It's been
patently obvious for some time thatand Charlie's mother, Mattie, has been suffering from some
kind of mental illness ever since Papa left home. Since then, Mattie appears to have been
gripped by a religious mania, becoming obsessed about the end of the world, which she sees as
being imminent. She shares this crazed obsession with Lyddie's aunt Clarissa, and her husband,
Uncle Judah. It's no surprise, then, when she leaves Lyddie and Charles behind to go and live
with Clarissa and Judah on their farm.
As one can imagine, Lyddie and Charlie
are not exactly enthused by their mother taking off, especially as it was not that long ago that
their old man did much the same thing. Nevertheless, the Worthen siblings settle down to life on
their own and manage to make it through the winter without any serious problems. However, no
sooner have they become comfortable with the idea of fending for themselves than they receive
some terrible news. Mattie has written them a letter telling them that she's hired them out to
work: Lyddie will work at Cutler's Tavern, Charlie at Baker's Mill.
Lyddie's
immediate reaction on hearing the news is to burst into tears. Charlie tries to be more stoic
about it, but the anxiety on his face is there for all to see. Still, he manages to find
something to laugh about in his mother's appalling spelling. (She spells "hope" as
"hop.") And Lyddie joins with him in laughing, though, as she ruefully reflects, it's
the kind of laughter that feels very much like pain.
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