A handsome , pleasant-faced boy of twelve , and tall for his age . He used to sit by his mother in the market and would carry home what people bought from her , for which they often gave him a pretty flower , or a slice of cake , or even some small coin . One day Jem and his mother sat as usual in the Market Place with plenty of nice herbs and vegetables spread out on the board , and in some smaller baskets early pears , apples , and apricots . Jem cried his wares at the top of his voice : ` This way , gentlemen ! See these lovely cabbages and these fresh herbs ! Early apples , ladies ; early pears and apricots , and all cheap . Come , buy , buy ! ' As he cried an old woman came across the Market Place . She looked very torn and ragged , and had a small sharp face , all wrinkled , with red eyes , and a thin hooked nose which nearly met her chin . She leant on a tall stick and limped and shuffled and stumbled along as if she were going to fall on her nose at any moment . In this fashion she came along till she got to the stall where Jem and his mother were , and there she stopped . ` Are you Hannah the herb seller ? ' she asked in a croaky voice as her head shook to and fro . ` Yes , I am , ' was the answer . ` Can I serve you ? ' ` We 'll see ; we 'll see ! Let me look at those herbs . I wonder if you 've got what I want , ' said the old woman as she thrust a pair of hideous brown hands into the herb basket , and began turning over all the neatly packed herbs with her skinny fingers , often holding them up to her nose and sniffing at them . The cobbler 's wife felt much disgusted at seeing her wares treated like this , but she dared not speak . When the old hag had turned over the whole basket she muttered , ` Bad stuff , bad stuff ; much better fifty years ago -- all bad . '
This made XXXXX very angry ` You are a very rude old woman , ' he cried out .
Hannah Jem apricots cabbages chin cobbler fall fro hag market