Here, the speaker is Mrs Luella Bates Washington Jones. Mrs Jones offers Roger some lima beans, ham, cocoa made out of canned milk and half of her ten- cent cake. From the beginning of the story, we see Mrs Jones as a tough lady with occasional flashes of generosity. The line mentioned above reveals the motherly instinct in her. She does not enquire about Roger’s whereabouts because she does not want to embarrass him. Rather, she shares the details of her workplace with Roger to make him feel at home. Without exaggerating or making any false show of generosity, she pours her love and concern for a fallen young boy. Significantly enough, her stern attitude towards misdeeds, in combination with tenderness and care makes Roger’s transformation possible.