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The next thing he saw was, that, having left a window open, the hens had flown in and gone to housekeeping on their own account. But they were not, like Mrs. Davids, as neat as a new cent, and not, also, such master hands to save. "Shoo! shoo! Get out. Go 'long there with you!" cried Captain Ben, waving the dish-cloth and the poker. "I declare for 't!
One morning in May, Rosalie ran in from the kitchen, dish-cloth in hand, screaming out in the familiar fashion of a favorite servant: "Oh, madame, come quick! His reverence the Abbe is digging the ground down in the doctor's garden." Helene made no responsive movement, but Jeanne had already rushed to have a look. On her return, she exclaimed: "How stupid Rosalie is! he is not digging at all.
A just perceptible delay, a fumbling among pots and pans, and he came toward me with a most apologetic air, and with the sorriest-looking rag I had ever seen its narrow circumference encircling a very big hole. "Is that the best dish-cloth you have?" I asked.
By evil luck, this child began to squeal about his mother, having been petted hitherto, and wont to get all he wanted, by raising his voice but a little. And she put a dish-cloth under his head, and kissed him, and ran away again. Her name was Honour Jose, and she meant what was right by her master and mistress; but could not help being frightened.
The washing process was simple enough. From the dish-pan which stood upon the hearth half full of dirty water and some of the breakfast dishes, she took a greasy dish-cloth, wrung it out carefully, and with it proceeded to wash, not untenderly, the festering heads, faces and fingers of her children, resorting from time to time to the dish-pan for a fresh supply of water.
And the good lady plied her dish-cloth with such energy that her daughter hastily removed the clean plates and saucers from the table to avoid the necessity of drying them again. "But this man wanted work, didn't he mother?" asked Clara, "And I heard you tell father at dinner that you wanted someone to fix the cowshed and clean up the back yard."
The gentle wife of Davis would now willingly have returned to meet the resentment of her uncle; and as for the bridegroom himself, as Mr. Leach, who passed through this scene of abominations to see that all was right, described him, "Mr. Grab would not wring him for a dish-cloth, if he could see him in his present pickle."
Then she took a few paces backward, dish-cloth and dish still in hand, till she brought herself opposite the next room door. The long kitchen was rather dark, as the plates were being washed by the light of one candle, but in the next room Captain Rexford and his family were gathered round a table upon which stood lamps giving plenty of light. The mother addressed the family in general.
"You see I thought you'd never look round," said the boy with a laugh. "How's the little girl?" "Oh! you have come, really," cried Ben, springing over the wood-pile with a beaming face. "Polly!" But Polly was already by the door, with dish-cloth in hand. "This is my sister, Polly," began Ben and then stopped, not knowing the boy's name.
The dish-cloth was hung up in the mess as an outward and visible sign that we had parted company for I may say until a boy is rated ordinary seaman, he is a slave to domestic work in his mess. Another change was made with this rating I was transferred from the quarter-deck part of the ship to a flying-jib stower. A word of explanation here.
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