‚ÄúIt is certainly nice for them to know what a clean place is,‚Äù commented Mrs. ¬ÝGrey. Mr. ¬ÝCresswell, however, looked at a bathroom and smiled.
“How practical!” he said.
“Can you not stop and see some of the classes?” Sarah Smith knew in her heart that the visit was a failure, still she would do her part to the end.
‚ÄúI doubt if we shall have time,‚Äù Mrs. ¬ÝGrey returned, as they walked on. ‚Äú Mr. ¬ÝCresswell expects friends to dinner.‚Äù
‚ÄúWhat a magnificent intelligence office,‚Äù remarked Mr. ¬ÝBocombe, ‚Äúfor furnishing servants to the nation. I saw splendid material for cooks and maids.‚Äù
“And ploughboys,” added Cresswell.
“And singers,” said Mary Taylor.
‚ÄúWell, now that‚Äôs just my idea,‚Äù said Mrs. ¬ÝGrey, ‚Äúthat these schools should furnish trained servants and laborers for the South. Isn‚Äôt that your idea, Miss Smith?‚Äù
“Not exactly,” the lady replied, “or at least I shouldn’t put it just that way. My idea is that this school should furnish men and women who can work and earn an honest living, train up families aright, and perform their duties as fathers, mothers, and citizens.”
‚ÄúYes‚ÅÝ‚Äîyes, precisely,‚Äù said Mrs. ¬ÝGrey, ‚Äúthat‚Äôs what I meant.‚Äù
‚ÄúI think the whites can attend to the duties of citizenship without help,‚Äù observed Mr. ¬ÝCresswell.