Hannah started off again, and Aunt Mary stood, far less patiently than before, beside the table on which she had placed her jars, and awaited her return.

“Well,” she asked eagerly, as Hannah entered after the lapse of some ten minutes, where is the kettle?”

“Mrs. Tompkins says, ma’am, that she is very sorry that your preserves have commenced working, but that it won’t hurt them if they are not done over for three or four days.  She says that her mamlet is all ready to put on, and as soon as that is done you shall have the kettle in welcome.”

Poor Aunt Mary was, for a few minutes, mute with astonishment.  On recovering herself, she did not storm and fret.  Indeed, she was never guilty of these little housewife effervescences, usually taking every trouble with a degree of Christian meekness that it would have been well for many in the village, even the minister’s wife, to have imitated.

“Well, Hannah,” she said, heaving a sigh, “we shall have to wait, I suppose, until Mrs. Tompkins has finished her marmalade.  But I am afraid all these preserves will be spoiled.  Unless done over immediately on their beginning to work, they get a flavour that is not pleasant.  But we must wait patiently.”

“It’s a downright shame, ma’am, so it is!” said Hannah, “and I wonder you take it so quietly.  If it was my kettle, and I wanted it, I reckon I’d have it too quick.  Only just say the word, ma’am, and I will get it for you if I have to take it off of the fire.”

“Oh no, no, no, not for the world, Hannah!” replied Aunt Mary, to her indignant help.  “We will try and wait for her, though it is a little hard to have one’s things always a-going, and never to be able to put your hands on them when you want them.”

All the next day Aunt Mary suffered the jars of fermenting preserves to remain on the kitchen table.  Every time her eye rested upon them, unkind thoughts would arise in her mind against her neighbour, Mrs. Tompkins, but she used her best efforts to suppress them.  About the middle of the next day, as the preserving kettle did not make its appearance, Hannah was again despatched, with directions to urge upon Mrs. Tompkins the pressing necessity there was for its being returned.  In due time Hannah made her appearance, but without the kettle.

“Well?” inquired Aunt Mary, in a tone of disappointment.

“Mrs. Tompkins says, ma’am,” replied Hannah, “that you needn’t be in such a fever about your old preserving kettle, and that it is not at all neigh-hourly to be sending for a thing before it is done with.  She says she won’t be through with her mamlet before day after to-morrow, and that you can’t have the kettle before then.”

“Well, it is a downright shame!” said Aunt Mary, with a warmth of manner unusual to her.

“And so I told her,” responded Hannah.

“You did!  And what did Mrs. Tompkins say?”

“Oh, she fired right up, and said she didn’t want any of my imperdence.”