A cup of Tea

   

      A cup of Tea by Kathetine Mansfield

Introduction : Katherine Mansfield

  

Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923) is one of the most highly regarded short story writers of the 20th century. A contemporary of James Joyce, Virginia Woolf and D H Lawrence, she played her part in shaping modernism by experimenting with style, subject matter and theme in a body of work that re-defined the genre. As well as short stories she also wrote letters, reviews and journals in a prolific career which was cut short by her untimely death at the age of 34.

She was born Kathleen Mansfield Beauchamp in 1888 in Wellington, New Zealand, the third child of Harold Beauchamp, a prosperous businessman and banker, and Anne Burnell (Annie) Dyer. Her comfortable childhood did little to prepare her for her later experiences of poverty, but provided rich material for her stories.

A Cup of Tea is a short story written by New Zealand’s prominent short fiction writer and poet Katherine Mansfield in 1922. This story was written on the 11th of January back in early 1922, which was first published in the famous Story-Teller magazine and later appeared in Mansfield’s short story collection The Dove’s Nest.

About The Story :

   

This story revolves around the character of a wealthy woman named Rosemary. She spends her day shopping and spending money lavishly. She met with a poor woman of her age named Miss. Smith, who asks for the price of a cup of tea. Rosemary took her home and tried to help her however her intentions are not that kind. She wants to gain fame from this act of kindness. In the end, she wants to get rid of Miss. Smith as her husband praises her for being beautiful.

Rosemary Fell, a very rich and well off woman, who has been married for two years to a very rich and devoted man Mr. Philips Fell, spends her day out shopping at some west corners of London in the finest of shops. She visits an ingratiating antique dealer’s shop that shows her a beautiful small blue velvet box. Rosemary is taken by the beauty of the creamy piece of art but decides not to buy it and asks the shopkeeper to save it for her.

Out she comes from the shop into the rain and as she reaches towards the car a girl approaches her asking her to pay for the price of a cup of tea. Astonished, Rosemary asks the girl to come home with her for tea, finding it an opportunity of adventure and experience, just like she read in books and stories of Dostoevsky. She wanted to show the girl that rich people do possess mercy. The girl agrees apart from her great fears to ride with Rosemary in her car.

As they reach the house, Rosemary takes the poor girl to her room and asks her to sit by the fire. She helps her take off her coat and hat and tries to soothe her. As she tries to proceed further, the girl cries out that she can’t stand it anymore fearing that she will faint out of hunger. Rosemary hurriedly orders tea.

The girl is provided with tea and sandwiches while Rosemary lights a cigarette. Keen to know the story of the girl, Rosemary starts up a conversation with her which is unintentionally interrupted by her husband. He is surprised to see the stranger in the room and asks his wife to talk to him privately.

As they enter the library, Philips begins to inquire about the matter. To this Rosemary replies that she is just helping the poor lady whom she picked up from the street. Her husband tries to tell her that she can’t have a stranger in the house. Facing a refusal Philips points out that the lady is remarkably pretty giving a rise to insecurities of Rosemary.

Rosemary leaves the library and enters the study room from where she picks up some cash. She returns to her room and hands over the money to the poor girl making her leave the house.

After the girl leaves the house Rosemary joins Philips back in the library and asks him if she could buy the velvet box which wasn’t what she wished to ask. After a pause, she whispers, “Am I pretty?”