"
"Sir?"
Mr. Stuart was struggling with his gloves, and, quite unconscious of
the astonishment of his new maid, impatiently repeated his request.
"Take this wet thing away, and pull off my overshoes. Don't you see
it's raining like the very deuce!"
Christie folded her lips together in a peculiar manner as she knelt
down and removed a pair of muddy overshoes, took the dripping
umbrella, and was walking away with her agreeable burden when Mr.
Stuart gave her another shock by calling over the banister:
"I'm going out again; so clean those rubbers, and see that the boots
I sent down this morning are in order."
"Yes, sir," answered Christie meekly, and immediately afterward
startled Hepsey by casting overshoes and umbrella upon the kitchen
floor, and indignantly demanding:
"Am I expected to be a boot-jack to that man?"
"I 'spects you is, honey."
"Am I also expected to clean his boots?"
"Yes, chile. Katy did, and de work ain't hard when you gits used to
it."
"It isn't the work; it's the degradation; and I won't submit to it."
Christie looked fiercely determined; but Hepsey shook her head,
saying quietly as she went on garnishing a dish:
"Dere's more 'gradin' works dan dat, chile, and dem dat's bin
'bliged to do um finds dis sort bery easy.
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