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His mother, Joan Elisa Davis, was the daughter of a prosperous stockbroker, and the family lived a comfortable life, he said, “complete with nanny, cook and parlormaid.”

My great-grandparents’ household was like an ethnic joke: a German cook, an Irish parlormaid, a French governess, and a local butler.

Finally, he married the parlormaid, and settled here in this town as a joiner.

They had all gone to the Opera, the parlormaid told him.

Somehow she could not picture her in a parlormaid's cap and apron.