Catherine smiled at her pupil. "Well, think of it as a courtesy to others. It..." she thought for a moment. "It shows them that you care enough to behave in a right way, to look and sounds pleasant. And it's not exhausting once you get used to it. It would feel unnatural to me to hold a cup in any other way."

"I dunno. Mam said 'please', 'thank ye' and a good smile'd take me far. I'm too busy working for much more niceness an curtsey."