Mrs. Janes acknowledges that when she first met the Bray girls, she was "kind o' surly to 'em," in part because the house "was cramped o' room." She tells Mrs. Trimble that it's not easy for her to look after the girls because she doesn't have the "means" (i.e., the money) to do so. Looking around the house, Mrs. Trimble feels pity for the girls, who she thinks must, under the care of the parsimonious Mrs. Janes, live like "unwelcome inmates."

When the narrator describes the conditions that the Bray girls have to live in at the top of the house, it becomes clear that they really do live like "unwelcome inmates." Their room is described as "cold, unpainted," and it is furnished with a "broken stove," a "miserable bed" and "one hair-covered trunk." These poor conditions suggest that Mrs. Janes doesn't care much for the Bray girls. Indeed, she has made little effort to make them feel comfortable or at home. This confirms the reputation that Mr. and Mrs. Janes have in the town for being "slack an' poor-spirited."