The professor came to look after his pupil.
Poor old odd-jobber! In his palmiest days he had never made more than
sufficient for the support of his large family; he had never been able
to lay up any money; and so, during this long and severe winter, when he
was frozen out of work, he and his humble household suffered many
privations; not so many as Hannah and Ishmael had; for you see, there
are degrees of poverty even among the very poor.
And the good professor knew this; and so on that fine March morning,
when he made his appearance at the hut, it was with a bag of flour on
his back and a side of bacon in his hand.
After the primitive manners of the neighborhood, he dispensed with
rapping, and just lifted the latch and walked in.
He found Hannah sitting propped up in her arm-chair in the
chimney-corner engaged in knitting and glancing ruefully at the
unfinished web of cloth in the motionless loom, at which she was not yet
strong enough to work.
Ishmael was washing his own clothes in a little tub in the other corner.
"Morning, Miss Hannah! Morning, young Ishmael!" said the professor,
depositing both his bag and bacon on the floor. "I thought I had better
just drop in and see after my 'prentice. Work has been frozen up all
winter, and now, like the rivers and the snow-drifts, it is thawed and
coming with a rush! I'm nigh torn to pieces by the people as has been
sending after me; and I thought I would just take young Ishmael on again
to help me. And--as I heard how you'd been disabled along of the
rheumatism, Miss Hannah, and wasn't able to do no weaving, and as I
knowed young Ishmael would be out of work as long as I was, I just made
so free, Miss Hannah, as to bring you this bag of flour and middling of
bacon, which I hope you'll do me the honor of accepting from a
well-wisher."
"I thank you, Morris; I thank you, very much; but I cannot think of
accepting such assistance from you; I know that even you and your family
must have suffered something from this long frost; and I cannot take the
gift."
"Law, Miss Hannah," interrupted the honest fellow, "I never presumed to
think of such a piece of impertinence as to offer it to you as a gift! I
only make free to beg you will take it as an advance on account of
young Ishmael's wages, as he'll be sure to earn; for, bless you, miss,
work is a-pouring in on top of me like the cataract of Niagara itself!
And I shall want all his help. And as I mayn't have the money to pay him
all at once, I would consider of it as a favor to a poor man if you
would take this much of me in advance," said the professor.