"They don't care whether I make bread all day, or not."
"I hope it will not be for long," said Rotha, "that I shall give you this trouble."
"I don't know how long it will be," said Mrs. Purcell, making out her loaves with quick dexterity and putting them in the pans which stood ready; "but I aint a fool. I can tell you one thing. Mis' Busby aint a fool neither; and when she pays anybody to go from New York here in the cars, it aint to pick her a bunch o' flowers and go back again."
Rotha was not a fool either, and was of the same opinion. This brought her back to her business.
"If I stay a while, I shall want to get at some books to read," she said.
"Are there any in the house?"
"Books?" said Mrs. Purcell. "I've never seen no books since I've been here."
"Where can I get some, then? Where are there any?"
"I don't know nothin' about books. I don't have no use for no books, my own self. I don't read none—'cept my 'little blue John.'"
"Your 'little blue John'? What is that?"
"I s'pose you have a big one."