They used to tell that, at the age of
seven, she came home one day with two prizes which she had taken. One
was for scholarship, and one was for neatness in her needlework.
When she brought them home, her grandmother (that is your
great-great-grandmother, you know) praised her for the first; but her
grandfather (the one whose portrait Stuart shot) said: 'Nay, it is for
the neatness that the little lass should be most commended, for it is
ever a pleasing virtue in a woman.' Then he gave her a gold dollar, to
encourage her in always being neat and exact. She was so proud of it
that nothing could have persuaded her to spend it. She had a hole
bored in it so that she could hang it on a ribbon around her neck. For
a long, long time she wore it that way. She has often said to me that
the sight of it was a daily reminder of what her grandfather wanted
her to be, and that it helped her to form those habits of orderliness
and neatness in which her family took such pride. Long after she
stopped wearing the little coin, the sight of it used to recall the
old proverbs that she heard so often, such as '"A stitch in time saves
nine," Patricia,' or, 'Remember, my dear, "have a place for
everything, and everything in its place."' It used to remind her of
the praise they gave her, too. Her grandfather's 'Well done, my good
little lass,' was a reward that made her happy for hours.
Pages:
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76