y question of blame, for the sake of my son. He shall not
marry a girl who don't know how to make his home comfortable any
better than she does--not if his mother can save him from it."

Louisa asked timidly--we were both of us rather timid, Caroline was
so fierce--if she did not think she could teach Harriet.

"I don't know whether I can or not!" said Caroline. "Anyway, I am not
going to try. What kind of a plan would it be for me to have her in
the house teaching her, where Harry could see her every day, and
perhaps after all find out that it would not amount to anything. I'd
rather try to cure drink than make a good housewife of a girl who
hasn't been brought up to it. How do I know it's in her? And there I
would have her right under Harry's nose. She shall never marry him;
I can't and I won't have it."

Louisa and I speculated as to whether Caroline would be able to help
it, when she had taken her leave after what seemed to us must have
been a most unsatisfactory call, with not enough sympathy from us to
cheer her.

"Harry Liscom has a will, as well as his mother, and he is a man
grown, and running the woollen factory on shares with his father, and
able to support a wife. I don't believe he is going to stop, now the
girl's mother has consented, because his mother tells him to," said
Louisa; and I thought she was right.

That very evening Harry went past to the Jamesons, in his best suit,
carrying a cane, which he swung with the assured air of a young man
going courting where he is plainly welcome.

"I am glad for one thing," said I, "and that is there is no more
secret strolling in my grove, but open sitting up in her mother's
parlor."

Louisa looked at me a little uncertainly, and I saw that there was
something which she wanted to say and did not quite dare.

"What is it?" said I.

"Well," said Louisa, hesitatingly, "I was thinking that I supposed--I
don't know that it would work at all--maybe her mother wouldn't be
willing, and maybe she wouldn't be willing herself--but I was
thinking that you were as good a housekeeper as Caroline Liscom,
and--you might have the girl in here once in a while and teach her."

"I will do it," said I at once,--"if I can, that is."

I found out that I could. The poor child was only too glad to come to
my house and take a few lessons in housekeeping. I waylaid her when
she was going past one day, and broached the subject delicately. I
said it was a good idea for a young g