Well, I took my stick, and set off for the sands.

No! it won't do to set off yet. I am sorry again to detain you; but you

really must hear the story of the sands, and the story of Rosanna--for

this reason, that the matter of the Diamond touches them both nearly.

How hard I try to get on with my statement without stopping by the way,

and how badly I succeed! But, there!--Persons and Things do turn up so

vexatiously in this life, and will in a manner insist on being noticed.

Let us take it easy, and let us take it short; we shall be in the thick

of the mystery soon, I promise you!

Rosanna (to put the Person before the Thing, which is but common

Advertisement..

politeness) was the only new servant in our house. About four months

before the time I am writing of, my lady had been in London, and had

gone over a Reformatory, intended to save forlorn women from drifting

back into bad ways, after they had got released from prison. The matron,

seeing my lady took an interest in the place, pointed out a girl to her,

named Rosanna Spearman, and told her a most miserable story, which I

haven't the heart to repeat here; for I don't like to be made wretched

without any use, and no more do you. The upshot of it was, that Rosanna

Spearman had been a thief, and not being of the sort that get up

Companies in the City, and rob from thousands, instead of only robbing

from one, the law laid hold of her, and the prison and the reformatory

followed the lead of the law. The matron's opinion of Rosanna was (in

spite of what she had done) that the girl was one in a thousand, and

that she only wanted a chance to prove herself worthy of any Christian

woman's interest in her. My lady (being a Christian woman, if ever there

was one yet) said to the matron, upon that, "Rosanna Spearman shall

have her chance, in my service." In a week afterwards, Rosanna Spearman

entered this establishment as our second housemaid.

Not a soul was told the girl's story, excepting Miss Rachel and me. My

lady, doing me the honour to consult me about most things, consulted

me about Rosanna. Having fallen a good deal latterly into the late Sir

John's way of always agreeing with my lady, I agreed with her heartily

about Rosanna Spearman.

A fairer chance no girl could have had than was given to this poor girl

of ours. None of the servants could cast her past life in her teeth, for

none of the servants knew what it had been. She had her wages and her

privileges, like the rest of them; and every now and then a friendly

word from my lady, in private, to encourage her. In return, she showed

herself, I am bound to say, well worthy of the kind treatment bestowed

upon her. Though far from strong, and troubled occasionally with those

fainting-fits already mentioned, she went about her work modestly and

uncomplainingly, doing it carefully, and doing it well. But, somehow,

she failed to make friends among the other women servants, excepting my

daughter Penelope, who was always kind to Rosanna, though never intimate

with her.




Most Popular