 - whom he knew to have been
a Miss Dodson - it was out of all possibility that he could entertain anything
but goodwill, when it was once brought home to his observation that she, for her
part, had never wanted to go to law, and indeed was at present disposed to take
Mr. Wakem's view of all subjects rather than her husband's. In fact, if that
attorney saw a respectable matron like herself disposed »to give him good
words,« why shouldn't he listen to her representations? For she would put the
matter clearly before him, which had never been done yet. And he would never go
and bid for the mill on purpose to spite her, an innocent woman, who thought it
likely enough that she had danced with him in their youth at Squire Darleigh's,
for at those big dances she had often and often danced with young men whose
names she had forgotten.
    Mrs. Tulliver hid these reasonings in her own bosom; for when she had thrown
out a hint to Mr. Deane and Mr. Glegg, that she wouldn't mind going to speak to
Wakem herself, they had said, »No, no, no,« and »Pooh, pooh,« and »Let Wakem
alone,« in the tone of men who were not likely to give a candid attention to a
more definite exposition of her project; still less dared she mention the plan
to Tom and Maggie, for »the children were always so against everything their
mother said;« and Tom, she observed, was almost as much set against Wakem as his
father was. But this unusual concentration of thought naturally gave Mrs.
Tulliver an unusual power of device and determination; and a day or two before
the sale, to be held at the Golden Lion, when there was no longer any time to be
lost, she carried out her plan by a stratagem. There were pickles in question -
a large stock of pickles and ketchup which Mrs. Tulliver possessed, and which
Mr. Hyndmarsh the grocer would certainly purchase if she could transact the
business in a personal interview, so she would walk with Tom to St Ogg's that
morning: and when Tom urged that she might let the pickles be, at present - he
didn't like her to go about just yet - she appeared so hurt at this conduct in
her son, contradicting her about pickles which she had made after the family
receipts inherited from his own grandmother, who had died when his mother was a
little girl, that he gave way, and they walked
