married before they have been long in Manitoba. Many were the complaints
I heard from people who had taken out female servants, paying their
expenses and giving them high wages, only to lose them before they had
been a month in the province. Their sole resource then was to employ
Icelanders, who often could not speak a word of English, so that all
directions had to be given by pantomime. Any one seeing the strange
gesticulations and frantic efforts of some of the more energetic
mistresses might be excused for thinking himself let loose in a city of
lunatics.

Mrs. C---- had one of these Icelanders as nursemaid, and she did very
well, picking up enough English in a few weeks to understand all we
wanted. But I noticed that, however quickly she walked about the rest of
the house, the stairs were as carefully traversed as though she had been
an Indian. One day, hearing her in great distress on the kitchen stairs,
I went to see what was the matter. The staircase was a narrow one between
two walls, but without banisters; on the third or fourth step from the
top sat one of the children, aged four years, and a few steps below stood
the maid clinging to the smooth wall, her face white with terror as,
whenever she attempted to advance, the child made a feint to oppose her
passage and push her back. Afraid either to turn round or retreat
backwards, she stood trembling and calling for help, and it was
impossible to avoid feeling amused at the absurdity of that big girl
being intimidated by such a mite--who, with the original depravity of
human nature, was enjoying the fun.

A friend of mine went through some odd experiences with these Iceland
maids. Upon the arrival of a fresh domestic she was ordered to wash down
the hall and door-steps. Next day, at the same hour, while a party of
visitors were in the drawing-room, the door burst open, and Christian,