The
Red House Mystery es la única novela de misterio de A. A. Milne,
publicada en 1922. Por suerte podemos
leerla en la red, en inglés, sin
pagar un solo peso. En estos párrafos las empleadas discuten sobre la llegada
de un hermano desde Australia, del que no tenían idea que existía.
Buscamos sobre parlour-maid y encontramos palabras relacionadas como laundry, ironing, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, cooking, y
caring for household pets. En vocabulario
esta palabra se nos hizo difícil: arst. Fijáte…
“I’ve been here five years, and never heard of a brother. I could say that before everybody if I was going to die to-morrow. There’s been no brother here while I’ve been here.”…
Paragraphs
… In the drowsy heat of the summer afternoon the Red
House was taking its siesta. There was a lazy murmur of bees in the
flower-borders, a gentle cooing of pigeons in the tops of the elms. From
distant lawns came the whir of a mowing-machine, that most restful of all
country sounds; making ease the sweeter in that it is taken while others are
working.
It was the hour when even those whose business it is
to attend to the wants of others have a moment or two for themselves. In the
housekeeper’s room Audrey Stevens, the pretty parlour-maid, re-trimmed
her best hat, and talked idly to her aunt, the cook-housekeeper of Mr. Mark
Ablett’s bachelor home.
“For Joe?” said Mrs. Stevens placidly, her eye on
the hat. Audrey nodded. She took a pin from her mouth, found a place in the hat
for it, and said, “He likes a bit of pink.”
“I don’t say I mind a bit of pink myself,” said her
aunt. “Joe Turner isn’t the only one.”
“It isn’t everybody’s colour,” said Audrey, holding
the hat out at arm’s length, and regarding it thoughtfully. “Stylish, isn’t
it?”
“Oh, it’ll suit you all right, and it would have
suited me at your age. A bit too dressy for me now, though wearing better than
some other people, I daresay. I was never the one to pretend to be what I
wasn’t. If I’m fifty-five, I’m fifty-five—that’s what I say.”
“Fifty-eight, isn’t it, auntie?”
“I was just giving that as an example,” said Mrs.
Stevens with great dignity.
Audrey threaded a needle, held her hand out and
looked at her nails critically for a moment, and then began to sew.
“Funny thing that about Mr. Mark’s brother. Fancy
not seeing your brother for fifteen years.” She gave a self-conscious laugh and
went on, “Wonder what I should do if I didn’t see Joe for fifteen years.”
“As I told you all this morning,” said her aunt,
“I’ve been here five years, and never heard of a brother. I could say that
before everybody if I was going to die to-morrow. There’s been no brother here
while I’ve been here.”
“You could have knocked me down with a feather when
he spoke about him at breakfast this morning. I didn’t hear what went before,
naturally, but they was all talking about the brother when I went in—now what
was it I went in for—hot milk, was it, or toast?—well, they was all talking,
and Mr. Mark turns to me, and says—you know his way—‘Stevens,’ he says, ‘my
brother is coming to see me this afternoon; I’m expecting him about three,’ he
says. ‘Show him into the office,’ he says, just like that. ‘Yes, sir,’ I says
quite quietly, but I was never so surprised in my life, not knowing he had a
brother. ‘My brother from Australia,’ he says—there, I’d forgotten that. From
Australia.”
“Well, he may have been in Australia,” said Mrs.
Stevens, judicially; “I can’t say for that, not knowing the country; but what I
do say is he’s never been here. Not while I’ve been here, and that’s five
years.”
“Well, but, auntie, he hasn’t been here for fifteen
years. I heard Mr. Mark telling Mr. Cayley. ‘Fifteen years,’ he says. Mr.
Cayley having arst
him when his brother was last in England. Mr. Cayley knew of him, I heard him
telling Mr. Beverley, but didn’t know when he was last in England—see? So
that’s why he arst
Mr. Mark.”
“I’m not saying anything about fifteen years,
Audrey. I can only speak for what I know, and that’s five years Whitsuntide. I
can take my oath he’s not set foot in the house since five years Whitsuntide.
And if he’s been in Australia, as you say, well, I daresay he’s had his
reasons.”
“What reasons?” said Audrey lightly.
“Never mind what reasons. Being in the place of a
mother to you, since your poor mother died, I say this, Audrey—when a gentleman
goes to Australia, he has his reasons. And when he stays in Australia fifteen
years, as Mr. Mark says, and as I know for myself for five years, he has his
reasons. And a respectably brought-up girl doesn’t ask what reasons.”… (The Red House Mystery,
by A. A. Milne)
Para saber
Parlour-maid:
En la época victoriana, el servicio
doméstico era la segunda categoría de empleo más importante en Inglaterra y Gales, después del trabajo
agrícola.
Una parlour-maid limpiaba y acomodaba
las recepciones y los livings en la mañana y frecuentemente servían refrescos
en el té de la tarde, y algunas veces también la cena. También acomodaban
estudios y bibliotecas y con los “footmen”
contestaban las campanas llamando por servicio.
Las “maids”
realizan tareas domésticas típicas como laundry,
ironing, cleaning the house, grocery shopping, cooking, y caring for household
pets. También podrán cuidar de niños, aunque existen ocupaciones más
específicas para ello, como la nanny.
Vocabulario
Arst:
it's the same as "asked".
Mr. Cayley having asked him when his brother was
last in England.
Mr. Cayley having arst him when his brother was last in England.
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