Kate's Ordeal: London (excerpt)
Emma Lisle
1 It was night when Kate reached London, but her uncle was waiting for her at the railway station. She and her luggage were soon stowed away in a cab, and they were rattling through the brilliantly lighted streets. To Kate's unaccustomed eyes it was like fairyland for a few minutes, and she thought she had indeed been fortunate to obtain a place in one of these grand shops.
2 But she soon found there were streets in London almost as dimly lighted as their own village streets at home, and shops much less grand and imposing than those she had first seen.
3 At last the cab stopped, and Kate saw, to her disappointment, that it was not a broad, fashionable thoroughfare, and the shop, with its piles of buns and loaves of bread, was by no means imposing, but rather old-fashioned in its appearance, and the whole street was the same, although there were a great number of people about. Everybody seemed in such a hurry that Kate made up her mind there must be a fire or some accident must have happened, near at hand. All this passed through her mind as her box was being lifted from the roof of the cab. She stood on the pavement looking up and down the busy, old-fashioned street, which was so unlike what she had fancied her new home would be.
4 Her cousin Marion was behind the counter in the shop, and there seemed to be a constant stream of customers coming and going. "This is the best bun house in London," whispered her uncle, as he took her hand and led her in.
5 The old lady, who was likewise serving, left her post when she saw Kate and her uncle, and led the way into the cozy parlor behind the shop. Mrs. Maple seemed pleased with Kate's appearance and manner, and asked her a great many questions about her home and her mother.
6 "We are very quiet, old-fashioned people, ourselves," she said, "although we live in London, and I am very particular about the young people I have to help me in the shop, and never allow them to make friends among the customers. Be civil to all, but nothing more than that to anyone, my dear; that is my rule, and you must remember to obey it. Marion knows I am more strict about this than anything else, and so I hope you will remember it, too."
7 "Yes, ma'am, I will," said Kate; and then the old lady asked the servant to bring up some supper, and went back to the shop, that Marion might come in and speak to her father and cousin.
8 "I am to give you some supper, and then take you to bed," said Marion, after their greetings were over. "You will have some supper with us, father?--Mrs. Maple told me to ask you."
9 "No, thank you, my dear, I want to get home, and you girls don't need me now. I have told Kate she is always to spend the Sunday with us, the same as you do."
10 "Oh, yes, of course she will," said Marion. "You see that is one advantage of being in an old-fashioned shop like this; we have no Sunday work," she said, turning to her cousin.
11 "Mother will be glad to know that," said Kate.
12 "Yes, you must tell her when you write," said her uncle, bidding her good-bye.
13 When he was gone the girls sat down to supper, and Kate tried to eat, but everything was so strange, and she had such an intense longing to see her mother, that she said "yes" and "no" to her cousin's questions, scarcely understanding what they were.
14 The next morning, however, she felt a good deal better, and by the end of the week began to feel quite at home, for Mrs. Maple was not a hard mistress, and so Kate was able to give a good account of her home, when she wrote to her mother.
15 "What shall we do tomorrow--where shall we go?" said Marion, on Saturday afternoon.
16 "Where do you generally go?" said Kate rather timidly. "I have been going to ask you two or three times how you spend Sunday."
17 "Oh! I go home, and, if it's fine, Bella and I go for a walk, or a little way into the country. But you will want to see London, of course."
18 "Yes," said Kate, rather slowly; "I should like to see some of the grand places I have heard about."
19 "Of course, you would like to see Buckingham Palace, and the Houses of Parliament, and the Albert Memorial, and Kensington Gardens. But we can't see everything in one Sunday, so we had better make up our mind to go and see the Parks and the Memorial on Sunday."
20 Kate did not answer, but Marion chose to consider the matter settled.
21 It seemed strange to Kate, at first, to be walking about in the noisy streets, or gazing at the fashionable, gaily-dressed people in the Park, but she soon began to enjoy discussing this one's dress and that one's bonnet almost as much as her cousins did, and her younger cousin said, "You will soon wear off all your country rust, Kate. How could you have lived in that poky place so long?"
22 "Oh, it wasn't poky a bit," said Kate warmly; "I had lots of friends there, and that is what we are not allowed to have here. Don't you find that rule of Mrs. Maple's rather hard to keep sometimes, Marion?" she added.
23 "What rule?" said Marion.
24 "About saying as few words as possible to the customers in the shop; Mrs. Maple told me she was most strict about it."
25 "Well, I suppose she is," said Marion, carelessly; "at least, just at first;" but they were joined at this moment by two young men, whom Kate instantly recognized as being frequent visitors at the shop.
Which statement is the best summary of this passage?
Responses
A Two girls get to know one another better.Two girls get to know one another better.
B A girl from the country has to get used to city life.A girl from the country has to get used to city life.
C A girl who misses her mother decides to write her a letter.A girl who misses her mother decides to write her a letter.
D One girl instructs another about how to deal with her troubles.