What happens in Chapter 3 of Lyddie?

At the
beginning of Chapter 3,stands outside Cutler's Tavern. She notes that the tavern is larger than
the Stevenses' farmhouse. At this point, Lyddie is feeling discouraged. She can't believe her
own mother has consigned her and her brother Charlie to a life of servitude.

Soon, an arriving stagecoach interrupts her reverie, and she is stunned when she sees a
well-dressed couple emerge from the carriage. The man is wearing a beaver hat and expensive
clothes, while the woman is dressed in a beautiful pink silk gown.

The woman
smiles sweetly at Lyddie, who returns the smile. Meanwhile, the lady of the tavern (Mistress
Cutler) spots Lyddie and thinks that she is a vagabond. Indignant, Lyddie tells Mistress Cutler
that she is actually the new hire. In response, Mistress Cutler tells Lyddie to look for
Triphena, the cook, so that she can see about washing up.

In the kitchen,
Lyddie sees a large kettle filled with beans, potatoes, carrots, and meat in a rich broth. There
are chickens roasting on a spit. In all, the kitchen is three times the size of the Worthen
cabin.

Lyddie sits and waits for Tryphena and begins daydreaming again. She
misses Charlie but remembers how hard life had been at home. There, she had to perform most of
the chores for her ailing mother. In all, Lyddie wishes that she had been a boy. She imagines
that her father would have stayed, if he had had an older son to help him with the
farm.

Life is equally difficult at the tavern. Mistress Cutler watches Lyddie
like a hawk to make sure that she doesn't steal food. The chapter ends with new hope for Lyddie,
however. When she sees the pink silk-gowned lady again in September, the latter tells her that
she is actually a factory girl at the Hamilton mill. She tells Lyddie to consider working there,
for there are benefits in doing so.

Lyddie can't believe what she is hearing.
However, she does note that the lady is wearing a silk dress, something she (Lyddie) can't
presently afford.