here's to you, I say.' 'And here's the same good wishes to you,'
said a clean decent cook-woman servant, who took up the mug upon
John's putting it down. 'Content, cheerfulness, and good humour,
I think was the toast.' Then wiping her mouth, as she began her
speech, she added, 'and an excellent one it is: I wish all folks
would mind it, and endeavour to acquire three such good
qualifications.' 'I am sure,' rejoined another female servant,
whose name I heard was Sally, 'I wish so too: at least I wish
Miss Mary would try to gain a little more of the good humour; for
I never came near such a cross crab in my life as it is. I
declare I hate the sight of the girl, she is such a proud little
minx she would not vouchsafe to speak to a poor servant for the
world; as if she thought because we are poorer, we were therefore
not of the same nature: her sisters, I think are worth ten of
her, they always reply so civilly if a body speaks to them, and
say, "Yes, if you please, Mrs. "Sally, or "No, thank you, Mr.
Bob;" or "I should be obliged to you if you would do so and so,
Mrs. Nelly," and not plain yes or no, as she does; and well too if
you can get even that from her; for sometimes I declare she will
not deign to give one any answer at all.' 'Aye, that is a sure
thing she won't,' replied the maid servant who first drank, 'it is
a sad thing she should behave so; I can't think, for my part,
where she learns it; I am sure neither her papa nor mamma set her
the example of it, for they always speak as pretty and as kind as
it is possible to do; and I have heard, with my own ears, my
mistress tell her of it twenty and twenty times, but she will do
so. I am sure it is a sad thing that she should, for she will
always make people dislike her. I am sure, if young gentlemen and
ladies did not know how it makes people love them to speak civilly
and kind, they would take great care not to behave like Miss Mary.