From 1890 to 1910, with only occasional times away, Laura Ellen Sargent was Mrs. Eddy's faithful companion. As late as 1909 she was, in the words of a co-worker, "more indispensable than ever"—"rarely out of sight, always within hearing." William R. Rathvon reminiscences, p. 186, Archives and Library of The Mother Church.
Some indication of Mrs. Sargent's role in the household can be gained from a letter Mrs. Eddy wrote to Laura's sister Victoria a year after Laura began work. "What should I have done without your dear sister?" Mrs. Eddy asked. "...She is the best, the kindest and dearest girl in all the world to me...." Mrs. Eddy letter to Victoria H. Sargent, January 3, 1891, Archives (L07855).
Mrs. Sargent's tasks defy a single title. She was, first and foremost, a metaphysical helper, having been taught by Mrs. Eddy in four classes. As head housekeeper, she "did much to weld the workers together as a unit so that the home ran smoothly," Calvin C. Hill reminiscences, p. 58, Archives. according to one eyewitness.
