ominion, it all looked deserted and empty to her guest.
They lingered together in the wide lower hall, and parted with unusual
affection. This was by no means the first hint that had been given of
a somewhat fettered and disappointing home life, though Miss Fraley
would have shuddered at the thought of any such report's being sent
abroad.

"Send the children round to see me," said Miss Prince, by way of
parting benediction. "They can play in the garden an hour or two, and
it will be a change for them and for you;" which invitation was
gratefully accepted, though Miss Eunice smiled at the idea of their
needing a change, when they were sure to be on every wharf in town in
the course of the day, and already knew more people in Dunport than
she did.

The next morning Miss Prince's sense of general well-being seemed to
have deserted her altogether. She was overshadowed by a fear of
impending disaster and felt strangely tired and dissatisfied. But she
did not believe in moping, and only assured herself that she must make
the day an easy one. So, being strong against tides, as some old poet
says of the whale, Miss Prince descended the stairs calmly, and
advised Priscilla to put off the special work that had been planned
until still later in the week. "You had better ask your sister to come
and spend the day with you and have a good, quiet visit," which
permission Priscilla received without comment, being a person of few
words; but she looked pleased, and while her mistress went down the
garden walk to breathe the fresh morning air, she concocted a small
omelet as an unexpected addition to the breakfast. Miss Prince was
very fond of an omelet, but Priscilla, in spite of all her good
qualities, was liable to occasional fits of offishness and depression,
and in those seasons kept her employer, in one way or another, on
short commons.

The day began serenely. It was the morning for the Dunport weekly
paper, which Miss Prince sat down at once to read, making her
invariable reproachful remark that there was nothing in it, after
having devoted herself to this duty for an hour or more. Then she
mounted to the upper floor of her house to put away a blanket which
had been overlooked in the spring packing of the camphor-wood chests
which stood in a solemn row in the north corner of the garret. There
were three dormer windows in the front of the garret-roof, and one of
these had been a favorite abiding-place in her youth. She had play