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The Unclassed by George Gissing
page 212 of 490 (43%)
watchman was gone, but no doubt he had told the others my story, for
they showed me the way to Tottenham, and wished me luck."

"And you found your friend Jane!"

"No, no; how was it likely I should? I wandered about till I could
stand no longer, and then I went up to the door of a house which
stood in a garden, and begged for something to eat. The servant who
opened was sending me away, when her mistress heard, and came to the
door. She stood looking at me for some time, and then told me to
come in. I went into the kitchen, and she asked me all about myself.
I told her the truth; I was too miserable now to do anything else.
Well, the result was--she kept me there."

"For good?"

"Indeed, for good. In that very house I lived for six years. Oh; she
was the queerest and kindest little body! At first I helped her
servant in the kitchen,--she lived quite by herself, with one
servant,--but little by little she made me a sort of lady's maid,
and I did no more rough work. You wouldn't believe the ridiculous
fancies of that dear old woman! She thought herself a great beauty,
and often told me so very plainly, and she used to talk to me about
her chances of being married to this and the other person in the
neighbourhood. And the result of all this was that she had to spend
I don't know how long every day in dressing herself, and then
looking at herself in the glass. And I had to learn how to do her
hair, and put paint and powder on her face, and all sorts of
wonderful things. She was as good to me as she could be, and I never
wanted for anything. And so six years passed, and one morning she
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