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    270 A RAMBLE WITH MRS. GRUNDY.

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    -^»» Among The Few Pleasant Things Of Th...

    look and scowl , who , self-elected , or elected by others , sit in judgment upon men and mannersbut the bonhommie and courtesy of the

    , manager mollified the good lady ' s feelings ; and though her head "was unusually erect , her back stiff , and her mouth close shut , as she

    rose to inspect the establishment , there _"was a slight indication of curiosity in the corners of mouth and eyes , that we thought augured

    well for the result . Upstairs we went in solemn silence , the slow measured step of

    Mrs . Grundy sinking our hopes to zero as she leisurely surmounted the two flightsduring which operationthe manager and ourself

    , , contrived to exchange glances , anything but indicative of that serene state of mind with which "we were anxious to _impress our guest .

    We had caught Mrs . Grundy at last ; what , if all she had hitherto said and done against us in ignorance were now to be confirmed ,

    and the trouble we had taken to secure the old lady ' s personal inspection and judgment be worse than defeated ! It was an awful

    moment truly , and more to gain time than in real compassion for Mrs . Grundy ' s short breathingthe manager paused with her hand

    , upon the door and muttered a few words of sympathy with the steep ascent .

    The old lady bowed , and , with a solemn sense of what Mrs . Grundy might hereafter saywe ushered her into the compositors '

    , room . Two light airy rooms thrown into one , with three windows in the front roomwherestretching from the window-wall far out

    , , into the room , as a painter arranges his easel , stand triple rows of compositors' cases containing Pica , Brevier , Primer , and all the founts

    most in use , young women and girls sitting or standing before them , busy working , some with the ease and rapidity of skilled compositors ,

    some with the slowness and caution of the half-trained workwoman , and others again just learning their alphabet ; for you must know , oh ,

    worthy and accomplished reader , that , let your education ha , ve been "what it mayeven classical and mathematical , the printer ' s alphabet is

    , unknown to your studies , and if you would learn printing , you must learn once more your ABC .

    And now , while Mrs . Grundy looks on , her face gradually relaxing fron its frigid expression , as her piercing eyes take in every

    look and movement of the two rooms full of girls , and she notes the orderindustrykindness , and good manners which prevail , let

    , , us say a word or two as to the workers and the work they are doing .

    In the furthest corner of the back room , close on the left side of the window , there sits a girl , whose busy fingers and absorbed look

    show her to be wholly engrossed in her work ; neither to the right nor the left does she turn , and , watch her as you may , you will still

    see her working diligently , working with evident pleasure and satisfaction . No outward noise distracts her attention , and though she has

    not been many weeks here , so rapid has been her progress that we

    may look before long to see her a skilled ccmrpositor . That busy in-

    270 A Ramble With Mrs. Grundy.

    270 A RAMBLE WITH MRS . GRUNDY .

• Citation
  • English Woman’s Journal (1858-1864), June 1, 1860, page 270, in the Nineteenth-Century Serials Edition (2008; 2018) ncse-os.kdl.kcl.ac.uk/periodicals/ewj/issues/ewj_01061860/page/54/