Two Coins: A Biographical Novel (Women of Determination and Courage)

I Always Spoke English at Home

Back at work, Mary Pigot is on her way to visit schools. With her is a new hire, a young woman who grew up in Calcutta but can't speak Bengali. This frustrates Mary. How can Miss Bartlett teach local women if she can't speak their language? How could she grow up in Calcutta without learning Bengali? I think of Miss Bartlett as an Anglo-Indian, a woman with a European father and Indian mother. We only know her father kept his family apart from local culture. Now, Miss Bartlett has to earn her own way and has no skills. Mary has compassion for her situation, but can't keep her employed if she can't do her job. The dilemma is one Mary frequently faces.