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eat their meals together, as this had become a strain on him also. But having to wait on his mother in the future, in the manner she had just outlined, was so without doubt demeaning, and he wondered whether he could put up with this. However, as his mother continued to talk, he again paid her full attention, eager to learn what further changes lay ahead of him.

"Now, Janet,

"Jan heard his mother say,

"as house maid, cook and parlor maid, you are no longer on a trial basis as before, you are going to have to dress differently and may I say, more suitably. I have not told of this before, but most of the clothes I have passed on down to you, and only at your insistent request, really look quite hideous on you. They are all too mature, and to be perfectly frank, you look like nothing more than a boy dressed up in his mother's clothes, which in truth you are.

Seeing you around the house, constantly dressed as you are, has annoyed me no end, and that is probably one of the principal reasons I have been so unkind to you in my remarks. This, in addition, to having to accept the state of affairs of which I have never approved."

At this point Jan began to sob quietly, as he heard his own mother gradually and ruthlessly destroy the ground from

beneath him. He always had been aware that he had not actually cut a glamorous figure, but he had never dreamed that he could possibly be as horrible as his mother had now indicated. He now realized however, that she was probably also being quite honest.

His mother, now not too unsympathetically, told him to stop crying, as there was still more to come, and possibly what she was now going to instruct him additionally, in some strange manner would actually make him feel better regarding the changes she was now putting into effect. Jan, at his mother's command, stopped crying, and she continued,

"Now that you have gotten hold of yourself, my girl, I want you to pay very close attention to what I am about to say. Tomorrow, I shall go to town to purchase proper clothes for you to now wear about the house in the performance of your duties. When in the future, you get up in the morning, you will dress in a dove grey, cotton, house maid's uniform, with long sleeves, white collar and cuffs. With this uniform, you will customarily wear a white cotton bib apron, fitting over your head and tied with a large bow at the back. This uniform you will wear while processing and serving my breakfast, as also for the balance of the morning and afternoon while about your duties. I intend to purchase you four each of this type uniform and apron, so that you will have at all times a clean one available