"So they be! 'Fatherless.' An' only last Wednesday three weeks he were a dandlin' of 'em on his knee. Oh, 'tis hard, 'tis cruel hard on a poor, single woman!"
A hard-featured woman put her head in at the door.
"Why, Polly, what be 'ee makin' such a moan over?"
Then seeing Jill, she stepped forward.
Mrs. Drake sobbed the louder.
"Little miss have been mindin' me that I'm a lone widder, and my chillen fatherless. So they be, the poor critturs, but 'tis hard to have it thrown up agen me! Ah, my poor dear husban'! Oh, Jim, Jim! why did 'ee leave me?"
She began to beat her hands to and fro, and seemed to be hysterically inclined.
"Run away," said the hard-featured woman. "You won't do no good here, missy. Poor soul! she has been well-nigh distracted, and I were hopin' she were gettin' over the worst of it, and now she be so bad as ever!"
Jill crept out of the house feeling her visit had been a failure.