Chapter 21 the land of the rising sun, part two

Ida was kinder then most people saw her, more vulnerable. She was a fair mistress and when alone with her she was a fair friend. Sometimes people tend to hold into certain ideals when they feel threatened and are in unfamiliar places. Ida was one such case. I remember one lazy summer afternoon well, drinking tea and eating scones we had made together.
The laughter of my memory fades and I was left staring at the paint peeling walls. The curled strips stretched out like claws in the semi darkness, as if to pull me in and steal me away. I shivered. It felt like a thousand ancestors eyes were glaring down on me. In times of such loneliness I always turn to my most treasured possession, my book of philosophy. It took a little while to understand all the words in the small worn book. I had even tried going to the library for a dictionary. A skinny, brittle as fractured glass white woman looked down the bridge of her glasses and hissed, "Get out of here you filthy jin. Go steal some other books."

Hartley had caught me reading it one day, my feet resting on a table no less, my feather duster lying next to me. Panicked, frozen in fear, I could all but stare at him. I was in the Penrose's personal library. So what if, he assumed I had stolen it? If not from here surely from somewhere. Instead he smiled in his sad, gentle manner and asked as he read the cover, "Know any good sayings Bernadette?"

"Uh..." Surprised and flustered, I remained mute for a few moments. I didn't want to appear too smart in my speech as I found it leads to being like a certain carnival attraction, a novel oddity. Novelty wears off. But Hartley's soft smile relaxed, "How about 'no man's knowledge can go beyond his experience' by John Locke?" I phrased it as a question as was proper of my kind. Hartley blinked, unable to hide his impressed surprise. He limped to the window and stared out like a canary would a cage. He smiled at me once more then left, shutting the door quietly behind him.

I often wondered what he was thinking that day. After a restless while sleep finally claimed me.

The next day was as hot as the last months had been. I went to ask Master Humphries to take me in his quite old model T car to visit Alice. "Sure, why not you old dear, come along Bernadette DEAR," I gritted my teeth against his patronisation.

Mistress Humphries glared at me pursing her lips around the cigarette. "Bernadette!" She snapped, making me and Mistress's two youngest children jump, "Don't forget the bread this time, think you can handle that?" I curtsied appeasing the mistress and gaining some giggles from Scott and Yohanna. Mistress rapped them across the knuckles with a ruler, "Pay attention! ABCD..."