The Life and Perambulations of a Mouse [24]
if I was.' 'Pshaw!' replied John, 'I don't like now to hear a man say so; it looks as if you are discontented with the state in which you are placed, and depend upon it, you are in the one that is fittest for you, or you would not have been put into it. And as for being happier if you were a gentleman, I don't know what to say to it. To be sure, to have a little more money in one's pocket, nobody can deny that it would be very agreeable; and to be at liberty to come in and go out when one pleased, to be sure would be very comfortable. But still, Bob, still you may assure yourself, that no state in this world is free from care, and if we were turned into lords, we should find many causes for uneasiness. So here's your good health,' said he, lifting the mug to his mouth, 'wishing, my lad, you may be contented, cheerful, and good humoured; for without these three requisites, content, cheerfulness, and good humour, no one person upon earth, rich or poor, old or young, can ever feel comfortable or happy; and so here's to you, I say.' 'And here's the same good wishes to you,' said a clean decent cook-woman servant, who took up the mug upon John's putting it down. 'Content, cheerfulness, and good humour, I think was the toast.' Then wiping her mouth, as she began her speech, she added, 'and an excellent one it is: I wish all folks would mind it, and endeavour to acquire three such good qualifications.' 'I am sure,' rejoined another female servant, whose name I heard was Sally, 'I wish so too: at least I wish Miss Mary would try to gain a little more of the good humour; for I never came near such a cross crab in my life as it is. I declare I hate the sight of the girl, she is such a proud little minx she would not vouchsafe to speak to a poor servant for the world; as if she thought because we are poorer, we were therefore not of the same nature: her sisters, I think are worth ten of her, they always reply so civilly if a body speaks to them, and say, "Yes, if you please, Mrs. "Sally, or "No, thank you, Mr. Bob;" or "I should be obliged to you if you would do so and so, Mrs. Nelly," and not plain yes or no, as she does; and well too if you can get even that from her; for sometimes I declare she will not deign to give one any answer at all.' 'Aye, that is a sure thing she won't,' replied the maid servant who first drank, 'it is a sad thing she should behave so; I can't think, for my part, where she learns it; I am sure neither her papa nor mamma set her the example of it, for they always speak as pretty and as kind as it is possible to do; and I have heard, with my own ears, my mistress tell her of it twenty and twenty times, but she will do so. I am sure it is a sad thing that she should, for she will always make people dislike her. I am sure, if young gentlemen and ladies did not know how it makes people love them to speak civilly and kind, they would take great care not to behave like Miss Mary. Do you know, the other day, when Mrs. Lime's maid brought little Miss Peggy to see my mistress, when she went away, she made a courtesy to Miss Mary, and said, "Good morning to you, Miss." And would you think it, the child stood like a stake, and never returned it so much as by a nod of the head, nor did she open her lips. I saw by her looks the maid took notice of it, and I am sure I have such a regard for the family, that I felt quite ashamed of her behaviour.' 'Oh! she served me worse than that,' resumed Sally, 'for, would you believe it, the other day I begged her to be so kind as to let her mamma know I wanted to speak with her; and I did not choose to go into the room myself, because I was dirty, and there was company there; but for all I desired her over and over only just to step in (and she was at play close to the door) yet, could you suppose it possible, she was ill-natured enough to refuse me, and would not do it at last.' 'Well, if ever I heard the like of that!' exclaimed John, whose pocket I had been in. 'I think that was being cross indeed, and if a child of mine was to behave in that surly manner,