During the next week I made a few inquiries about her, and was told she was “the best hand in the Potteries at a row.” “Law, ma’am! have you got Mrs A— among you? Why, she’ll soon upset you all. Why, when she goes with the men into the public-house, they’re all afeared of her. There’s never no peace where she is.” This account quite confirmed the opinion which I had formed, that she was a woman of great energy and uncommon ability; while, if that energy and ability could only be turned to some proper use, she might be just as valuable as she was now mischievous. But the difficulty was how to get at such a person, with whom one had so little in common. I confess, I rather hoped that I should see no more of her. But the next week she was there again, and again asked for work. I gave her what she had refused the week before, which she took without saying a word, and went away to her seat. Whilst taking the money for the work, and settling the accounts, I did not require the women to be quiet,—that is _their_ time for saying to one another what they wish; so that I did not take any notice of the very loud tone in which my new and formidable member conversed, nor of her subject, which was principally a running commentary upon my proceedings. At length I took the Bible, and sitting down, all the mothers put aside their work, and remain quite silent. This woman, however, kept cutting out, and talking on, pretending that she did not observe the change. After waiting a minute or two, I said to her—“We do not continue the work while the chapter is being read. We think it a respect due to the Word of God to sit quietly and listen.” “Then, I suppose, I must waste my time too?” “I am sorry you think it waste of time; but you certainly must do as the rest. No one is _obliged_ to come here, but whoever chooses to come _must conform_ to our rules.” She threw down her scissors, and sat out the reading with a very ill grace. Had there been any one to side with her, I believe we could hardly have escaped “a scene,” but she seemed rather an object of dislike to the rest; they were annoyed at the interruption which she had caused, and she met with no encouragement. She subsided considerably after another week or two; and her sole mode of annoyance consisted in saying, partly to herself, and partly to her next neighbour, while I was speaking, in a tone that I might or might not hear, as I pleased— “_That’s_ nothing new.” “Everybody knows _that_, I sh’d think.” “I wonder where she pick’d that up!” &c. I tried at first the effect of not hearing, but as that experiment did not succeed, I thought I must adopt some other means. One evening, I heard her muttering, in reference to something which I had just said— “I knew all that long ago, and a pretty deal more, too.” I stopped, and looking directly at her, said—