treated like a baby till I showed her the leading-strings. Then she turned straight round and fell in with everything I said. She got notice through it, and as I had, in a way, drawn her into a scrape, I thought I must get her out of it. Now she is in another place, she will have to shift for herself."

"She seems likely to shift round again to her old ways. Just what might be expected from her sort. Give her plenty of a thing, and she does not want it. Take it from her, and she cries after it. However, her Sunday out can never be mine, thank goodness! So she will not be in my way."

"Nor in mine," said Fanny, with a laugh.

"Why, I reckoned your Sunday and hers would come together. They ought to do."

"But I've changed with cook."

"What have you done that for?" asked Sarah, seeing a meaning look on Fanny's face.

The latter laughed, coloured, and then replied, "Well, if you must know why, I am managing to have my day different from Kate's, it is because two's company and three's none."

"Oh, you sly thing! Tell me all about it this minute," said Sarah.

And the two became at once so deeply interested in giving and receiving confidences, that they forgot Kate altogether for the time.

The three weeks came to an end at last, and Kate was free to make what use she chose of the day of rest. Never in her life had she so felt the need of it. The days had gone quickly enough, though the working hours had been much longer in her new place than they used to be at Heyington.

Her life was such an unrestful one now. Want of regularity in the domestic arrangements increased the work, and Kate found that there was indeed a vast difference between the effect of the pure country air and the smoke-laden atmosphere of Manchester, both upon clothing and furniture. She desired to be as neat in the city as she had been in the village, and to keep everything in a state of spotless cleanliness. But to do this, she had to change her gowns oftener, and to work harder.

She had always been used to put in a stitch in time. Now she found it difficult to secure a few moments for this purpose until bedtime, and then was often too tired to do it. These three weeks had shown her that the extra wages would barely meet the increased wear and tear of clothes, and that she might give up the hope of doing more for her mother out of her earnings.

Kate had some sources of comfort, however.

The children were getting better. There was no gap in the little flock at home. Friends and neighbours had been good and hopeful, Mrs. Bateson had increased her aid according to the special need for it, and there was every prospect that this season of trouble would be tided over better than could have been expected.

Kate wept over the letter, written this time in her mother's unscholarly hand, but doubly precious because it was her very own. And from her heart, she echoed the words,—

"I do believe that Mrs. Bateson is one of the best and dearest ladies
in the world. May God bless her and pay her back, is my daily prayer."

Kate was glad to know too that Mrs. Maybrick was satisfied with the way in which she did her work. Ashley, the head-nurse, told her this, and said that her mistress had noticed how orderly she was, and how thoroughly she performed her duties. She hoped she would be strong enough for the place.

"Did Mrs. Maybrick say that you were to tell me she was pleased?" asked Kate, with a brightening face.

"No," replied the nurse, "but I thought you would like to know how she spoke about you. The mistress seldom does praise a girl to her face. I believe she is afraid it might make her think too much of herself, or want higher wages, or something."

Kate's countenance fell a little at this; so different again from Mrs. Bateson, who was ever on the look out for something to praise, and whose encouraging words had many a time cheered the girl on to new efforts in the right direction.

These occasional visits to the nursery were Kate's greatest comfort, for Ashley was a motherly woman, and strove to say a word in season to the lonely girl.

Then the pretty children reminded her of those at Heyington, whom she had dearly loved, and of the small flock in her humble home. There might be little else in common, but there were dear child faces in hall and cottage, and in Kate's memory pictures, they gathered in one group.

The girl had never felt so lonely. Sarah troubled herself little about her, except to joke her about carrying such a long face; Fanny Ellis was too much occupied by her own private affairs to care whether Kate was or was not happy. The cook was devoted to her art, elated with success, and very grumpy if anything went wrong. Dinners and dishes were the only subjects she cared to talk of, and Kate could only listen patiently when she chose to speak of these. Out of doors she knew no one.

On that first Sunday morning out, she hesitated which way to go, but she was quite resolved that it should be to some place of worship, and following a stream of people evidently bent on a similar errand, she soon found herself once more joining in prayer and praise as a member of a Christian congregation.

Oh the comfort, rest, peace it gave her to enjoy again the Sabbath blessings to which she had been accustomed, though without realising all she would lose if deprived of them. Words in the lessons, psalms, and from the preacher's lips seemed meant expressly for her, and she listened as if she could not bear to lose one.

To the surprise of her fellow-servants, she went back to the house, had her dinner with them, and took her share of waiting at lunch time.

"You need not have come in at all till ten o'clock," said Sarah, astonished at seeing Kate in the middle of the day.

"I knew that, but where could I go? I have no relations in Manchester," replied Kate.

"There are places enough for walking in and plenty to see for a country girl like you even on Sundays, though shops are shut. Before your next day out, you must let me contrive for you.

"I dare say you will not mind about going out this afternoon, and if so, may be you will take my—not work—it would only be answering the door if anybody came," suggested Sarah.

"I am going out again, Sarah. I need all I can get, seeing I have but one Sunday in three," returned Kate.

She did not say what it was she needed, neither did her companion guess, but replied, "That is right enough, and I don't blame you. I only wonder at your coming in now."

If she had followed Kate, she would have seen her at the door of the same church she attended in the morning, hoping for an afternoon service. There was none, however, but the person of whom she inquired told her there was a Bible-class for grown-up people, open to all comers, and she could attend that if she liked, and he would show her the room where it was held.

Kate thanked him and gladly took her place amongst a number of others, and thus spent a profitable hour. At the close, the teacher, a grey-haired lady, said a few kind words to the stranger, and asked her to come again.

Kate explained that she could only be present every third Sunday.

"Come when you can then," said the lady. "You will always be welcome." And she shook hands with the girl and bade her "good-bye for the present."

Ah! It was like Heyington days to see that kind face and listen to the sweet messages telling of God's love in Christ Jesus, of the blood that cleanseth from all sin, and of the blessed Spirit who shows the sinner his need, and then bids him find enough to satisfy his longing soul in the Saviour, the Lamb provided by God Himself.

Again Kate walked homeward, taking a little longer road, for the sake of quiet thought out of doors. There was no refuge for her within, for cook's custom was always to spend the early Sunday afternoons on her bed, in the large attic shared by the three, and only to rise in time to prepare the late dinner. No quiet little nest of a room in which Kate might think, read, or pray.

"But God is everywhere," she said to herself, with a joyful heart. "And God's true servants are alike everywhere too, for that dear lady at the Bible-class spoke and looked with a loving tone and a face that just put me in mind of my dear good mistress at Heyington."

Kate sighed at the memory, but rejoiced that she had been guided to this little haven of rest and of Christian communion and sympathy. The girl was indeed right. One and the same spirit animates God's true people wherever they are found, and they are ever mindful of the commandment, "That he who loveth God, love his brother also."

Evening saw Kate again amongst the greater gathering of worshippers, and saying to herself, "At my old place I could only go once to church, and I sometimes thought that once too often. Now, I am so glad to be here as frequently as I can, for this Sunday's service will have to last me for three whole weeks."

But even Sarah could not help noticing that night what a much brighter look there was on Kate's face, though she would never have guessed what brought it there.

Far from it. She thought to herself, "Quiet as Kate is, she has picked up some acquaintance or other. She said something about a Bible-class to nurse, and by all accounts Sunday schools and such like are not so bad for making friends at.

"I remember an old mistress of mine that would not let a young servant go to a Sunday-school when the parson asked her, and said, * 'Such schools are only meeting places for lads and lasses.' And the parson took it in real good part and said, 'Don't you think they had better meet there, as teachers and scholars, than in the streets, low places of amusement, or the public-house?' He got over the old lady with that quite nicely.

"Well, if Kate has picked up a young man, I'll get it out of her. Let me alone for ferreting out a secret."

* Quite true.

If Sarah could have seen the face of the grey-haired lady, Kate's new acquaintance, she would have been surprised.