The wife of an American millionaire was visited by a woman, the daughter and also the widow of small professional men.

She stated that she was in need of both food and clothing.

The millionaire's wife gave her a leg of mutton and two valuable dresses.

The woman proceeded to whine, though in vigorous health, that she had no one to carry them home for her, and could not think of carrying them herself.

The American, the descendant of generations of able, labouring, New England, Puritan women, tucked the leg of mutton under one arm and the bundle of clothes under the other and walked off down the city street towards the woman's dwelling, followed by the astonished pauper parasite.
The most helpless case of female degeneration we ever came into contact with was that of a daughter of a poor English officer on half-pay and who had to exist on a few hundreds a year.