At present she seemed on the verge of impatience; it was supper time, but her children lingered.
'There they are, and there they must wait, I s'pose,' she murmured to herself as she finished slicing the vegetables and went to remove the pan a little from the fire.
A knock at the house door called her upstairs.

She came down again, followed by a young girl of pleasant countenance, though pale and anxious-looking.

The visitor's dress was very plain, and indicated poverty; she wore a long black jacket, untrimmed, a boa of cheap fur, tied at the throat with black ribbon, a hat of grey felt, black cotton gloves.
'No one here ?' she asked, seeing the empty kitchen.
'Goodness knows where they all are.

I s'pose Dick's at his meeting; but Alice and 'Arry had ought to be back by now.

Sit you down to the table, and I'll put on the vegetables; there's no call to wait for them.