DarqueDante/test2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 74
"I have been a governess for five years," said she, "in the family of
Colonel Spence Munro, but two months ago the colonel received an
appointment at Halifax, in Nova Scotia, and took his children over to
America with him, so that I found myself without a situation. I
advertised, and I answered advertisements, but without success. At
last the little money which I had saved began to run short, and I was
at my wit's end as to what I should do.

"There is a well-known agency for governesses in the West End called
Westaway's, and there I used to call about once a week in order to
see whether anything had turned up which might suit me. Westaway was
the name of the founder of the business, but it is really managed by
Miss Stoper. She sits in her own little office, and the ladies who
are seeking employment wait in an anteroom, and are then shown in one
by one, when she consults her ledgers and sees whether she has
anything which would suit them.

"Well, when I called last week I was shown into the little office as
usual, but I found that Miss Stoper was not alone. A prodigiously
stout man with a very smiling face and a great heavy chin which
rolled down in fold upon fold over his throat sat at her elbow with a
pair of glasses on his nose, looking very earnestly at the ladies who
entered. As I came in he gave quite a jump in his chair and turned
quickly to Miss Stoper.

"'That will do,' said he; 'I could not ask for anything better.
Capital! capital!' He seemed quite enthusiastic and rubbed his hands
together in the most genial fashion. He was such a
comfortable-looking man that it was quite a pleasure to look at him.

"'You are looking for a situation, miss?' he asked.

"'Yes, sir.'

"'As governess?'

"'Yes, sir.'

"'And what salary do you ask?'

"'I had £4 a month in my last place with Colonel Spence Munro.'

"'Oh, tut, tut! sweating--rank sweating!' he cried, throwing his fat
hands out into the air like a man who is in a boiling passion. 'How
could anyone offer so pitiful a sum to a lady with such attractions
and accomplishments?'

"'My accomplishments, sir, may be less than you imagine,' said I. 'A
little French, a little German, music, and drawing--'

"'Tut, tut!' he cried. 'This is all quite beside the question. The
point is, have you or have you not the bearing and deportment of a
lady? There it is in a nutshell. If you have not, you are not fitted
for the rearing of a child who may some day play a considerable part
in the history of the country. But if you have why, then, how could
any gentleman ask you to condescend to accept anything under the
three figures? Your salary with me, madam, would commence at £100 a
year.'

"You may imagine, Mr. Holmes, that to me, destitute as I was, such an
offer seemed almost too good to be true. The gentleman, however,
seeing perhaps the look of incredulity upon my face, opened a
pocket-book and took out a note.

"'It is also my custom,' said he, smiling in the most pleasant
fashion until his eyes were just two little shining slits amid the
white creases of his face, 'to advance to my young ladies half their
salary beforehand, so that they may meet any little expenses of their
journey and their wardrobe.'

"It seemed to me that I had never met so fascinating and so
thoughtful a man. As I was already in debt to my tradesmen, the
advance was a great convenience, and yet there was something
unnatural about the whole transaction which made me wish to know a
little more before I quite committed myself.

"'May I ask where you live, sir?' said I.

"'Hampshire. Charming rural place. The Copper Beeches, five miles on
the far side of Winchester. It is the most lovely country, my dear
young lady, and the dearest old country-house.'

"'And my duties, sir? I should be glad to know what they would be.'

"'One child--one dear little romper just six years old. Oh, if you
could see him killing cockroaches with a slipper! Smack! smack!
smack! Three gone before you could wink!' He leaned back in his chair
and laughed his eyes into his head again.

"I was a little startled at the nature of the child's amusement, but
the father's laughter made me think that perhaps he was joking.

"'My sole duties, then,' I asked, 'are to take charge of a single
child?'

"'No, no, not the sole, not the sole, my dear young lady,' he cried.
'Your duty would be, as I am sure your good sense would suggest, to
obey any little commands my wife might give, provided always that
they were such commands as a lady might with propriety obey. You see
no difficulty, heh?'

"I have been a governess for five years," said she, "in the family of

Colonel Spence Munro, but two months ago the colonel received an

appointment at Halifax, in Nova Scotia, and took his children over to

America with him, so that I found myself without a situation. I

advertised, and I answered advertisements, but without success. At

last the little money which I had saved began to run short, and I was

at my wit's end as to what I should do.

"There is a well-known agency for governesses in the West End called

Westaway's, and there I used to call about once a week in order to

see whether anything had turned up which might suit me. Westaway was

the name of the founder of the business, but it is really managed by

Miss Stoper. She sits in her own little office, and the ladies who

are seeking employment wait in an anteroom, and are then shown in one

by one, when she consults her ledgers and sees whether she has

anything which would suit them.

"Well, when I called last week I was shown into the little office as

usual, but I found that Miss Stoper was not alone. A prodigiously

stout man with a very smiling face and a great heavy chin which

rolled down in fold upon fold over his throat sat at her elbow with a

pair of glasses on his nose, looking very earnestly at the ladies who

entered. As I came in he gave quite a jump in his chair and turned

quickly to Miss Stoper.

"'That will do,' said he; 'I could not ask for anything better.

Capital! capital!' He seemed quite enthusiastic and rubbed his hands

together in the most genial fashion. He was such a

comfortable-looking man that it was quite a pleasure to look at him.

"'You are looking for a situation, miss?' he asked.

"'Yes, sir.'

"'As governess?'

"'Yes, sir.'

"'And what salary do you ask?'

"'I had £4 a month in my last place with Colonel Spence Munro.'

"'Oh, tut, tut! sweating--rank sweating!' he cried, throwing his fat

hands out into the air like a man who is in a boiling passion. 'How

could anyone offer so pitiful a sum to a lady with such attractions

and accomplishments?'

"'My accomplishments, sir, may be less than you imagine,' said I. 'A

little French, a little German, music, and drawing--'

"'Tut, tut!' he cried. 'This is all quite beside the question. The

point is, have you or have you not the bearing and deportment of a

lady? There it is in a nutshell. If you have not, you are not fitted

for the rearing of a child who may some day play a considerable part

in the history of the country. But if you have why, then, how could

any gentleman ask you to condescend to accept anything under the

three figures? Your salary with me, madam, would commence at £100 a

year.'

"You may imagine, Mr. Holmes, that to me, destitute as I was, such an

offer seemed almost too good to be true. The gentleman, however,

seeing perhaps the look of incredulity upon my face, opened a

pocket-book and took out a note.

"'It is also my custom,' said he, smiling in the most pleasant

fashion until his eyes were just two little shining slits amid the

white creases of his face, 'to advance to my young ladies half their

salary beforehand, so that they may meet any little expenses of their

journey and their wardrobe.'

"It seemed to me that I had never met so fascinating and so

thoughtful a man. As I was already in debt to my tradesmen, the

advance was a great convenience, and yet there was something

unnatural about the whole transaction which made me wish to know a

little more before I quite committed myself.

"'May I ask where you live, sir?' said I.

"'Hampshire. Charming rural place. The Copper Beeches, five miles on

the far side of Winchester. It is the most lovely country, my dear

young lady, and the dearest old country-house.'

"'And my duties, sir? I should be glad to know what they would be.'

"'One child--one dear little romper just six years old. Oh, if you

could see him killing cockroaches with a slipper! Smack! smack!

smack! Three gone before you could wink!' He leaned back in his chair

and laughed his eyes into his head again.

"I was a little startled at the nature of the child's amusement, but

the father's laughter made me think that perhaps he was joking.

"'My sole duties, then,' I asked, 'are to take charge of a single

child?'

"'No, no, not the sole, not the sole, my dear young lady,' he cried.

'Your duty would be, as I am sure your good sense would suggest, to

obey any little commands my wife might give, provided always that

they were such commands as a lady might with propriety obey. You see

no difficulty, heh?'