"Never mind, John. It is only for a time."
Mrs. Goodenough, arriving next morning, found Hetty washing up the breakfast things, while her tears dropped into the water, patter patter, as if she was trying whether salt water would impart an added polish to china.
"In mischief again, Hetty?" said the old woman, laughing. "Such a girl to cry I never did see."
"Mrs. Goodenough, you'd cry if you were me. I'm—go-o-o-o-ing away."
"Well, and what of that? There's plenty of places where an active girl will get as good, ay! and better, wages than you get here, for less work. My Lady Drysdale, where your sister is, wants a kitchen maid. You'd easy get the place. Eight pounds a year, I believe. Me cry if I was the one to go-o-o-o!" and she mimicked poor Hetty in a very heartless way; "not me, indeed. I guessed that they'd be for saving and scraping; for everyone says Cartwrights are very hard—not a penny given if their folks are ill, and no advances, not if they was starving. Every one for himself in this world. You ask Mrs. Eyre for a bit of a character, and go and get this good place, where you'll learn to be a first-rate cook, and be getting your thirty or forty pounds a year by-and-by."
"But Miss Flo. I do love Miss Flo."
"Oh, get out o' that with your love! It's yourself you have to think of. Five pounds a year, and killing yourself carrying that poor child—and eight for half the work. And now 'twill be, 'Mrs. Goodenough, will you help me to move the sofa?' or, 'Will you take baby for half an hour?' as it used to be. I was thinking of leaving before they got you in, and 'twouldn't take much to make me leave now."
"Mrs. Goodenough, is it now, when they are in trouble? Do you mean to say you've been coming here all these years, and haven't got to love Mrs. Eyre and the children?"
"What call have I to love them? I never was one for going about loving folk. And do you think they spend much time in loving me? Don't you be a fool, Hetty. Servants has no business with such feelings; you've your work to do, and you must do it well, because it ain't respectable to do otherways, and they pays you, and there's an end. What's the love wanted for?"
Hetty stared—this line of reasoning was new to her.