Even Green said, uneasily, "No, I shouldn't think the Judge ought to
do that, quite."

It was evident that Green's Ferry drew its lines as much as any other
town. The moral support it offered Strong was mainly negative,
however, and Green, after several alternate conversations with his two
fellow trustees during this Saturday evening, went off early Sunday
morning to visit his married daughter at the old Meeker place, leaving
word that they must fix it between them. Judge Garvey closed the
somewhat stormy conference of Saturday evening with a promise to break
down Miss Northrop's school in a week, and Strong's paper in a month.
"Do you flatter yourself I should not have had your contemptible sheet
in powder under my feet, sir, before this, if I had thought it worth
the attention?" Nevertheless, as there was nothing on which the Judge
prided himself more than on his invariable civility to ladies ("the
courtly Judge" was his favorite phrase in writing up a local notice of
any affair at which he had been present), Strong, having possession of
the school-house key, was able to put Miss Northrop into possession on
Monday morning without opposition. The Judge even visited her during
the day and addressed the school with extreme suavity.

He was, however, very seriously affronted, and had not passed his
Sunday without diligent preparation among parents and children to make
Miss Northrop's position untenable. It would have been no difficult
task, either, but for an altogether unprecedented obstacle--a factor
that he had not dreamed of in his calculations, and that Strong
himself had underestimated. The children, who had gone to school
Monday morning primed for mutiny, surrendered their hearts in a body
to Miss Northrop by night; three days later, Uncle Billy Green's
niece, who taught the primary school, gave in adoring allegiance; by
the end of the week everybody who had seen her was her advocate. It
was certainly an unprecedented thing that Judge Garvey's best
exertions should come to naught, because of a woman's way of smiling
and speaking; but Miss Northrop's tenure of the school was secure. It
was not entirely speech and smile, however. Miss Northrop was
interested in everything, and consequently had common ground with
everybody; and she met each one on that ground, not so much ignoring
as temporarily forgetting differences.

The year wore on from gray to gray; the parching north wind poured
down the plain and darkene