o old that any jumble sale would have been pleased to have it. The
kettle-holder hung on the wall, with its cat on a green ground, which
had been lovely in the day of its youth. One of us had worked it; Nannie
of course knew which. The tea-set was there with its green, speckled
ground.

But while all this was being arranged, Nannie had a very bad time. It
was not for long, certainly, but she said it was pretty bad while it
lasted. To insure the complete secrecy of our nursery plan, we arranged
that she should go to Hames while we were doing it all, never thinking
of what she would feel on going into the Hames nursery and finding all
her treasures gone, and finding another woman reigning in her place; for
all through our grown-up years the nursery had been left for Nannie as
it had been when we were children. The nurse in her place hurt most.

"'Mrs.' here and 'Mrs.' there, certificated and teaching. It's all very
well, but I'm not sure they don't go too far in this teaching business.
No amount of teaching will--Well, it's there, so what's the use? I
expect Eve knew how to handle Cain right enough."

"He wasn't very well brought up, though, Nannie," I said.

"Poor child!" said Nannie. "How do we know it wasn't Abel's fault? He
may have been an aggravating child; some are born so, and I've seen a
child, many a time, go on at another till he's almost worried him
into a frenzy just saying, 'I see you,' over and over again, does
it sometimes. Children will do it, of course; besides, there were no
commandments then, and you can't expect children to do right without
rules and regulations. That's all discipline is, rules and regulations,
which is commandments, so to speak."

"You think, then, Nannie," I said, "that Eve forgot to tell Cain not to
kill Abel?"

"Well," said Nannie, "Eve had a lot to do; we can't blame her. She must
have had a lot to do. Think what a worry Adam must have been: he had no
experience, no nothing; he couldn't be a help to a woman, brought up as
he was, always thinking of himself as first, as of course he was! Now,
there's Parker--he is a good husband: he rolls the beef on Sunday to
save Mrs. Parker trouble, and prepares the vegetables; he is a good
husband, no trouble in the house whatsoever. He never brings in dirt,
Mrs. Parker says, wipes his feet ever so before he comes, on the finest
day just the same."

I thought the comparison a little hard on Adam, but still I didn't say
so, and Nannie r