The Nightmare of a Missus

Hannah had left a pan of bread to rise. Meg had worked it up early, set it on the hearth for a second rising and forgotten it. A strange sense of helplessness fell upon the girls as the gray bonnet vanished round the corner. And despair seized them when a few minutes later, miss crocker appeared and said she'd come to dinner. Now this lady was a thin, yellow spinster with a sharp nose and inquisitive eyes who saw everything and gossiped about all she saw. They disliked her, but had been taught to be kind to her because she was old and poor and had few friends.