Abbey: Or, Taking It Easy

''Abbey : or, Taking it easy by Lucy Ellen Guernsey'' is a didactic domestic fiction (a Sunday‑school tale) written in the late 19th century. It follows a heedless young servant whose motto of “taking it easy” clashes with households that expect diligence and Christian accountability, offering a moral contrast between careless indolence and conscientious work. The story tracks Abbey Jenkins as she blunders through Mrs. Ward’s home—burning a new green pail, staining a fresh ceiling, and ruining an heirloom cloth—then receives a pointed lesson on the sin of omission from Matthew 25. Hoping to reform her, Mrs. Powell swaps her own capable maid for Abbey and imposes strict, fair training, but Abbey resists discipline, oversleeps, and sulks. At home, industrious sister Elvira thrives in service, their disabled brother Harry earns by fine handwork, and little Totty declines after a fall traced to Abbey’s carelessness. Left alone one afternoon, Abbey hastens a reluctant fire by pouring kerosene on kindling; the can explodes, destroying the kitchen, birds, and garden. Dismissed, she remains self‑pitying while Elvira, Harry, and even Totty contribute; the narrator closes with a warning that “not meaning any harm” is no excuse, and that wasted talents and shirked duties burden others and dishonour God.