When I just became a tax collector, this is what my superior was said to me. Of course in this case,‘she’ refers to Miss Emily Grierson, who is well known for not paying its tax for several years. We tried and made every effort to get the tax paid by her, but nobody ever success to make it happen.So, we the tax collectors, had no choice but come up with emergency countermeasures with it. The plan was to visit Miss Grierson’s house “in a group” and persuade her to pay the tax.
And the day has come. We, the tax collectors, have prepared some official documents to collect the tax.
A Negro man came out and opened the door, says wait for five more minute and Miss Grierson will greet. He and then disappeared. So, for the waiting time, we decided to look over the house and find some valuable stuff in case of she refuses to pay the tax and we enforce the tax collecting.
While I’m checking out for goods, I suddenly noticed an easel, and easel with a portrait.
The painting on the easel was about a full shot of a man standing still. It seems like it was a portrait of Miss Grierson’s father when he was a young man. As I could see the glasses on his nose and his neat formal clothes, I got to know that his social status was in intellectual class. But in the portrait, he was gazing at his near ground, which let him looks little bit worried, or to think that he is considering a serious problem. Also, both sides of his hand was inside his pocket, which let me think he is a character who have lots of thoughts and so ‘prudential’. The background was painted in light brown which makes the man the only object in this painting. This let me to focus more on the man itself but not others in this painting.
While I was appreciating the portrait, Miss Emily Grierson appeared and greet on us.
“Good afternoon, miss.”
“Good afternoon.”
Because I was still curious about the portrait, I asked: “Madam, may I ask who is the person that was on the easel? It seems it does not fit with the surroundings.”
Suddenly, Miss Grierson became outraged, and forced us to get out of her house. Because we did not want her to consider us as a housebreaking, we had no choice but retreated. But I’m still not sure. it was a real mystery that why Miss Grierson would place a gloomy portrait of her father, rather than a bright one.