[A/N. I've skipped a few years here since Eliza came back to Philly, but
I'll try and explain what's been happening in Eliza's life since she
returned as best I can.]
Philadelphia, October, 1928.
Eliza sighed as she heard the loud yell. "NATHAN HOCKLEY! You come here this instant!" She knew what would soon follow that yell. For a small woman Melanie sure had a big voice Eliza thought wryly. And she wasn't afraid to use it. Over the past few years on a few occasions Eliza had been on the receiving end of one of Melanie's temper tantrums, but for the most part Melanie treated her politely, yet usually aloofly. Her attitude towards Eliza was generally as if she believed that the younger girl was some kind of lady's maid Eliza often thought. Once, when she had been answering some of Melanie's letters for her the scenario occurred to her of Melanie as a queen and Eliza as a devoted lady-in-waiting.
"ELIZA!" Melanie now yelled, and Eliza sighed, and got up off the chair where she had been sitting reading a novel before she heard Melanie's first yell. She didn't seem to get much spare time when Melanie was there, so she enjoyed greatly that which she did get. The house seemed a lot quieter when Melanie was off on one of her many trips. She got restless in Philadelphia she claimed, and Cal, for the sake of peace and quiet perhaps, allowed her to travel whenever she liked. Eliza knew Cal loved Melanie greatly, she could tell that by the way he looked at her and the affectionate words the two exchanged often, but she also got the impression that sometimes he wished he was a bachelor again. Times like now, for instance?
Melanie was standing in the entrance hall, one hand grasping her son's arm. Nathan was now six, and according to Cal "a handful", and according to Melanie "naughty." Eliza would never admit it to either of them, but sometimes she found the numerous pranks Nathan pulled quite funny.
"Ah, there you are. You won't believe what the naughty little brat has done now." Melanie said, glaring at her son, who lowered his head, seemingly ashamed. But Eliza saw his eyes twinkling as they peeked up at her. "He filled Mr. Johnson's boots with.I hate to say this..with manure!"
Eliza bit her lip desperate to keep her laughs from exploding.
"And you can imagine the shock poor Mr. Johnson got when he put the boots on!" Melanie continued.
Eliza could imagine only too well. The sight of prim and proper Mr. Johnson stepping into boots full of manure made her want to scream with laughter. She knew on occasions that Cal had appeared to be angry with one of Nathan's stunts, but in the privacy of his study he had laughed about it. Melanie, however, didn't laugh.
"And what did he have to say for himself when found out?" Melanie asked. "At first he tried to blame Evelyn-like a five year old would think of that- and then when he realised he had no excuse he simply said he thought it was funny!"
"Well it was funny and-" Nathan began, but his mother interrupted him.
"NATHAN!" She cried. "Heavens above. You know Eliza all I ever wanted was a husband and a few nice, well-behaved children. Well brought up children who would act like other children of their class, and instead I get this..this." and here words failed her.
Nathan looked up at his mother's upset face. "Mother I didn't mean to upset you. I know how to behave. Truly I do. You see me at Church! I just wanted to have some fun. I was bored. There aren't any children round here my age, and I'm not at school.."
Melanie sighed. "Can't you have fun by behaving Nathan? Evelyn does." She asked.
"I'll try Mother. Honest I will." Nathan assured her, and Melanie sighed again, and then gathered her son into her arms for a hug.
"I was going to get Eliza to punish you, but maybe you've learnt your lesson this time." Melanie said. Eliza felt relieved-she hated being made to punish the children, although they never held it against her. To them she was like a big sister, although they knew that her parents had died on a ship and Cal had taken her in. And Nathan had once hinted at the fact that he knew she wasn't a "real lady", although this made no difference in their feelings towards her.
It was now that Cal arrived home from work, and Nathan ran from his mother's arms into his father's.
"What's my little hell-raiser-" Cal began, but his wife interrupted him.
"Don't swear Caledon!" She said.
"Right." Cal said. "So, what's my little mischief maker been up to?"
"I put manure in Mr. Johnson's boots, and it was so funny. He was hopping round on his stocking feet and then he-" seeing his mother's look he stopped and then said "But I've learnt my lesson and won't do it again."
"Have you just? Well, we'll see." Cal said, and Eliza noticed a muscle twitching near his mouth as he tried not to laugh.
"Well Eliza since you don't have to punish Nathan perhaps you could do something for me?" Melanie asked. "Since we had to get rid of another maid I've been having trouble having the sewing kept up to date. There is a huge pile which desperately needs doing."
"Sure." Eliza sighed, thinking of her novel abandoned in the chair.
*****
Later that night Eliza heard Cal and Melanie talking, and it seemed Melanie wasn't very happy.
"Cal we really can't let another maid go." Melanie was saying. "As it is we've only got a cook, butler and a few maids. I remember a few years ago when a family of the standing of this one had a lot more servants than that."
"A few years ago there weren't money problems across the country. If you're thinking of how it will look to all your friends Melanie don't, because ten to one they're in the same boat. In fact I know many of my business partners are!" Cal said.
"Nonetheless." Melanie said. "I mean Eliza almost takes the place of a maid. She looks after the children, helps me out with my letters and sewing and other such things. I suppose she's a lot better off than most maids though!"
"Eliza's not a maid." Cal said absently.
"I know that. You made it clear to me Cal. She's your ward, your responsibility. I understand all that, but now, with money being so tight and all people will be shocked that you chose to keep her here and allow others to be sacked." Melanie said.
Eliza felt herself cringe a little. She wondered whether people were shocked about that? It did seem strange when Melanie put it that way!
"Let them be shocked." Cal said brusquely.
"Indeed." Melanie agreed. "I'm not asking you to make her leave-god knows where would I be with a maid being sacked, and without Eliza to do things for me also!"
"I was speaking to Rockefeller today. He seems to believe that the Federal Reserve is getting worried about the high level of the stock market. They think that the bubble might burst and that the country will realise the financial system is insolvent and that the network of financial intermediation might very well be damaged, investment might lower, and the country might fall into a recession. According to him, and this is on the quiet of course, the Federal Reserve are trying to "cool off" the market by making borrowing money for stock speculation harder, and more expensive by raising interest rates. It's a risk of course since the increase in interest rates may bring on the recession that they are hoping to avoid by "cooling off" the market." Cal said.
"Honestly dear you know I have no idea what that means-other than to back up your point about letting the maid go." Melanie said, with a sigh. "I'll speak to her tomorrow shall I?"
"It would be advisable." Cal replied.
Eliza decided that eavesdropping was not ladylike, and went up to her room. But she still thought about what Cal had said: it sounded like money was tight everywhere, even for the people who had more of it than they knew what to do with, like Cal. This made her appreciate even more what Cal had done for her, and was continuing to do for her.
Philadelphia, October, 1928.
Eliza sighed as she heard the loud yell. "NATHAN HOCKLEY! You come here this instant!" She knew what would soon follow that yell. For a small woman Melanie sure had a big voice Eliza thought wryly. And she wasn't afraid to use it. Over the past few years on a few occasions Eliza had been on the receiving end of one of Melanie's temper tantrums, but for the most part Melanie treated her politely, yet usually aloofly. Her attitude towards Eliza was generally as if she believed that the younger girl was some kind of lady's maid Eliza often thought. Once, when she had been answering some of Melanie's letters for her the scenario occurred to her of Melanie as a queen and Eliza as a devoted lady-in-waiting.
"ELIZA!" Melanie now yelled, and Eliza sighed, and got up off the chair where she had been sitting reading a novel before she heard Melanie's first yell. She didn't seem to get much spare time when Melanie was there, so she enjoyed greatly that which she did get. The house seemed a lot quieter when Melanie was off on one of her many trips. She got restless in Philadelphia she claimed, and Cal, for the sake of peace and quiet perhaps, allowed her to travel whenever she liked. Eliza knew Cal loved Melanie greatly, she could tell that by the way he looked at her and the affectionate words the two exchanged often, but she also got the impression that sometimes he wished he was a bachelor again. Times like now, for instance?
Melanie was standing in the entrance hall, one hand grasping her son's arm. Nathan was now six, and according to Cal "a handful", and according to Melanie "naughty." Eliza would never admit it to either of them, but sometimes she found the numerous pranks Nathan pulled quite funny.
"Ah, there you are. You won't believe what the naughty little brat has done now." Melanie said, glaring at her son, who lowered his head, seemingly ashamed. But Eliza saw his eyes twinkling as they peeked up at her. "He filled Mr. Johnson's boots with.I hate to say this..with manure!"
Eliza bit her lip desperate to keep her laughs from exploding.
"And you can imagine the shock poor Mr. Johnson got when he put the boots on!" Melanie continued.
Eliza could imagine only too well. The sight of prim and proper Mr. Johnson stepping into boots full of manure made her want to scream with laughter. She knew on occasions that Cal had appeared to be angry with one of Nathan's stunts, but in the privacy of his study he had laughed about it. Melanie, however, didn't laugh.
"And what did he have to say for himself when found out?" Melanie asked. "At first he tried to blame Evelyn-like a five year old would think of that- and then when he realised he had no excuse he simply said he thought it was funny!"
"Well it was funny and-" Nathan began, but his mother interrupted him.
"NATHAN!" She cried. "Heavens above. You know Eliza all I ever wanted was a husband and a few nice, well-behaved children. Well brought up children who would act like other children of their class, and instead I get this..this." and here words failed her.
Nathan looked up at his mother's upset face. "Mother I didn't mean to upset you. I know how to behave. Truly I do. You see me at Church! I just wanted to have some fun. I was bored. There aren't any children round here my age, and I'm not at school.."
Melanie sighed. "Can't you have fun by behaving Nathan? Evelyn does." She asked.
"I'll try Mother. Honest I will." Nathan assured her, and Melanie sighed again, and then gathered her son into her arms for a hug.
"I was going to get Eliza to punish you, but maybe you've learnt your lesson this time." Melanie said. Eliza felt relieved-she hated being made to punish the children, although they never held it against her. To them she was like a big sister, although they knew that her parents had died on a ship and Cal had taken her in. And Nathan had once hinted at the fact that he knew she wasn't a "real lady", although this made no difference in their feelings towards her.
It was now that Cal arrived home from work, and Nathan ran from his mother's arms into his father's.
"What's my little hell-raiser-" Cal began, but his wife interrupted him.
"Don't swear Caledon!" She said.
"Right." Cal said. "So, what's my little mischief maker been up to?"
"I put manure in Mr. Johnson's boots, and it was so funny. He was hopping round on his stocking feet and then he-" seeing his mother's look he stopped and then said "But I've learnt my lesson and won't do it again."
"Have you just? Well, we'll see." Cal said, and Eliza noticed a muscle twitching near his mouth as he tried not to laugh.
"Well Eliza since you don't have to punish Nathan perhaps you could do something for me?" Melanie asked. "Since we had to get rid of another maid I've been having trouble having the sewing kept up to date. There is a huge pile which desperately needs doing."
"Sure." Eliza sighed, thinking of her novel abandoned in the chair.
*****
Later that night Eliza heard Cal and Melanie talking, and it seemed Melanie wasn't very happy.
"Cal we really can't let another maid go." Melanie was saying. "As it is we've only got a cook, butler and a few maids. I remember a few years ago when a family of the standing of this one had a lot more servants than that."
"A few years ago there weren't money problems across the country. If you're thinking of how it will look to all your friends Melanie don't, because ten to one they're in the same boat. In fact I know many of my business partners are!" Cal said.
"Nonetheless." Melanie said. "I mean Eliza almost takes the place of a maid. She looks after the children, helps me out with my letters and sewing and other such things. I suppose she's a lot better off than most maids though!"
"Eliza's not a maid." Cal said absently.
"I know that. You made it clear to me Cal. She's your ward, your responsibility. I understand all that, but now, with money being so tight and all people will be shocked that you chose to keep her here and allow others to be sacked." Melanie said.
Eliza felt herself cringe a little. She wondered whether people were shocked about that? It did seem strange when Melanie put it that way!
"Let them be shocked." Cal said brusquely.
"Indeed." Melanie agreed. "I'm not asking you to make her leave-god knows where would I be with a maid being sacked, and without Eliza to do things for me also!"
"I was speaking to Rockefeller today. He seems to believe that the Federal Reserve is getting worried about the high level of the stock market. They think that the bubble might burst and that the country will realise the financial system is insolvent and that the network of financial intermediation might very well be damaged, investment might lower, and the country might fall into a recession. According to him, and this is on the quiet of course, the Federal Reserve are trying to "cool off" the market by making borrowing money for stock speculation harder, and more expensive by raising interest rates. It's a risk of course since the increase in interest rates may bring on the recession that they are hoping to avoid by "cooling off" the market." Cal said.
"Honestly dear you know I have no idea what that means-other than to back up your point about letting the maid go." Melanie said, with a sigh. "I'll speak to her tomorrow shall I?"
"It would be advisable." Cal replied.
Eliza decided that eavesdropping was not ladylike, and went up to her room. But she still thought about what Cal had said: it sounded like money was tight everywhere, even for the people who had more of it than they knew what to do with, like Cal. This made her appreciate even more what Cal had done for her, and was continuing to do for her.