malice, she only beheld the natural selfishness
of beings in whom education and morals had not yet gained complete
ascendancy.

She judged everything by her own lofty standard, but strange to say,
instead of belittling men, this seemed to make them appear better. When
she found that she could not avoid assenting to evil report in regard
to any one, she did so with an humble air that plainly signified how
grieved she was that men could be thus.

Speaking of Funk, she would say, "I have no desire to hurt any one's
feelings. In nature there is nothing that can properly be called
aristocratic. In botany the nettle is related to hemp and to hops; and
if Funk seems to have somewhat of the nettle in his composition, one
should be careful to handle him tenderly, and thus avoid pricking one's
fingers."

It was during that very winter, in 1866, that the purity and dignity
that were inborn with her seemed more than ever infused with new and
added grace. She always lived as if in a higher presence.

It soon proved that my anticipations of evil were overwrought. My
compatriots were, for the greater part, in accord with me. On every
hand I received assurances of that fact; and, above all, Joseph omitted
no opportunity of repeating to me the respectful terms in which he had
heard my name mentioned among the people. I really think that he was
instrumental in causing others to bring these good reports to my
notice. Martella had become the blessing, the life and the light, I may
say, of our house. Her readiness to oblige, her adaptability and her
desire for self-improvement, had so increased that we felt called upon
to restrain rather than to urge their exercise.

My wife had learned of Funk's attempt to injure us by dragging the
child's name into publicity. Perhaps the news had been carried even
further; for a letter reached us from my daughter, the pastor's wife,
in which she informed us that the illness of her husband made such
demands upon her time that she required an assistant about the house,
and desired us to send Martella to her. She added that her husband
joined her in this wish, because it seemed improper that Martella
should remain in our house any longer. My wife was not unwilling to
send Martella to her for a while; but I insisted that she should stay
with us in spite of all idle talk.

About that time we received letters from the major and from Richard,
both of whom wrote without the other's knowledge, and to the ef