three o'clock before
There were anxious lines on her forehead and hollows in her pale cheeks , such as her easy circumstances did not account for . That she `` enjoyed very poor health , '' according to the dictum of her neighbors , was considered by them to be a sufficient reason for Mrs. Meldreth 's evident lack of peace of mind . Mr. Evandale set off for his visit to the sick woman early in the afternoon . He was hindered on his way to her house by meeting with various of his friends of the humbler sort , whom he did not like to pass without a word , and it was after three o'clock before he reached Mrs. Meldreth 's cottage . He entered the shop , which looked duller and more uninviting than ever , and found that it was tenanted only by a girl of thirteen -- a girl whom he knew to be the stupidest in the whole of the village school . `` Well , Polly Moss , '' he said good-naturedly , `` are you taking care of the shop ? '' Polly Moss , a girl whose mouth looked as if it would never close , beamed at him with radiant satisfaction , and replied -- `` Yes , sir -- I 'm minding the shop , sir .