J. Cole | Page 3

to run errands
quickly on an emergency and be useful. However, I rang the bell; and
when the housemaid, whose temper, since she had been what is
curiously termed in servants'-hall language "single- handed," was most
trying, entered, I said, "Make some lemonade, Mary, and ask cook to
gather some strawberries quickly, and bring them, with some cream."
Mary looked at me as who should say, "Well, I'm sure! and who's to do
it all? You'll have to wait a bit." And I know we should have to wait,
and therefore resigned myself to do so patiently, keeping up the ball of
gossip, and wondering if a little music later on would perhaps while
away the time.
Much to my amazement, in less than a quarter of an hour Mary entered
with the tray, all being prepared; and directly I looked at the
strawberry-bowl I detected a novel feature in the table decoration. A
practised hand had evidently been at work; but whose? Mary was far
too matter-of-fact a person. Food, plates, knives and forks, glasses, and
a cruet-stand were all she ever thought necessary; and even for a centre
vase of flowers I had to ask, and often to insist, during the time she was
single-handed.
But here was my strawberry-bowl, a pretty one, even when unadorned,
with its pure white porcelain stem, intwined with a wreath of blue
convolvulus, and then a spray of white, the petals just peeping over the
edge of the bowl, and resting near the luscious red fruit; the cream-jug,
also white, had twining flowers of blue, and round the lemonade-jug, of
glass, was a wreath of yellow blossoms.

"How exquisite!" exclaimed we all. "What fairy could have bestowed
such a treat to our eyes and delight to our sense of the beautiful?"
I supposed some friend of the cook's or Mary's had been taking lessons
in the art of decoration, and had given us a specimen.
Soon after, my friends having gone, I thought of J. Cole waiting to be
dismissed, and sent for him.
Cook came in, and with a preliminary "Ahem!" which I knew of old
meant, "I have an idea of my own, and I mean to get it carried out,"
said, "Oh, if you please 'm, if I might be so bold, did you think serious
of engagin' the boy that's waitin' in the kitchen?"
"Why do you ask, Cook? "I said.
"Well, ma'am," she replied, trying to hide a laugh, "of course it's not for
me to presume; but, if I might say a word for him, I think he's the very
handiest and the sharpest one we've ever had in this house, and we've
had a many, as you know. Why, if you'd only have seen him when
Mary come in in her tantrums at 'aving to get the tray single-handed,
and begun a-grumblin' and a-bangin' things about, as is her way, being
of a quick temper, though, as I tells her, too slow a-movin' of herself.
As I were a-sayin', you should have seen that boy. If he didn't up and
leave his bread and butter and mug of milk, as he was a-enjoyin' of as
'arty as you like, and, 'Look 'ere,' says he, 'giv' me the jug. I'll make
some fine drink with lemons. I see Dick do it often up at his place. Giv'
me the squeezer. Wait till I washes my 'ands. I won't be a minnit.' Then
in he rushes into the scullery, washes his hands, runs back again in a
jiffy. 'Got any snow sugar? I mean all done fine like snow.' I gave it
him; and, sure enough, his little hands moved that quick, he had made
the lemonade before Mary would have squeezed a lemon. 'Where do
yer buy the cream?' he says next. 'I'll run and get it while you picks the
strawberries.' Perhaps it wasn't right, me a trustin' him, being a stranger,
but he was that quick I couldn't say no. Up he takes the jug, and was off;
and when I come in from the garden with the strawberries, if he hadn't
been and put all them flowers on the things. He begs my pardon for
interfering like, and says, 'I 'ope you'll excuse me a-doin' of it, but the

woman at the milk-shop said I might 'ave 'em; and I see the butler
where Dick lives wind the flowers about like that, and 'ave 'elped 'im
often; and, please, I paid for the cream, because I'd got two bob of my
own, Dick giv' me on my birthday. Oh, I do 'ope, Mrs. Cook,' he says,
'that the lady'll take me; I 'll serve 'er well, I will, indeed;' and then he
begins to cry and tremble, poor little chap, for he'd been running about