Holcroft could not fail of being impressed by it. The poor man was bolting
such food as had been prepared in his haste to get away.

"Yes," continued the widow, "adaptation is woman's mission and--"

"Really, Mrs. Mumpson, your and Jane's mission this morning will be to get as
much butter as possible out of the cream and milk on hand. I'll set the old
dog on the wheel, and start the churn within half an hour," and he rose with
the thought, "I'd rather finish my breakfast on milk and coffee by and by than
stand this." And he said, "Please let the coffee be until I come in to show
you about taking out and working the butter."

The scenes in the dairy need not be dwelt upon. He saw that Jane might be
taught, and that she would probably try to do all that her strength permitted.
It was perfectly clear that Mrs. Mumpson was not only ignorant of the duties
which he had employed her to perform, but that she was also too preoccupied
with her talk and notions of gentility ever to learn. He was already
satisfied that in inducing him to engage her, Lemuel Weeks had played him a
trick, but there seemed no other resource than to fulfill his agreement. With
Mrs. Mumpson in the house, there might be less difficulty in securing and
keeping a hired girl who, with Jane, might do the essential work. But the
future looked so unpromising that even the strong coffee could not sustain his
spirits. The hopefulness of the early morning departed, leaving nothing but
dreary uncertainty.

Mrs. Mumpson was bent upon accompanying him to town and engaging the girl
herself. "There would be great propriety in my doing so," she argued at
dinner, "and propriety is something that adorns all the human race. There
would be no danger of my getting any of the peculiar females such as you have
been afflicted with. As I am to superintend her labors, she will look up to