Mrs Jamieson Approves Miss Matty’s Tea Sales
Mrs Jamieson, the local arbiter of social rank in Cranford, deliberates for several days about whether Miss Matty’s tea-selling would cost her her social standing. She ultimately decides—partly to mortify Lady Glenmire—that an unmarried woman retains her father’s station regardless of her occupation, thus granting her approval. Cranford society intends to visit both Miss Matty and Lady Glenmire regardless of the ruling.
Mr and Mrs Hoggins Return to Cranford
The town is shocked and dismayed to learn that Mr and Mrs Hoggins are returning to Cranford, with Lady Glenmire having dropped her aristocratic title to become simply Mrs Hoggins. Mrs Jamieson declares this confirms her belief in Lady Glenmire’s “low taste” and responds with various social snubs, including drawing down her window blinds as if for a funeral. The narrator, however, admires the couple’s evident happiness at church. Meanwhile, Martha and Jem Hoggins also make their first appearance as a married couple.
Miss Matty Sets Up Her Tea Shop
Miss Matty’s household goods are sold at auction, though an anonymous friend—suspected by the narrator to be Mrs Fitz-Adam—secretly buys back items of sentimental value for her. Miss Matty retains her sitting-room and bedroom furniture, cramming the small rooms with her treasured possessions. The narrator’s father purchases a tiny bedroom’s furnishings for her occasional use, and the narrator spends her savings on comfits and lozenges to attract children to the new shop.
Miss Matty Consults Mr Johnson About Her Business
Before opening her shop, conscientious Miss Matty visits Mr Johnson, the local shopkeeper, to inform him of her plans and ask whether her competition would harm his business. Although the narrator’s father considers this “great nonsense,” the gesture succeeds in Cranford: Mr Johnson reassures her, dispels her scruples, and even sends customers her way, claiming he stocks only common teas while she carries the choicest varieties favored by prosperous tradespeople and farmers’ wives.
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