part."

"O we'll go in and find out,--these good people are never just suited
unless they have the ordering of everything. They'll tell us what they
want fast enough, but if we guessed at it beforehand, they would maybe
find out that those were just the things they did _not_ want. Only my
hammer--I'm sure of that."

The "good people" in question, were an old man and his wife, living in
one little room and with very little furniture. Very deaf the old man
was, and both of them dimsighted, so that the old bible on the shelf
was only a thing to look at,--if indeed it had ever been anything more,
which some people doubted. This was one of the first things Mr. Linden
took hold of after the kind greetings were passed, and he gave it to
Faith; telling her that old Mr. Roscom always expected his visitors to
read to him, and that if she would do that, he would mend Mrs. Roscom's
spinning-wheel--which he saw was ready for him.

Faith threw back her hood and her furs, and took a seat close by the
old man; and the first thing he heard was her sweet voice asking him
where she should read, or if he liked to hear any part in particular.

"No," he said, "he liked to have it surprise him."

Faith pondered how she should best surprise him, but she had not much
time to spare and no chance to ask counsel. So she read as her heart
prompted her,--first the fifth chapter of II. Corinthians--with its
joyful Christian profession and invitation to others; then she read the
account of Jesus' healing the impotent man and bidding him "sin no
more"; and then she turned over to the Psalms and gave Mr. Roscom the
beautiful 103d psalm of thanksgiving,--which after those other two
passages seemed particularly beautiful. This was work that Faith loved,
and she read so.

How softly the hammer worked while she read, she might have noticed if
her mind had not been full; but though she had no word from that
quarter, Mr. Roscom's opinion was clear.

"That's good," he said,--"and strong;--and I'm obleeged to ye."

And then, the wheel being near done, there was a little skilful talk
gone into; in the course of which Faith and Mr. Linden learned, that
the old couple were "real tired of salt meat, some days"--and that rye
bread "warnt thought wholesome by itself"--and that "if their tea
should give out they didn't know what they _should_ do!"--and that
"times when the old man was a little poorly, nothing on airth would
serve him but a roasted potato!" A