from Over to Candleford, chapter XXVIII, Growing Pains (Flora Thompson)

Her mother, with five children to keep and care for, was hard-pressed, especially as she still insisted upon living up to her old standard of what she called 'seemliness'.  Her idea of good housekeeping was that every corner of the house should be clean, clean sheets should be on the beds, clean clothes on every one of the seven bodies for which she was responsible, a good dinner on the table and a cake in the pantry for tea by noon every Sunday.  She would sit up sewing till midnight and rise before daybreak to wash clothes.  But she had her reward.