chunk: With every act against the norms of Linnville, Mrs. Jameson gets more and more enemies. She is so distracted with trying to “improve” Linnville that she does not notice that one of her daughters is in a clandestine relationship with the Liscom boy, who Mrs. Jameson does not approve of due to his family's inferior social standing to her own. Eventually, the young lovers are caught, and both of their mothers are furious. Mrs. Liscom does not approve of Harriett Jameson because she is not trained in housekeeping. An expected turn of events leads Mrs. Liscom to adore Harriett though, and the two get married at the end of the novel.