For three or four days the same thing was kept up, until I lost all patience, and resolved, offence or no offence, to end a system that was both annoying and unjust.
Mrs. Jordon called in to see me one day, and sat conversing in a very pleasant strain for an hour. She was an agreeable companion, and I was pleased with the visit. In fact, I liked Mrs. Jordon.
About an hour after she was gone, Nancy came into the kitchen, where I happened to be.
"What"s wanted now?" said I. My voice expressed quite as much as my words. I saw the color flush in Nancy"s face.
"Mrs. Jordon says, will you please to lend her a pan of flour? She will return it to-morrow."
"Tell Mrs. Jordon," I replied, "that we are going to make up bread this afternoon, and haven"t more than enough flour left, or I would let her have what she wants. And, by the way, Nancy, tell Mrs.
Jordon that I will be obliged to her if she will send in my large earthen dish. We want to use it."
Nancy didn"t seem pleased. And I thought she muttered something to herself as she went away.
Not five minutes elapsed before word came to my room that Mrs.
Jordon was in the parlor and wished to speak to me.
"Now for trouble," thought I. Sure enough, when I entered the parlor, the knit brow, flushed face, and angry eyes of my neighbor told me that there was to be a scene.
"Mrs. Smith," she began, without ceremony or apology for her abruptness of manner, "I should like to know what you mean by the manner in which you refused to let me have a little flour just now?"
"How did I refuse?" I was cool enough to inquire.
"You refused in a manner which plainly enough snowed that you thought me a troublesome borrower. "What"s wanted now?" I think rather strange language to use to a domestic of mine."
Really, thought I, this caps the climax.
"To speak the plain truth, Mrs. Jordon," said I, "and not wishing to give any offence, you do use the privilege of a neighbor in this respect rather freely--more freely, I must own, than I feel justified in doing."
"Mrs. Smith, this is too much!" exclaimed Mrs. Jordon. "Why you borrow of me twice where I borrow of you once. I am particularly careful in matters of this kind."
I looked at the woman with amazement.
"Borrow of you?" I asked.
"Certainly!" she replied, with perfect coolness. "Scarcely a day pa.s.ses that you do not send in for something or other. But dear knows! I have always felt pleasure in obliging you."
I was mute for a time.
"Really, Mrs. Jordon," said I, at length, as composedly as I could speak, "you seem to be laboring under some strange mistake. The charge of frequent borrowing, I imagine, lies all on the other side.
I can name a dozen of my things in your house now, and can mention as many articles borrowed within the last three days."
"Pray do so," was her cool reply.
"You have my large wash-boiler," I replied, "and two of my washing tubs. You borrow them every Monday, and I have almost always to send for them."
"I have your wash-boiler and tubs? You are in error, Mrs. Smith. I have a large boiler of my own, and plenty of tubs."
"I don"t know what you have, Mrs. Jordon; but I do know that you get mine every week. Excuse me for mentioning these things--I do so at your desire. Then, there is my coffee-mill, borrowed every morning."
"Coffee-mill! Why should I borrow your coffee-mill? We have one of our own."
"Yesterday you borrowed b.u.t.ter, and eggs, and sugar," I continued.
"I?" my neighbor seemed perfectly amazed.
"Yes; and the day before a loaf of bread--an egg to clear your coffee--salt, pepper, and a nutmeg."
"Never!"
"And to-day Nancy got some lard, a cup of coffee, and some Indian meal for a pudding."
"She did?" asked Mrs. Jordon in a quick voice, a light seeming to have flashed upon her mind.
"Yes," I replied, "for I was in the kitchen when she got the lard and meal, and Bridget mentioned the coffee as soon as I came down this morning."
"Strange!" Mrs. Jordon looked thoughtful. "It isn"t a week since we got coffee, and I am sure our Indian meal cannot be out."
"Almost every week Nancy borrows a pound or a half pound of b.u.t.ter on the day before your b.u.t.ter man comes; and more than that, doesn"t return it, or indeed anything she gets more than a third of the time."
"Precisely the complaint I have to make against you," said Mrs.
Jordon, looking me steadily in the face.
"Then," said I "there is something wrong somewhere, for to my knowledge nothing has been borrowed from you or any body else for months. I forbid anything of the kind."
"Be that as it may, Mrs. Smith; Nancy frequently comes to me and says you have sent in for this, that, and the other thing--coffee, tea, sugar, b.u.t.ter; and, in fact, almost everything used in a family."
"Then Nancy gets them for her own use," said I.
"But I have often seen Bridget in myself for things."
"My Bridget!" I said, in surprise.
I instantly rang the bell.
"Tell Bridget I want her," said I to the waiter who came to the door. The cook soon appeared.
"Bridget, are you in the habit of borrowing from Mrs. Jordon without my knowledge?"
"No, ma"am!" replied the girl firmly, and without any mark of disturbance in her face.
"Din"t you get a bar of soap from our house yesterday?" asked Mrs.
Jordon.
"Yes, ma"am," returned Bridget, "but it was soap you owed us."
"Owed you!"
"Yes, Ma am. Nancy got a bar of soap from me last washing-day, and I went in for it yesterday."