The Yellow and White Agony. 335 



No persuasion, not even of extra dollars, would alter his 

 decision, and for some days no Chinaman nor any ether help 

 could be procured. It was impossible to leave the mother and 

 daughter alone, as the latter, I discovered, was subject to hysterical 

 or epileptic fits, so I had no alternative but to initiate myself 

 into the mysteries of cooking, making poultices, and brewing 

 beef-tea, in fact, the duties of a general servant, plus those of a 

 nurse. It was really a most exciting time, the anxiety with 

 which one watched the boiling and the baking, the triumph one 

 felt when any dish was absolutely cooked and served up, looking 

 at all like the work of a professional cook ; the delight when 

 the fire did burn without any trouble, and the pride when the 

 beef tea was pronounced "the very thing" by the invalid, are all 

 beyond description. I felt almost disappointed of my mission in 

 life when a white woman help was found at last, and when after a 

 short time the widow got well and began to reign again. 



We then took a furnished house, and the Chinaman who had 

 been a couple of years with the owner of it offered to stay on with 

 me. A great relief, as I felt he would know all about the house 

 work and cooking. So he did, but he was much put out if I 

 deviated a hair's breadth from that which had been, customary 

 / with his former mistress. He was clean, and good looking for a 

 Chinaman, and said he was eighteen. He could cook fairly well, 

 he could roast and boil, and make clear soup, good pastry, and 

 mayonnaise sauce ; everything devoid, however, of pepper and salt, 

 as he carefully explained to me, " That no matter, I put him on the 

 table." (Him meaning pepper and salt.) 



One day I found a broom and a dust-pan left in the drawing- 

 room. On telling him to remove it, he said : " O, I tink you sweep 

 out dlawing-loom to-day, velly good." I retorted that I thought it 

 would be better if he swept it out. " No, no, I no do that loom ; 

 missus she do him evely week ; I no time." He really seemed to 

 be doing the work of three English servants, as he was laundress, 

 as well as cook and housemaid ; so I resolved to follow in his 

 former mistress's footsteps. I had vivid recollections of the 



