Rachel had answered, and taking herself up-stairs
had secluded herself till the old man with the donkey, followed by
Mrs. Prime, had taken himself away from Bragg's End. Mrs. Ray, as her
eldest daughter was leaving her, stood at the door of her house with
her handkerchief to her eyes. "It makes me very unhappy, Dorothea;
so it does." "And it makes me very unhappy, too, mother. Perhaps my
sorrow in the matter is deeper than yours. But I must do my duty."
Then the two widows kissed each other with a cold unloving kiss, and
Mrs. Prime had taken her departure from Bragg's End Cottage. "It
will make a great difference in the housekeeping," Mrs. Ray said to
Rachel, and then she went to work at her little accounts.

It was Dorcas-day at Miss Pucker's, and as the work of the meeting
began soon after Mrs. Prime had unpacked her boxes in the front
bedroom and had made her little domestic arrangements with her
friend, that first day passed by without much tedium. Mrs. Prime was
used to Miss Pucker, and was not therefore grievously troubled by the
ways and habits of that lady, much as they were unlike those to which
she had been accustomed at Bragg's End; but on the next morning, as
she was sitting with her companion after breakfast, an idea did come
into her head that Miss Pucker would not be a pleasant companion for
life. She would talk incessantly of the wickednesses of the cottage,
and ask repeated questions about Rachel and the young man. Mrs. Prime
was undoubtedly very angry with her mother, and much shocked at
her sister, but she did not relish the outspoken sympathy of her
confidential friend. "He'll never marry her, you know. He don't think
of such a thing," said Miss Pucker over and over again. Mrs. Prime
did not find this pleasant when spoken of her sister. "And the young
men I'm told goes on anyhow, as they pleases at them dances," said
Miss Pucker, who in the warmth of her intimacy forgot some of those
little restrictions in speech with which she had burdened herself
when first striving to acquire the friendship of Mrs. Prime. Before
dinner was over Mrs. Prime had made up her mind that she must soon
move her staff again, and establish herself somewhere in solitude.

After tea she took herself out for a walk, having managed to decline
Miss Pucker's attendance, and as she walked she thought of Mr. Prong.
Would it not be well for her to go to him and ask his further advice?
He would tell her in what way she had better li