During the last part of her speech Mrs Greenways had been poking and squeezing her parcel of sugar into its appointed corner of her basket; as she finished she settled it on her arm, clutched at her gown with the other hand, and prepared to start. "And now, as I'm in a hurry, I'll say good night, Mrs Pinhorn and Mrs Wishing, and good night to you, Mr Dimbleby." She rolled herself and her burden through the narrow door of the shop, and for a moment no one spoke, while all the little clocks ticked away more busily than ever. "She's got enough to carry," said Mrs Pinhorn, breaking silence at last, with a sideway nod at her neighbour. "She have _so_," agreed Mrs Wishing mildly; "and I wonder, that I do, to see her carrying that heavy basket on foot--she as used to come in her spring cart." Mrs Pinhorn pressed her lips together before answering, then she said with meaning: "They're short of hands just now at Orchards Farm, and maybe short of horses too." "You don't say so!" said Mrs Wishing, drawing nearer. "My Ben works there, as you know, and he says money's scarce there, very scarce indeed. One of the men got turned off only t'other day." "Lor', now, to think of that!" exclaimed Mrs Wishing in an awed manner. "An' her in that bonnet an' all them artificials!" "There's a deal," continued Mrs Pinhorn, "in what Mrs White says about them two Greenways gals with their fine-lady ways. It 'ud a been better to bring 'em up handy in the house so as to help their mother. As it is, they're too finnicking to be a bit of use. You wouldn't see either of _them_ with a basket on their arm, they'd think it lowering themselves. And I dare say the youngest 'll grow up just like 'em." "There's a deal in what Mrs Greenways's just been saying too," remarked the woman called Mrs Wishing in a hesitating voice, "for Mrs James White _is_ a very strict woman and holds herself high, and `Lilac' is a fanciful kind of a name; but _I_ dunno." She broke off as if feeling incapable of dealing with the question. "I can't wonder myself," resumed Mrs Pinhorn, "at Mrs Greenways being a bit touchy. You heard, I s'pose, what Mrs White up and said to her once? You didn't? Well, she said, `You can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear, and you'll never make them girls ladies, try all you will,' says she. `Useless things you'll make 'em, fit for neither one station or t'other.'" "That there's plain speaking!" said Mrs Wishing admiringly. Mr Dimbleby had not uttered a word during this conversation, and was to all appearance entirely occupied in weighing out, tying up parcels, and receiving orders. In reality, however, he had not lost a word of it, and had been getting ready to speak for some time past. Neither of the women, who were well acquainted with him, was at all surprised when he suddenly remarked: "It were Mrs Leigh herself as had to do with the name of Mrs James White's baby." "Re'lly, now?" said Mrs Wishing doubtfully.