She had, a month after his wife's death, fought a battle with Luke and conquered.

The latter had, in pursuance of the plans he had originally drawn up for her, proposed that she should go into service at Marsden.
"Oi shall miss thee sorely, Polly," he said; "and oi doan't disguise it from thee, vor the last year, lass, thou hast been the light o' this house, and oi couldna have spared ye.

But oi ha' always fixed that thou shouldst go into service at Marsden--Varley is not fit vor the likes o' ye.

We be a rough lot here, and a drunken; and though oi shall miss thee sorely for awhile, oi must larn to do wi'out thee." Polly heard him in silence, and then positively refused to go.
"You have been all to me, feyther, since I was a child, and I am not going to leave you now.

I don't say that Varley is altogether nice, but I shall be very happy here with you and the boys and dear little Susan, and I am not going to leave, and so--there!" Luke knew well how great would be the void which her absence would make, but he still struggled to carry out his plans.
"But, Polly, oi should na loike to see thee marry here, and thy mother would never ha' loiked it, and thou wilt no chance of seeing other men here." "Why, I am only sixteen, feyther, and we need not talk of my marriage for years and years yet, and I promise you I shan't think of marrying in Varley when the time comes; but there is one thing I should like, and that is to spend Sundays, say once a fortnight, down with Mrs.Mason; they were so quiet and still there, and I did like so much going to the church; and I hate that Little Bethel, especially since that horrible man came there; he is a disgrace, feyther, and you will see that mischief will come out of his talk." "Oi don't like him myself, Polly, and maybe me and the boys will sometoimes come down to the church thou art so fond of.