About the Author
Katherine Mansfield had been New Zeeland’s most famous writer, who was closely associated with D.H. Lawrence. Her creative years were burdened with loneliness, illness, jealousy and alienation. All this reflected in her work with the bitter depiction of marital and family relationships of her middle-class characters. Born on 14 October 1888, Wellington, New Zealand Died on 9 January 1923, Fontainebleau, France
Introduction
This is a story of a little girl — Kezia who is extremely afraid of her father. Being an over disciplined man, he was strict with Kezia as well. He never had those soft feelings for his little daughter nor did he pet her for a while. She always stuttered when she talked to him. She longed to play with her father but she knew that it was impossible as he was very busy and had no time for his family. However, one day Kezia’s Father changed and she felt his love for her.
Summary
This story depicts the relationship between father and daughter. The little girl, Kezia is much afraid of her father. She always stutters when she talks to him. Kezia has to take off her father’s boots when he gets home from work but he is not satisfied with that. Kezia always went to the church with her father on Sundays. On Sundays afternoons grandmother sent Kezia down to the drawing-room to have a nice talk with father and mother but they were always busy and had no time for her.
One day grandmother told Kezia that it was father’s birthday the next week. Kezia decided to make a pincushion to present her father as a birthday gift. She had nothing to fill it with. She went into mother’s bedroom to look for scraps. She found there many sheets of paper and tore them into pieces and stuffed the case. She did not know that they were the important papers of her father. Father found out the truth and whipped Kezia with a ruler. The child never forgot that.
One day Kezia looked through a gap at the neighbouring house. Father was playing with his 5 children. They looked very happy. When compared with her scary father who never played with her, Kezia saw the height of love between father and children next door and she loved their family.
One day mother became ill and Kezia was left alone with Alice in the house. Alice put her to bed, but Kezia was afraid that she would have a nightmare. Alice asked Kezia not to make noise because she would wake her father. But Kezia really had a nightmare. Father came and took her into his bedroom. Tired out Father slept before the little girl. Kezia held tightly to his pyjama jacket. Kezia understood that her father was working hard every day and had no time for her. She felt sorry for him. She thought that her father had a big heart.