Daughter’s Initial Disdain and Family Gossip
Covers the narrator’s first interaction with the Lavement daughter, who visits the apothecary shop under the pretense of needing a vial, then gives him a silent look of disdain after observing him. Kitchen maids inform the narrator of her background: her two failed marriage proposals were ruined by her father’s refusal to contribute any money to the matches, which is why she treats her father with little respect. They also reveal her mother is a sharp-tempered matron who abuses her servants, loves social outings, and sees her daughter as a rival, and that the mother’s refusal to support her daughter’s matches is the true reason they fell through. The narrator also notes Mr. Lavement’s strained, resentful grins at his wife and jealous behavior around Captain O’Donnell.
Daughter’s Rejected Advances and Mother-Daughter Rivalry
Details the narrator’s changing dynamic with the Lavement daughter. For the first six days of his employment, the narrator is treated as a menial servant, ignored by both the mother and daughter, until he overhears the daughter complain at dinner that her father would hire such an awkward, lowly journeyman. Offended, he dresses in his best new clothes the following Sunday and goes out for leisure. When he returns home, the daughter does not recognize him, curtsies to him, and he returns a deep bow before she realizes her mistake. Embarrassed, she retreats muttering the insult “creature!” but soon begins visiting the shop dozens of times a day under flimsy pretexts, clearly attempting to win his attention. The narrator, however, is hardened by pride and resentment and rejects all her advances. Spurned, the daughter turns hostile, making false complaints to her father and assigning him humiliating tasks; when she orders him to brush her father’s coat and he refuses, she bursts into tears, and her mother sides with the narrator solely to mortify her daughter. The narrator realizes the mother views her daughter as a rival for Captain O’Donnell’s affection.
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