Caryl Phillips - Cambridge

The large negro woman informed me that her name was Stella, and that anything I desired was to be administered by her or by persons in her charge. In common with English practices, I had expected that in the tropical family a head female servant would be employed to assist the lady in dressing, work with the needle, and attend to the bed-chamber, but clearly this Stella's duties overflowed the mould. She offered apologies for the absence of Mr Brown, although I chose not to mention to her that I had no knowledge of who this Mr Brown was or might be. She then instructed a brace of her blacks to gather my luggage, while I was made to understand that I should follow her into the house. My book-keeper bade me farewell with a short jabbing salute, which led me to wonder if he had military experience. I smiled upon him but could see that he still stung with embarrassment at having stumbled upon the reason for my unaccompanied arrival.

The entrance hall led into a central hall of handsome dimensions, both lofty and sumptuously decorated in mahogany finishing. On either side of this hall were bedrooms, and at the end of this tropical Guildhall was a wide and spacious veranda where one might sit outside and take the breeze. So overwhelmed was I by the opulence and beauty of this construction that I almost forgot my desire to rest and recover some of my senses. The firm entreaties of the negress Stella ('Misses needs must rest, must rest up some') reminded me that after the rigours of a sea journey, some moments invested in simply reclining would probably prove a great boon in better surviving the climate in the days to come, and adjusting to the social demands of the evening ahead. Stella guided me towards the bed-chamber, which was entirely fitted up and furnished in the English taste, and from whose windows I could view the sea, shipping and a great part of the island. Owing to the immodest height of the magnificent trees to the east of my chamber, I found I was also granted a most cool and merciful shade.

The bed was hidden behind the thin lawn curtains, which they describe in these parts as mosquito-nets. I am led to believe they are very necessary, for once these gentry smell the blood of an English arrivant they are quick to strike. Upon the bed itself lay a fine-quality Holland under-sheet, and one for covering. To the side of the bed, and neatly arranged upon a table, were quilts in case I should choose to use them. Stella advised me that often, in the middle of the night, a chill can take a sudden grip, and many an unknown visitor to those climes had been stricken (and worse) by the deception that in the tropical zone the temperature never descends. Having advanced counsel, and indicated to me these West Indian novelties, Stella informed me, with what I took to be a kindly smile writ large upon her black face, that I would not be summoned for dinner until I had rested.

It was only after this black woman's departure that I realized the true nature of my fatigue. Anticipation, the exercise and strain of such, had led me to suspend my physical exhaustion. I was forworn with travel, weary, and wanting rest. As soon as I bathed my face with water, and lay down upon the Holland sheet, I dropped into a repose so deep that it was only a stormy shaking from Stella, her hands fixed firmly about my shoulders, that raised me. 'Missy! Missy! You must hurry, hurry quick! Mr Brown, he hungry and he no wait too long for you.' And so again the name of this Mr Brown made its appearance. I determined that having travelled across half the world I would not, in my father's own house, be hurried into preparing myself to a dinner with a man who had yet to explain himself to me. How dare he demand my presence as though I were some chattel? I made myself clear to Stella, whose response was to throw her hands into the air and bellow, 'O Lordy, Lordy,' at which I instructed her to kindly lower her voice. A lady, I told her, likes to ease her way out of a slumber, and not be bullied by the mooing of a cow into this new pasture of wakefulness. I further informed her that I had no desire to hear my mother-tongue mocked by the curious thick utterance of the negro language, so she might abandon her comical jargon and adopt English. Upon this the negress apologized and said that she would wait outside. I, meantime, took pleasure in dressing and attending my toilet at my own pace. Before I describe the dinner, I will give a brief account of the environs of the Great House and elaborate on what has gone before.

The interior of the house is grand, as I said. The rooms, however, are not ceiled, and the beams protrude to afford a better circulation of air. The central hall is furnished with sofas for the purpose of relaxation, and the walls sport many prints and maps, some of which relate to navigation, a great number being of local interest and depicting the divisions of land and the breadth and extent of the estates. The most interesting of these maps is the one which shows the trafficking islands in relation to each other. I was able to discern that our own island, amply blessed with beauty, is nevertheless modest in size. Littering the central hall and the bed-chambers are any number of rockers and chests of drawers. These are all of a solid wood construction, which leads one to imagine that many fine craftsmen have clearly abandoned England to work in these tropical dimes where, I can only imagine, there is a greater abundance and variety of wood, and perhaps superior quality also.

The veranda, or piazza as it is more commonly known, looks out over the estate. It is furnished with loungers and rockers, chess and backgammon boards, and a spy-glass so that one might observe in one direction the labourers at work in the fields, and in the other direction the passing of ships on the horizon. All the windows in the Great House are equipped with Venetian blinds which permit the free movement of air, and these blinds also close off some light which enables those inside to rest in cool and comfortable gloom. Beneath the house, porkers and poultry find shade and shelter and are allowed to run wild. Their retreat is well respected, but I wonder at the noise they occasion, and fear the smell in such heat. Cookery is performed in a separate building designed for this purpose but this kitchen is located close enough to the dining room so that during transportation the food should not be allowed to cool excessively, or be infested with insects or other pests. Some negroes appear to dwell in the hall at all times of the day so as to be near their master's call, but the majority are engaged in field-work. Their village, the sugar plant, and the attendant workshops, are all visible from the piazza. I presume that in the evening the house-servants slink away to their abodes, for there is properly no provision made for them beneath this elegant roof.

Now, in conclusion, to the dining room. Fitted out with dining table and chairs of the finest mahogany, and a sideboard charged with crystal, china plates, and silver cutlery, it is one of the most distinguished I have ever seen. The curtains are of a heavy material and fall full-length to the floor. I entered without escort and found Mr Brown, a ruddy-complexioned man whom I imagine to be in his late thirties. He was sitting at the head of the broad table, his feet upon a chair, engaged in digging out mud from the soles of his boots with, of all implements, a dining fork. Squatting obsequiously beside him, a black boy was catching this mud and hurrying to toss it out of the window so that it might not lay where it fell. Observing my entrance Mr Brown drew his person to attention, nearly crushing the poor blackie beneath his soiled footwear. He announced himself and came forward to shake my hand. This action marked the onset and the conclusion of this man's civility. Once more he took his seat, but his full attention was now held by the food. Stella carried out the operation of serving at table, but the normal intercourse one might expect between host and stranger was sadly lacking in this instance. For example, I remarked to Mr Brown that it was a very fine day today, to which he replied that I would be tired of saying this before the week was over. I then observed the multitude of black servants, and commented that they all seemed good-humoured, and that I found it pleasant to observe them. His only response was to cackle rudely and attack his meat with renewed vigour, as though it might quit his plate were he not to impale it.