“You! How can you say such things to our Mistress? I should give you a tight slap,” shouted the housekeeper and then bowed to young master still rolling on the floor. “I apologise young master, I will kick her out…”

The housekeeper pulled Malee away by her arms as if she was an old ragged doll towards the door. She couldn’t understand why stating what is in front of her could be so wrong. Isn’t it a fact that the nose in the drawing had a big nose? She couldn’t understand what had just happened.

“Hold on, Mary. But it is true, isn’t it?,” said the young master. He was done with laughing and wiping his tears as he placed his right hand on the table, lifting himself up from the floor. “I didn’t ask her whether mother has a big nose. Only what she thought about the drawing. So, what she said wasn’t wrong. The nose was too big.”

“But you can draw very well. Professor Tom said..”

“He can say what he wants. I know myself better. Anyway, let her go,” said the young master.

Mary let go of Malee, and she stood still looking at the boy in front of her with interest. He was only about her age but firmly in control of all the adults in the house. Everything about him looked class apart from her. From the neatly combed hair to the stylish t-shirt, must have changed from the school uniform , to the smooth hands and feet that showed no veins popping out. He had done no manual labour in his life. Malee unconsciously moved her muscle-bound hands with broken nails to her back to hide them from his sight. There was nothing to be ashamed of, she told herself. Everything was fated.

“You. What is your name? You look about my age,” asked the young master in a commanding voice.

“Sir, My name is Malee. I am 13 years old this year, Sir,” whispered Malee.

“Don’t call me sir. We are of the same age. Call me George,” replied the young master who was looking at her intently. He probably had seen no one around his age wearing such shabby clothes before. The way Malee dressed and talked had fascinated him, as if he had been given a new toy to play with.

“But young master,” protested the housekeeper whose name Malee learnt was Mary. From the way they talked to one another, Mary seemed to be very close to the so-called young master.

“Young master, the floor is messy. Should I get Jane to come up to clear it up?,” asked Mary.

“No! no!. Ah, Malee, right? Can you clean it? I will pay for it,” asked George at the same time, waving his hands at Mary’s face.

“Yes,” was all that Malee could reply.

“Wait, have you eaten anything?,” asked George, remembering his own instruction to give her something to eat upon arriving at the house from school. “No, right? Mary, I am hungry. Bring up some cakes and 2 cups of tea.”

“2?” asked Mary, with her 2 fingers pointing up.

“Yes, 2. We can’t have her cleaning with an empty stomach, can we? Now, go.” retorted George, who was not accustomed to servants questioning his orders.

Mary quietly left the room, shaking her head at the events what just taken place in front of her. She had never seen the young master being so nice to anyone before, not even to his finance by birth. And now he was drinking tea with a poor girl selling snacks in a pushcart? None of the other servants would believe her. Perhaps she should talk to her husband about this, the gardener.