?You find virgin soil there, Cousin; put in your own ideas,?you won?t find many to pull up
Miss Ophelia?s ideas of education, like all her other ideas, were very set and definite; and of the kind that prevailed in New England a century ago, and which are still preserved in some very retired and unsophisticated parts, where there are no railroadsAs nearly as could be expressed, they could be comprised in very few words: to teach them to mind when they were spoken to; to teach them the catechism, sewing, and reading; and to whip them if they told liesAnd though, of course, in the flood of light that is now poured on education, these are left far away in the rear, yet it is an undisputed fact that our grandmothers raised some tolerably fair men and women under this regime, as many of us can remember and testifyAt all events, Miss Ophelia knew of nothing else to do; and, therefore, applied her mind to her heathen with the best diligence she could command
The child was announced and considered in the family as Miss Ophelia?s girl; and, as she was looked upon with no gracious eye in the kitchen, Miss Ophelia resolved to confine her sphere of operation and instruction chiefly to her own chamberWith a self-sacrifice which some of our readers will appreciate, she resolved, instead of comfortably making her own bed, sweeping and dusting her own chamber,?which she had hitherto done, in utter scorn of all offers of help from the chambermaid of the establishment,?to condemn herself to the martyrdom of instructing Topsy to perform these operations,?ah, woe the day! Did any of our readers ever do the same, they will appreciate the amount of her self-sacrifice
Miss Ophelia began with Topsy by taking her into her chamber, the first morning, and solemnly commencing a course of instruction in the art and mystery of bed-making
Behold, then, Topsy, washed and shorn of all the little braided tails wherein her heart had delighted, arrayed in a clean gown, with well-starched apron, standing reverently before Miss Ophelia, with an expression of solemnity well befitting a funeral
?Now, Topsy, I?m going to show you just how my bed is to be madeI am very particular about my bedYou must learn exactly how to do it
?Yes, ma?am,? says Topsy, with a deep sigh, and a face of woful earnestness
?Now, Topsy, look here;?this is the hem of the sheet,?this is the right side of the sheet, and this is the wrong;?will you remember??
?Yes, ma?am,? says Topsy, with another sigh
?Well, now, the under sheet you must bring over the bolster,?so?and tuck it clear down under the mattress nice and smooth,?so,?do you see??
?Yes, ma?am,? said Topsy, with profound attention
?But the upper sheet,? said Miss Ophelia, ?must be brought down in this way, and tucked under firm and smooth at the foot,?so,?the narrow hem at the foot
?Yes, ma?am,? said Topsy, as before;?but we will add, what Miss Ophelia did not see, that, during the time when the good lady?s back was turned in the zeal of her manipulations, the young disciple had contrived to snatch a pair of gloves and a ribbon, which she had adroitly slipped into her sleeves, and stood with her hands dutifully folded, as before
?Now, Topsy, let?s see you do this,? said Miss Ophelia, pulling off the clothes, and seating herself
Topsy, with great gravity and adroitness, went through the exercise completely to Miss Ophelia?s satisfaction; smoothing the sheets, patting out every wrinkle, and exhibiting, through the whole process, a gravity and seriousness with which her instructress was greatly edifiedBy an unlucky slip, however, a fluttering fragment of the ribbon hung out of one of her sleeves, just as she was finishing, and caught Miss Ophelia?s attentionInstantly, she pounced upon it?What?s this? You naughty, wicked child,?you?ve been stealing this!?
The ribbon was pulled out of Topsy?s own sleeve, yet was she not in the least disconcerted; she only looked at it with an air of the most surprised and unconscious innocence
?Laws! why, that ar?s Miss Feely?s ribbon, an?t it? How could it a got caught in my sleeve?
?Topsy, you naughty girl, don?t you tell me a lie,?you stole that ribbon!?
?Missis, I declar for ?t, I didn?t;?never seed it till dis yer blessed minnit
?Topsy,? said Miss Ophelia, ?don?t you now it?s wicked to tell lies??
?I never tell no lies, Miss Feely,? said Topsy, with virtuous gravity; ?it?s jist the truth I?ve been a tellin now, and an?t nothin else
?Topsy, I shall have to whip you, if you tell lies so
?Laws, Missis, if you?s to whip all day, couldn?t say no other way,? said Topsy, beginning to blubber?I never seed dat ar,?it must a got caught in my sleeveMiss Feeley must have left it on the bed, and it got caught in the clothes, and so got in my sleeve
Miss Ophelia was so indignant at the barefaced lie, that she caught the child and shook her
?Don?t you tell me that again!?
The shake brought the glove on to the floor, from the other sleeve
?There, you!? said Miss Ophelia, ?will you tell me now, you didn?t steal the ribbon??
Topsy now confessed to the gloves, but still persisted in denying the ribbon
?Now, Topsy,? said Miss Ophelia, ?if you?ll confess all about it, I won?t whip you this time Thus adjured, Topsy confessed to the ribbon and gloves, with woful protestations of penitenceI know you must have taken other things since you have been in the house, for I let you run about all day yesterdayNow, tell me if you took anything, and I shan?t whip you
?Laws, Missis! I took Miss Eva?s red thing she wars on her neck
?You did, you naughty child!?Well, what else??
?I took Rosa?s yer-rings,?them red ones
?Go bring them to me this minute, both of ?em
?Laws, Missis! I can?t,?they ?s burnt up!?
?Burnt up!?what a story! Go get ?em, or I?ll whip you
Topsy, with loud protestations, and tears, and groans, declared that she could
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