In Which We
Discuss Hitty: Her First Hundred
Years
Written by Rachel Field, illustrated by Dorothy Lathrop
HITTY
Her First Hundred Years
Week of
Chapter Ten: In
Which I Am Rescued and Hear Adelina Patti:
Hitty has
been trapped for a long time in the horsehair sofa in the attic where
she was
abandoned by Little Thankful. The fates
have intervened again and she is rescued and is given to a little girl
that
actually prefers her over the fancy dolls.
Clarissa turned out to be a very good companion for Hitty and it
was
with Clarissa that Hitty learned to write after spending many hours as
her
companion at school.
Hitty’s
life is now relatively quiet as Clarissa is a quiet and gentle Quaker
child. She sewed many outfits for Hitty. Clarissa’s sister, Ruth, is 18 and far
too
given to vanities of the world rather than the Quaker lifestyle, but
Ruth was
also a kind girl and saved scraps of silk and muslin for Clarissa to
use for
Hitty’s clothes. She even had an
idea of
making a wooden box into a delightful one-room home for Hitty.
Hitty
also has a chance to go to the opera to see Adelina Patti sing. Clarissa knew she would be forbidden to go
because it was too worldly and expensive; however, when the opportunity
presented itself, it was too great for her to refuse.
She will sneak out, meet a boy whose Uncle
will be playing in the orchestra and who will provide the passes for
them to
get in. Once there, they enjoyed the
concert immensely and were able to meet Adelina in person after the
concert. However, a mob soon ensued and
Clarissa and Hitty barely made it out safely.
Unbeknownst to Clarissa, her parents were at the concert and saw
their
daughter on stage with Adelina Patti. They
met her at the door when she arrived home, but seeing how upset she was
they
put her to bed to rest and recover from her experience.
DISCUSSION:
Hitty’s thought while in the sofa:
“True
worth counts for little. It is a hard world for those of us who are not
able to
keep our complexions.” I think that holds true for today, too.
_______________________________
I always like the way Clarissa took care of Hitty.
_______________________________
Imagine Hitty’s hopefulness when
she hears
children in the attic. Just to hear their voices and know they are
nearby. But,
of course, when they go back downstairs, Hitty is even lonelier.
Finally one
day, after spending years trapped in the sofa, the joy of having one of
the
children put their hand around her.
Hitty spent some of the pleasantest years of her life with Clarissa Pryce. It was less adventurous, but Hitty was to learn a lot as she became Clarissa’s desk companion at the little dame school she attended.
Fortunately
for Hitty, Clarissa was very kind and gentle. She was very skillful
with a
needle and Hitty found her wardrobe being replenished right away. Even
though
the Pryces were Quakers, Clarissa’s mother let Hitty keep her
coral beads as
long as Clarissa did not draw attention to them too frequently and the
neck of
her dress was high enough to keep them from being too conspicuous. I
can’t
imagine Hitty being without her coral beads. The beads must always
remind her of
the wonderful time she was having exploring