Cranford

Peter’s Final Disappearance at Sea

Peter went to sea again during a great war in India—the name of which Miss Matty cannot recall—and the family never heard from him again, leading Miss Matty to believe he is dead though they have never officially mourned him.

Miss Matty’s Hope of Peter’s Return

When sitting alone in the still house, Miss Matty sometimes imagines she hears Peter’s step coming up the street and her heart flutters, but the sound always passes and Peter never returns.

Miss Matty’s Mysterious Street Noise

Miss Matty, going to answer the door, reports hearing a strange noise in the street outside—after hesitation, she identifies it not as talking but as kissing, leaving the mystery unresolved as the chapter ends.

KAPITEL VII.

Miss Betty Barker, daughter of old Mr Jenkyns’s clerk and now a retired milliner, calls upon Miss Matty with a carefully worded invitation to tea, deliberately excluding Mrs Fitz-Adam on the grounds that she is unfit society for Mrs Jamieson and Miss Matilda Jenkyns. The invitation prompts a discussion of Cranford’s social code, including Mrs Forrester’s fond theory that the prefix “Fitz” betokened aristocratic blood, which had eventually allowed the widowed and well-to-do Mrs Fitz-Adam, née Hoggins, to be received by most of the ladies of the town. At the tea itself, the company gathers in calashes and proceeds to Miss Barker’s little dwelling, where the Honourable Mrs Jamieson arrives panting up the stairs with Carlo at her heels, settles into the place of honour, and is soon nodding over a comfortable arm-chair while the four other ladies whisper and nod eagerly over a game of Preference at which Miss Barker, despite professing ignorance of the cards, proceeds to “bast” her opponents most unmercifully.

Miss Betty Barker’s Morning Visit

Miss Betty Barker arrives at Miss Matty’s home on an unusual morning visit, before noon. Miss Matty hastily retreats to change out of the yellow-ribboned cap that had belonged to her late sister Miss Jenkyns, but she is flustered and absent-mindedly returns wearing two caps at once. Unaware of her own appearance, she receives Miss Barker with gracious composure while the visitor delivers her errand in a stream of nervous, self-deprecating apologies.

Barker Sisters’ Millinery Background

The chapter recounts how Miss Betty Barker, daughter of the former clerk to Mr Jenkyns, and her sister established themselves as milliners in Cranford after saving money from positions as ladies’ maids. They cultivated an aristocratic clientele—Lady Arley herself occasionally supplied patterns—and turned away humbler customers, mimicking the social distinctions of their betters. Their thrift and charity, however, were genuine, and Miss Betty eventually retired with sufficient means to keep a cow and dress more finely than any lady in Cranford, though her finery had grown somewhat dated.

Tea Invitation and Guest List Details

Miss Barker formally invites Miss Matty and the narrator to tea the following Tuesday, fretting aloud about the “presumption” of her social standing. She has already secured Mrs Jamieson’s acceptance, with the stipulation that Carlo the dog may accompany her. Miss Matty, considering her card game, inquires about Miss Pole and Mrs Forrester, both of whom are to be included. Miss Barker firmly draws the line, however, at Mrs Fitz-Adam, whom she deems unfit company for ladies of rank, demonstrating her keen sense of social hierarchy despite her trade origins.

Cranford’s Debate Over Mrs Fitz-Adam’s Social Standing

The narrator recalls the controversy surrounding Mrs Fitz-Adam, the widowed sister of the Cranford surgeon, née Miss Hoggins. After years of absence, she returned to Cranford a well-to-do widow dressed in rustling black silk, too soon after her husband’s death. A convocation of the leading ladies debated whether to call upon her, persuaded in part by Mrs Forrester’s etymological argument that “Fitz” signified noble lineage. Eventually, all the ladies paid their respects except Mrs Jamieson, who pointedly refused to acknowledge her, though Mrs Fitz-Adam continued to curtsey deeply whenever they met.

Ladies’ Arrival at Miss Barker’s Home

On a bright spring evening, several ladies arrive in calashes at Miss Barker’s door, where curious children gather to watch in silence. A servant named Peggy admits them, and the company files into the former shop, now a dressing-room, where they rearrange themselves before the glass. Mrs Forrester, taking precedence, is led up the narrow staircase to the drawing-room, followed by Mrs Jamieson, who is accompanied by an excitable Carlo. Miss Barker, taking the seat nearest the fire, basks in her pride as hostess.