This was not for long. The pretty,
cheerful Lizzie disappeared one day without her notice and with all
her baggage and returned no more.
This pretty, cheerful Lizzie was succeeded by a melancholy Molly.
Molly was born in America, of german parents. All her people had been
long dead or gone away. Molly had always been alone. She was a tall,
dark, sallow, thin-haired creature, and she was always troubled with
a cough, and she had a bad temper, and always said ugly dreadful swear
words.
Anna found all this very hard to bear, but she kept Molly a long time
out of kindness. The kitchen was constantly a battle-ground. Anna
scolded and Molly swore strange oaths, and then Miss Mathilda would
shut her door hard to show that she could hear it all.
At last Anna had to give it up. "Please Miss Mathilda won't you speak
to Molly," Anna said, "I can't do a thing with her. I scold her, and
she don't seem to hear and then she swears so that she scares me. She
loves you Miss Mathilda, and you scold her please once."
"But Anna," cried poor Miss Mathilda, "I don't want to," and that
large, cheerful, but faint hearted woman looked all aghast at such a
prospect. "But you must, please Miss Mathilda!" Anna said.
Miss Mathilda never wanted to do any scolding. "But you must please
Miss Mathilda," Anna said.
Miss Mathilda every day put off the scolding, hoping always that Anna
would learn to manage Molly better.
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