OUR SERVANTS. 189 



most frequently she wears them torn and buttonless, 

 fastened together only by the numerous black or 

 white safety-pins which she has abstracted she scorns 

 to patch with the same colour, or anything near it, 

 but introduces as much variety as possible into the 

 garment by choosing the strongest contrasts of hue and 

 greatest diversity of materials. Thus her pink or 

 yellow cotton dress will be patched with a piece of 

 scarlet flannel or bright blue woollen stuff; the blue 

 skirt, of which the latter is a portion, having been 

 tastefully repaired with a large square of Turkey red. 



One day a bottle of salad oil is dropped and broken 

 on the sitting-room floor ; and Phillis is called in to 

 remove the traces of the accident. Why does she look 

 so delighted as she goes down on her knees beside the 

 unctuous pool? and why does she not proceed to wipe it 

 up ? The reason is soon seen when she prepares for 

 action by whisking off her bright handkerchief -turban. 

 Then the pallid palms of her monkey-like hands are 

 plunged blissfully into the oily mess, and again and 

 again vigorously rubbed over head and countenance, 

 till the thick mass of wool is saturated and dripping 

 like a wet sponge, and the laughing face shines like a 

 mirror. She is far too much absorbed to notice the 

 amusement her performance is giving to hosts and 

 guests ; and when all the late contents of the bottle 

 have been successfully transferred to her person, she 

 goes back in high glee to her kitchen, rejoicing in her 

 increased loveliness. 



The house work is no less of a failure than are the 



K 



