Tea Leaves
Alma Gogin
1854 - 1948
A cup of tea
Outside rain was falling, there was a cold, bitter taste in the air, and the newly lighted lamps looked sad... At that very moment a young girl, thin, dark, appeared at Rosemary's elbow and a voice, like a sigh, breathed: "Madam, may I speak to you a moment?"
“Speak to me?" There was something simple, sincere in that voice; it couldn't be the voice of a beggar. "Then have you no money at all?" asked Rosemary.
"None, madam", came the answer."How unusual! "Rosemary looked at the girl closer. And suddenly it seemed to her such an adventure.Supposing she took the girl home? Supposing she did one of those things she was always reading about or seeing on the stage? What would happen? It would be thrilling. And she heard herself saying afterwards to the amazement of her friends: "I simply took her home with me."And she stepped forward and said to the girl beside her: "Come home to tea with me."
(...)
The girl stood up. But she held on to the chair with one hand and let Rosemary pull.
Then she said quickly, but so lightly and strangely: "I'm very sorry, madam, but I'm going to faint.
I shall fall, madam, if I don't have something."
"Good heavens, how thoughtless I am!" Rosemary rushed to the bell.
"Tea! Tea at once! And some brandy immediately."
The maid was gone again, but the girl almost cried out: "No, I don't want no brandy. I never drink brandy. It's a cup of tea I want, madam."
And she burst into tears.
(...)
Katherine Mansfield
1888 - 1923
An Elegant Family Taking Tea
Gavin Hamilton
1723 - 1798
La sagesse de tout l'univers se trouve dans une tasse de thé.
Proverbe chinois
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