sellers halls partner in printing business robert store journeyman in print shop , davids superior ian apprentice closest in tenure and age to david thomas senior apprentice in shop when david first arrives in philadelphia hale household : mrs. hale elisabeths grandmother john black cook polly maidservant and friend to elisabeth tom abernathy butler jane servant others : james apprentice to sailmaker rory smith foreman ( and later owner ) of paper mill outside philadelphia victoria billings in philadelphia with her father , readying for a trip out west silas warner philadelphia bookbinder eunice warner daughter to silas warner mr. coxcombe occasional escort of mrs. hale mary elisabeths friend rhiannon ( rhee ) elisabeths best friend ( in england ) becca elisabeths cocker spaniel glossary of eighteenth-century vocabulary bairn a child ( back ) bawbee a silver coin of minimal value ( cant ) ( back ) boll a measure of weight ( back ) cilidh a social evening with music , singing , dancing , etc .