The roof was mended, a scullery-maid – a relative of the elder's – was engaged, hens were bought, the cows gave enough milk, the garden was fenced in, a mangle was made by the carpenter, hooks were put into the wardrobes, which no longer opened at their own sweet will; an ironing board covered with coarse cloth lay across the arm of a chair and a chest of drawers in the maid's room, and the smell of hot irons soon pervaded the room.
Se reparó el techo, se halló una cocinera, comadre del alcalde, se compraron gallinas, las vacas empezaron a dar leche, se cerró bien el jardín con listones, el carpintero arregló una tabla para planchar, se pusieron en los armarios ganchos que les impedían abrirse solos y la tabla de planchar, forrada de paño de uniforme militar, se instaló entre el brazo de una butaca y la cómoda, mientras en el cuarto de las criadas se sentía ya el olor de las planchas calientes.