It was a dark and Stormy night...

Mum

When my Mum trudged down the lane to the hall, she saw that the main gate was large and wooden.  It was also resting with it's base in a pool of water, that reflected the drizzle of rain.  She was soaked and while she was confident on her ability to do her job, she just wanted to get out of the rain.  She wasn't the only one who had the same thoughts, as down the lane came a mass of rats.  It was like a living carpet of fur, and it caused her to open the small door, that she'd noticed, barely in time and step through onto the main drive of the hall.

She saw the hall for the first time, in the moonlight that broke through the rain clouds.  She enjoyed a good book and it reminded her of the heroine, who would arrive at the creepy hall owned by her uncle.  The only difference was, that the heroine would arrive at the front door in a carriage, and she, Mum, would have to trudge to the rear of this grand house, to the servant's quarters.

She took to her job, like a duck to water and being a palour maid meant that she'd be up early to make sure that the rooms she was assigned to were spick and span before the family of the house were awake.  This was when she was caught up with a moral dilemma.  She was doing her best to clean her room when she noticed something sparkling on the floor, tucked underneath the corner of the carpet.  Wondering what it was, she bent down to take a look.  It was a half-crown coin.  Now to mum, a half-crown was quite a bit of money but something seemed not right.

She went and fetched another maid, who told her it was a test to see whether she was honest, trustworthy and able to do a good job.  If the coin was gone the next morning, then the family would assume, being as it was Mum's room, she'd took it and so, she would be dismissed as being dishonest.  If it was still there, then it would be telling as Mum didn't polish the floor to the standard that was required.  It was virtually a "catch 22" situation. What she did, she finished off the room, to the best of her ability and fetched the house keeper to inspect her work.

The house keeper, could to see how well Mum had done her job, but must have been disappointed to see that the half-crown was missing.  She turned to Mum to dismiss her, but before she had a chance, Mum pulled out the half-crown placed it in the house keeper's hand and said, "I  know I'm an unknown but I do not appreciate being placed in a situation where I might be called a thief, or my ability to clean is questioned.  I hope you'll pass this on to the master and mistress of the house. I don't take what isn't mine".  She curtsied and left the room   

OK, I may have altered slightly, as I can't find the tape...  I remember her saying that she confronted the mistress with the coin, but more likely, being the new girl...  it probably went down how I put.

I'm going to finish...  Next post...  Life upstairs