Hello Again!! Guess what?! More fun things from Jane Nickerson, brought to you by the Ambuzzadors for Strands of Bronze and Gold.
This time the content is even more amazing! It is an interview with Sophie Petheram, the main character of Strands
(Interview
with Sophie prior to her move to Wyndriven Abbey)
An Interview with an Adventurous
Young Lady
“The Girls’
Friendly Companion of New England” takes this opportunity to interview a young
lady who is about to commence a considerable journey. Seventeen-year-old Miss
Sophia Petheram, of Boston, is shortly to leave the bosom of her loving family
to travel the great distance southward to Mississippi, a destination that many
in the more long-settled regions of our great country consider “the back of
beyond.”
Q. Miss
Petheram, will you tell our gentle readers what causes you to launch on this
undertaking?
SP: My dear
father passed away during the spring, and so my godfather and guardian,
Monsieur Bernard de Cressac—along with his wife, of course—has invited me to
come live with them at their home. It’s a house with a name—isn’t that
charming? Wyndriven Abbey. He wrote once that it was brought all the way across
the ocean from England. In pieces, of course.
Q. And is your
guardian well-known to you?
SP: Not in
person. He only came to our home once when I was a mere babe, and of course I
do not remember that meeting, and neither do my siblings. It makes him quite
mysterious. My brother Harry calls him my fairy godfather, and plagues me by
descriptions of M. de Cressac as an ogre with tusks of pure gold. Harry is a
silly goose. But my father knew my guardian from long ago and says he is a distinguished
gentleman. I do feel I know him, though,
through his letters to me. Such lovely letters. Through the years he has
written of his travels and explorations with great detail. He even penned
fanciful little tales in which I was the heroine. And that he would take so much time for a
motherless little girl, makes me believe he is a person composed of kindness
itself. And then there’s the delightful
gifts.
Q. Has he
been generous with you? I believe he is internationally well-known as a
successful man of business.
SP: Indeed
he has. I cannot tell you how we all anticipated the arrival of his parcels. Sumptuous
is the only word for them. There was a rocking horse with a mane of real horse
hair—his name is Araby, since he is an Arabian steed. And a doll with a
wardrobe fit for a princess—her name is Elodie, since she is French. Oh, I wish
your readers could see her clothing! Glorious gowns in the height of style and
underthings trimmed with the daintiest broderie
anglaise. Tiny kid slippers and plumed bonnets. I still love them, even now
when I am grown; there is something so enchanting about miniature things, isn’t
there? I visit Araby and Elodie now and again in the attic. Of course when I was older the gifts were more
appropriate for my age.
Q. Did he
never send presents for your siblings?
SP:
Well…no. But then he is not their
godparent. They were not jealous. I do not think. I have always shared everything.
Q. Did you
ever expect that the day would come when you would actually live with him and
his wife?
SP: I
suppose it has always been one of my fancies. For one thing, he has arranged
for me to take riding and music lessons, and I have wondered if, perhaps, he
were preparing me for at least an extended visit to his estate.
Q. The
southern states of our country are very different from our own New England.
Have you any trepidation?
SP: Of
course. Some. I shall miss my family dreadfully. I have never been anywhere, so
everything will be new to me. Also, my people have abolitionist leanings. I
must worry about living in a region that does not share those views. However,
mostly I am excited. My heart begins palpitating when I think of where I am
about to go. I hear that Mississippi has a lush and beautiful landscape.
Q. You
appear to be a modern young lady, most brave and adventurous. Thank you so much
for your time. We wish you great good fortune.
SP: Thank
you for speaking to me. I adore your periodical. Especially the serial stories.
They provide such scope for imagination. I sometimes daydream that I am living
in one of them. I hope I would be as brave as those heroines.
If you are interested here are some other fun things Strands related:
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