-heat out
there, and a room finished for the coachman, and hard-wood floors all
over the house. They say he has two five-thousand-dollar rugs."

"The house is let furnished, I thought," said Mrs. Van Dorn.

"Yes, it is, and the furniture is still there. The Carrolls don't
want to bring on many of their own things till they are sure the
house is in better order. I heard they talk of buying it."

"Do you know how much--" inquired Mrs. Van Dorn, breathlessly, while
Mrs. Lee leaned nearer, her eyes protruding, her small thin mouth
open, and her white kid fingers interlacing.

"Well, I heard fifteen thousand."

Both callers gasped.

"Well, it is a great thing for Banbridge to have such people come
here and buy real estate and settle, if they are the right sort,"
said Mrs. Van Dorn, rising to go; and Mrs. Lee followed her example,
with a murmur of assent to the remark.

"Must you go?" said Mrs. Morris, with an undertone of joy, thinking
of her carpet up-stairs, and rising with thinly veiled alacrity.

"Have you called?" asked Mrs. Van Dorn, moving towards the door, and
gathering up her skirts delicately with her white kid fingers,
preparatory to going down the steps. Mrs. Lee followed, also
gathering up her skirts.

"No, I have not yet," replied Mrs. Morris, preceding them to the door
and opening it for them, "but I intend to do so very soon. I have
been pretty busy house-cleaning since they came, and that is only two
weeks ago, but I am going to call."

"I think it is one's duty to call on new-comers, with a view to their
church-going, if nothing else," said Mrs. Van Dorn, with a virtuous
air.

"So do I," said Mrs. Lee.

"Good-afternoon," said Mrs. Van Dorn. "What a beautiful day it is!"

Both ladies bade Mrs. Morris good-afternoon and she returned the
salutation with unction. Both ladies looked fascinatedly to the last
at the black smooch on her cheek as they backed out.

"I thought I should burst right out laughing every time I looked at
her, in spite of myself," whispered Mrs. Lee, as they passed down the
walk.

"So did I."

"And no collar on!"

"Yes. She must have been house-cleaning."

"Yes. Well, I don't want to say disagreeable things, but really it
doesn't seem to me that I would have been house-cleaning such an
afternoon as this, when people were likely to be out calling."

"Well, I know I would not," said Mrs. Van Dorn, decidedly. "I should
have done what I could in the morning, and left w