Mathew ascended three flights of stairs `" passed half-way down a long arched gallery `" and knocked at another old-fashioned oak door. This time the signal was answered. A low, clear, sweet voice, inside the room, inquired who was waiting without? In a few hasty words Mathew told his errand. Before he had done speaking the door was quietly and quickly opened, and Sarah Leeson confronted him on the threshold, with her candle in her hand. Not tall, not handsome, not in her first youth `" shy and irresolute in manner `" simple in dress to the utmost limits of plainness `" the lady's-maid, in spite of all these disadvantages, was a woman whom it was impossible to look at without a feeling of curiosity, if not of interest. Few men, at first sight of her, could have resisted the desire to find out who she was; few would have been satisfied with receiving for answer, She is Mrs. Treverton's maid; few would have refrained from the attempt to extract some secret information for themselves from her face and manner; and none, not even the most patient and practiced of observers, could have succeeded in discovering more than that she must have passed through the ordeal of some great suffering at some former period of her life. Much in her manner, and more in her face, said plainly and sadly: I am the wreck of something that you might once have liked to see; a wreck that can never be repaired `" that must drift on through life unnoticed, unguided, unpitied `" drift till the fatal shore is touched, and the waves of Time have swallowed up these broken relics of me forever. This was the story that was told in Sarah Leeson's face `" this, and no more. No two men interpreting that story for themselves, would probably have agreed on the nature of the suffering which this woman had undergone. It was hard to say, at the outset, whether the past pain that had set its ineffaceable mark on her had been pain of the body or pain of the mind. But whatever the nature of the affliction she had suffered, the traces it had left were deeply and strikingly visible in every part of her face. Her cheeks had lost their roundness and their natural color; her lips, singularly flexible in movement and delicate in form, had faded to an unhealthy paleness; her eyes, large and black and overshadowed by unusually thick lashes, had contracted an anxious startled look, which never left them and which piteously expressed the painful acuteness of her sensibility, the inherent timidity of her disposition. So far, the marks which sorrow or sickness had set on her were the marks common to most victims of mental or physical suffering. The one extraordinary personal deterioration which she had undergone consisted in the unnatural change that had passed over the color of her hair. It was as thick and soft, it grew as gracefully, as the hair of a young girl; but it was as gray as the hair of an old woman. It seemed to contradict, in the most startling manner, every personal assertion of youth that still existed in her face. With all its haggardness and paleness, no one could have looked at it and supposed for a moment that it was the face of an elderly woman. Wan as they might be, there was not a wrinkle in her cheeks. Her eyes, viewed apart from their prevailing expression of uneasiness and timidity, still preserved that bright, clear moisture which is never seen in the eyes of the old. The skin about her temples was as delicately smooth as the skin of a child. These and other physical signs which never mislead, showed that she was still, as to years, in the very prime of her life. Sickly and sorrow-stricken as she was, she looked, from the eyes downward, a woman who had barely reached thirty years of age. From the eyes upward, the effect of her abundant gray hair, seen in connection with her face, was not simply incongruous `" it was absolutely startling; so startling as to make it no paradox to say that she would have looked most natural, most like herself if her hair had been dyed. In her case, Art would have seemed to be the truth, because Nature looked like falsehood.
What shock had stricken her hair, in the very maturity of its luxuriance, with the hue of an unnatural old age? Was it a serious illness, or a dreadful grief that had turned her gray in the prime of her womanhood? That question had often been agitated among her fellow-servants, who were all struck by the peculiarities of her personal appearance, and rendered a little suspicious of her, as well, by an inveterate habit that she had of talking to herself. Inquire as they might, however, their curiosity was always baffled. Nothing more could be discovered than that Sarah Leeson was, in the common phrase, touchy on the subject of her gray hair and her habit of talking to herself, and that Sarah Leeson's mistress had long since forbidden every one, from her husband downward, to ruffle her maid's tranquility by inquisitive questions.
What was the overall purpose of this excerpt?
- to explain that Sarah was a privileged maid
- to describe the setting of the house and those living there
- to give a detailed account of the character of Sarah
- to establish the unique relationship Sarah had with the other servants
- to present her individual relation to her mistress
Answer(s): C
Explanation:
Why option C is the best choice
The passage devotes the majority of its space to a detailed, multi-faceted description of Sarah Leeson’s appearance, demeanor, and inner history – her gray hair, pallor, eyes, and the mystery surrounding her past suffering. It emphasizes how different observers interpret the “story” told by her face , underscoring the depth of character analysis rather than merely mentioning her role or relationships. The narrative focuses on Sarah as an individual character , inviting the reader to contemplate her inner life and the enigma of her condition, which is precisely what a “detailed account of the character of Sarah” entails.
Why the other options are unsuitable
A: “to explain that Sarah was a privileged maid” – The text never mentions any privilege; instead, it highlights her plain dress, modest status, and the curiosity she provokes. B. “to describe the setting of the house and those living there” – While a brief setting is provided (the gallery, the door, the mistress), the primary focus is not the environment but Sarah’s personal description. D. “to establish the unique relationship Sarah had with the other servants” – No interaction with fellow servants is explored; the only reference to them is a fleeting comment about their suspicion. E. “to present her individual relation to her mistress” – The mistress is mentioned only insofar as she forbids questioning Sarah; the passage does not develop a relational dynamic between them.
Hence, the excerpt’s overall purpose is to give a detailed account of Sarah’s character , making option C the correct answer.
Reference:
Project Gutenberg – “The Mystery of Sarah” (public domain) Literary Devices – Character Analysis Examples
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