Well, romantic childhood had come to an end with confirmation. Marianne's father had "sold her skin” as he called it and that he did by giving her to the wife of Mr. U.. This was the chairman of the parish council, the registrar, and the local postmaster of the parish centre, the small village Tangstedt (to the north of Hamburg) in the Stormarn county.
Immediately after Eastern she made the first step into her future life. Fate had not yet told her (she was 14 years old) how romantic this life would be. However, after having left her parents' house to step into the big, wide world on her own, she soon was to recognize that there were also different kinds of people in the world.
There were not only those who knew and practised hearty charity to do good things to their fellow human beings so that life does not lose its value, but there were also those wicked people whose bad character is led by devilish intentions.
The story started with her first job as a maid. Already before having been confirmed she had worked here in the afternoon after school to earn the clothes needed for her confirmation but which her parents could not afford to buy.
The first reception by the woman she had to work for was cold and heartless, although the husband of that woman was quite friendly. Wile leading her into the living room, he said: "My dear girl, I heartily welcome you in our house and hope that you'll get along with my wife quite well.”
By these simple words the girl got the strength and courage to take up this job and to face the facts which may occur. Marianne said a friendly thanks for this welcome and continued: "I am going to do all I can to fulfil her wishes."
Well, I think, if that man had been as cool and off-putting as his wife, then this little and well raised child had turned away immediately, not being able to bear the situation. But now she remembered at once the exhortations of her father.
When she had to leave her parents' house he said, while parting from her: "Be always polite towards other people. Meet the obligations you have committed yourself to and carry them out with warm charity in mind. Never do bad things to other people, then you'll always manage to master your life. Stay diligent, honest and fair. Keep being straightforward and upright in your behaviour and stay beyond any reproach so that nobody says any bad things about you and you can always look straight into the eyes of anybody!”
At first Marianne was a little shy but when she remembered these words of her father, she plucked up fresh courage and cheerfully she emphasized again: " I want to do all I can to get on well with your wife.” Then the landlord was quite happy and thankful, thanked her for her good intentions and asked her to sit down.. Unfortunately he could not talk to her for some more time since he had to do his work and follow other obligations. He was not only the local postmaster but also the chairman of the parish council as well as the registrar in the small village being the parish centre and called Tangstedt situated near Wohldorf..
The wife, however, stayed cool and off-putting and did not find the strength to show some leniency towards this shy girl who had to spent his childhood secluded between fir woods, moor and heathland. After Marianne had a coffee with her first employers, the wife introduced her to the new work she had to do. Together with Marianne she then climbed up the stairs to the garret where Marianne was supposed to have her place to sleep and her common room. In this garret a bed was set up and above the bed was a small window to air the place. It was situated so high up that you had to climb on a chair to get a view on the estate. In one corner stood a table and a kitchen chair, in the other corner, near to the door, a stool with a wash-bowl filled with water . . . . .
- during winter the water in the bowl froze and became covered with a layer of ice so that Marianne had considerable difficulties to get a whole in the ice and find a possibility to wash herself.
Now, when the housewife let this room to Marianne she pointed out that it was an advantage that the window was very small and placed very high up since nobody could molest her so easily. Then she set the alarm of the little clock for 5 am and let Marianne know that she had to get up punctually. Since her husband was the local postmaster, too, the room of the post office had to be clean and warm first and only then the back office. At 8 o'clock the coffee had to be ready on the table in the living room so that her husband could sit down in the back office at 9 am.
While climbing down the stairs already she shouted upstairs: "At 6 pm is dinner time and then you have to appear in the kitchen with a clean and ironed apron.”
After all Marianne was a little shocked by the coldness of this woman showing not a bit of charity. First she sat down on the edge of her bed and had a good cry. She was not used to such unfriendliness. Then she looked up to the little window and thought about this remark. What did this woman really want to tell her with those words meaning that nobody could molest her so easily? Possibly she did not mean the rays of the sunshine? Well, those could not reach the little window anyway since a huge oak tree at the entrance of the estate kept the sunshine away. And if the moonlight reached the window it would not have the power to disturb her while sleeping. Yet neither the sun nor the moon would do any harm to people!
Then she remembered the nice big garden belonging to the house, too, and its many gooseberry bushes, its currants and raspberries and the many strawberry patches. The whole of the garden was in the scope of her work. There the sun had free access indeed and if the sky was not clouded too much there was enough opportunity for her to get warmed up and enjoy the sunshine.
Thus she became confident again, removed the tears from her eyes and with a cheerful face she came to the dinner table.
However, Marianne got to know in later life only what the woman meant when she talked of somebody possibly molesting her. She learned the difference between good and bad people she met and that there were more bad than good ones on God's earth.
End of part I
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