Lyddie

Lyddie hates taking money out of the bank that might otherwise go toward restoring her family’s presence on the farm, but she is forced to spend some of her savings. She buys clothing and personal effects for Rachel and pays Mrs. Bedlow two dollars to offset the expenses Rachel has accrued as an undercover boarder. Lyddie becomes angry with Brigid, whose skills seem to be regressing. Finally, Brigid confesses that she is distracted by thoughts of her mother, who is terribly ill at home. Frustrated, Lyddie hands over the remainder of her withdrawal from the bank and tells Brigid to use it for the doctor. Brigid seems to have a weight lifted from her shoulders and comes to work ready to focus and participate with enthusiasm.

One evening, Lyddie starts feeling unwell, her body temperature rising until she feels disoriented and weak. Mr. Marsden approaches her after the workers have been dismissed for the day, waiting until the weaving room is empty before grabbing Lyddie by both her arms. He tries to drag her, but she resists, until she becomes confused and cannot understand what he is saying to her. Panicking, she mentions that she is not feeling well, and he moves closer, putting his arm around her. Instinctively, Lyddie lashes out in self-defense, stomping on his foot as hard as she can with the heel of her boot. She rushes out of the workroom, stumbling down the stairs and back to Number Five as she feels her symptoms overtaking her. She remains confined to bed for several days, in and out of consciousness, a terrible fever raging through her. A doctor comes to visit, but she doesn’t understand what is happening to her. Despite her delirium, she is aware of Diana and Brigid visiting her, and of Rachel attending to her, constantly at her side. On the morning that her fever breaks, Rachel greets her, relieved and overjoyed to see that her sister has pulled through.

Lyddie is so weakened that she is unable to return to work for three weeks. She writes again to Charlie, wondering why he has not responded to her request that he intercede with Judah. Rachel remains at Lyddie’s side, caring for her with great attentiveness as she slowly regains her strength. The night before she is to report to the mill, Lyddie writes to ask that Brigid and Diana come to visit her. At Number Five, Lyddie vaguely inquires if Mr. Marsden has said anything about her. Diana insists that he has missed Lyddie greatly; the overseers at the mill receive bonuses when the workers they supervise perform exceptionally well. Sending Brigid and Rachel out of the room, Lyddie presses the issue, explaining to Diana that she is worried she may no longer have a job. She reveals that when she last left the mill, she stomped on Mr. Marsden’s foot when he tried to accost her. Diana believes that Mr. Marsden is likely too worried about what might happen if his advances are made public to dismiss Lyddie.

Rachel wants to begin working, but Lyddie hesitates. Her plan has been to wait to hear from Charlie. Mrs. Bedlow has been kind to make exceptions, but Lyddie knows that they will either have to leave the boardinghouse or move forward with her promise that Rachel will find work. A letter arrives—not from Charlie, but from Luke’s father, Jeremiah Stevens. He writes that Charlie has asked him to look into the sale of their farm, and that he will be inquiring with her uncle Judah. He sends his warm wishes and best regards on behalf of himself and Luke. Resigned to her powerlessness under the circumstances, Lyddie asks Mrs. Bedlow to present Rachel at the mill as a candidate for employment. Despite her size and youth, Rachel is hired as a doffer, a worker who removes full bobbins from machines and replaces them with empty ones. When Lyddie returns to work, she finds comfort in settling back into her routine. Lyddie finds happiness and contentment in having her sister near, but when Rachel begins to exhibit the beginnings of the same cough that plagued Betsy, Lyddie realizes she cannot allow her sister to continue working in the mill.

When Lyddie is told she has a visitor, she barely recognizes Charlie. He comports himself with a formality she does not associate with the little boy she left back in Vermont. He announces with happiness that his employers, the Phinneys, have in essence adopted him. He is an apprentice to Mr. Phinney, attends school, and never worries about facing hunger or scarcity. Lyddie is crushed, reminding Charlie of all she has done for him and the efforts she has made to try to keep their family together. Considering the life the Phinneys can provide, she feels the sting of hopelessness and inadequacy. Charlie shocks Lyddie by telling her that he has come to collect Rachel and bring her back to Vermont with him. The Phinneys want a daughter, and Charlie advocates for their kindness. Charlie claims that Rachel “has never had a proper Ma” and acknowledges that it has been unfair for Lyddie to be responsible for raising him and their two sisters (143). Lyddie is devastated but relents. She cannot risk Rachel’s continued exposure to the hazardous conditions that are already making her so sick.

Charlie hands her an envelope, and Lyddie assumes that their uncle will be sending her money from the proceeds of the farm sale. Charlie tells Lyddie that the letter is from Luke. He tells Lyddie that Judah is claiming the money from the sale of the farm for himself, arguing that he deserves it for taking care of their mother and two younger sisters. When Charlie leaves, Lyddie wonders if it is the last time she will ever see her brother. She returns to her bedroom and watches Rachel sleeping peacefully, overcome with sadness at the thought of losing her. When Rachel wakes up, Lyddie acts excited for her, presenting the move as an adventure and trying to remain lighthearted as she says goodbye. When she reads the letter, she learns from Luke that his father has purchased the farm. Luke hopes to work for his father and earn the land for himself. He says he has “spoken with thy Charlie,” concluding his letter with a proposal of marriage (147). Lyddie is shocked, offended that Charlie would have had such a discussion on her behalf. She is incensed at the suggestion that she would be willing to marry Luke in exchange for being allowed to stay on her family’s farm.

With Rachel gone, Lyddie experiences an emptiness she has never known. Demands at the mill become even more strenuous, and Lyddie questions why she is working as hard as ever, now that the farm has slipped from her grasp. She concludes that her work is all that she has left. The employees at another textile mill in Lowell sign a petition in defiance when they are asked to tend four looms at reduced pay. Lyddie assumes Diana will be happy about this development, but by summer, she notices that Diana is looking increasingly unwell. Lyddie approaches Diana to tell her she has been thinking of signing the 10-hour workday petition, but Diana, seeming distracted, brushes Lyddie off, saying only, “Well, we’ll see”(150). Lyddie recalls all that Diana has done for her since Lyddie came to work for Concord Corporation. Diana taught Lyddie how to operate her looms, looked in on her in her sickness, gifted her with a prized book about Lowell by Charles Dickens, and provided support when Lyddie was frustrated with Brigid. Lyddie is convinced that the only way she can repay Diana for her kindness is to sign the petition in her honor.

Lyddie goes to call on Diana at her boardinghouse and is snidely directed to the labor meeting Diana is attending. After the meeting has concluded, Diana introduces Lyddie to her friend Mary Emerson, and Lyddie vehemently insists on signing the petition. Mary and Diana say that they have already submitted it, and that when they try again Lyddie can be the first to sign if she likes. Lyddie and Diana walk home together, and Diana confesses to Lyddie that she is going to be leaving Concord Corporation. Lyddie assumes that Diana is being dismissed for signing the petition, but Diana gently explains that she is expecting a child and must resign before her condition is discovered.  Not only would Diana be dismissed based upon the company’s conduct regulations, since she is unmarried, but Diana is further concerned that her pregnancy could be used as a means of undermining the reputation of the labor movement. When Lyddie assumes the father of the child will marry Diana, Diana sadly admits that it is impossible because he is already married. Lyddie immediately suspects Dr. Craven is the father. They say goodbye outside of Lyddie’s boardinghouse, and Diana resigns the following day.