The world is full of
ingratitude, and strange to say, Christina was dissatisfied, which
naturally wounded the feelings of the good monks, as in addition to this
large sum of money she received her food and clothes; the latter
consisting of full trousers, and a confusion of light material, which,
having no shape whatever, I could not describe. Christina, though young,
was not pretty, and she was always either crying or scolding, which
would of course spoil any beauty; while at the same time she was either
washing all the clothes belonging to the whole establishment of monks (a
very disagreeable business), or hanging them out to dry near the spring;
or she was sweeping the monastery; or arranging the very dirty rooms of
the establishment; or baking all the bread that was required; or cooking
the dinner; or repairing all the old clothes which the monks wore when
they were only fit for a paper-mill. As there was no special
accommodation in the shape of a laundry, Christina had to collect
sticks, and make a huge fire beneath a copper cauldron in the open air,
into which she plunged all the different vestments of the monks and
priests, and stewed them before washing. This was a Cyprian "maid of all
work," whose gross ingratitude troubled the minds of her "pastors and
masters;" and one day a peculiar mental disturbance pervaded the whole
priestly establishment and caused a monasterial commotion, as, after a
violent fit of temper attended by crying, Christina had declared
solemnly that she "would stand it no longer," and "she wished TO BETTER
HERSELF!"
Whenever there was a difficulty the monks came to me; why, I cannot
imagine.
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