Summary

The old man’s reasoning was not successful in persuading the mother to give him a pound, so he offered her a silk umbrella worth “twenty pounds” (663). The mother was ready to accept the offer, but the daughter gave her a “frosty-nosed” (663) look to suggest that it would be immoral to accept the umbrella. This caused the mother to offer the pound for free, but the old man insisted that she accept the umbrella. The mother gave her daughter a “triumphant” (663) look before accepting the offer.

After he left, the mother began talking to her daughter about how the man was “a real gentleman” (663). She then lectured her daughter about how one should be patient when assessing a person or situation. The daughter interrupted because she saw the man dodging “nimbly” (664) through traffic to reach the other side of the street. The mother...