And thought, with a nervous dread,

Of the piles of clothes to be washed, and more

Than a dozen mouths to be fed,

“There’s the meals to be got for the men in the field,

And the children to fix away

To school, and the milk to be skimmed and churned;

And all to be done this day.”

It had rained in the night, and all the wood

Was wet as it could be;

There were puddings and pies to bake, besides