Mrs. James cannot find half an hour to herself: lamps smoke, children tumble, servants interrupt and callers arrive just when she hoped to read and pray. Resolving at the New Year to guard her time, she dreams of two angels, one over each shoulder, recording her days, and learns to see her small household duties differently.
A short, much-reprinted 1852 sketch of domestic life that still speaks to overstretched parents. Download the free EPUB.