of her home and family. She pats the
children on the head when they come down to dessert, and plies them with
chocolate creams, much to the detriment of their health; but it amuses
Mrs. Brown. Mr. Brown superintends the bilious attacks, which the lady
attributes to other causes. As she never finds fault with the children,
and generally remonstrates with their father, in a good-natured way,
when _he_ does so, they are devoted to the indulgent parent, and are
inclined to regard the other as second-rate.

Meal-times are often trying in this household, for Sophia is very
particular about her food; sometimes she sends it out with a rude
message to the cook. Not that John objects to this. He wishes she would
do it oftener, for the cook gets used to Mr. Brown's second-hand
version of his wife's language. He simply cannot bring himself to hint
at Mrs. Brown's robust objurgations. She _can_ express herself when it
comes to a question of her creature comforts!

John's faded cheeks, the hollow lines under the eyes, and hair out of
curl, speak of the struggle for existence as it penetrates to the
fireside. If Sophia but knew what it meant to keep going the
multitudinous details and departments of a household! Her idea of adding
housemaids and pageboys whenever there is a jolt in the machinery has
landed them in expensive disasters, time out of mind. And then, it
hopelessly cuts off all margin of income for every other purpose. It is
all rather discouraging for the hero of this petty, yet gigantic tussle,
for he works, so to speak, in a hostile camp, with no sympathy from his
entirely unconscious spouse, whom popular sentiment nevertheless regards
as the gallant protector of his manly weakness.

If incessant vigilance, tact, firmness, foresight, initiative, courage
and judgment--in short, all the qualities required for governing a
kingdom, and more--have made things go smoothly, the wife takes it as a
matter of course; if they go wrong, she naturally lays the blame on the
husband. In the same way, if the children are a credit to their parents,
that is only as it should be. But if they are naughty, and fretful, and
stupid, and untidy, is it not clear that there must be some serious flaw
in the system which could produce such results in the offspring of Mrs.
Brown? What word in the English language is too severe to describe the
man who neglects to watch with sufficient vigilance over his children's
health and moral training, who fa