a dive
with the spoon at a potato, which she transferred to her plate. "I
might be on a desert island for all the company you are."

Bindle gazed at Mrs. Bindle over the small bone from which he was
detaching the last vestiges of nutriment by means of his teeth. He
replaced the bone on the edge of his plate in silence.

"You think of nothing but your stomach," Mrs. Bindle continued
angrily. "Look at you now!"

"Well, now, ain't you funny!" remarked Bindle, as he replaced his
glass upon the table. "If I'm chatty, you say, ''Old your tongue!' If
I ain't chatty, you ask why I ain't a-makin' love to you."

After a moment's silence he continued meditatively: "I kept rabbits,
silkworms, an' a special kind o' performin' flea, an' I seemed to get
to understand 'em all; but women--well, you may search me!" and he
pushed his plate from him as a sign of repletion.

Mrs. Bindle rose from the table. Bindle watched her curiously; it was
never wise to enquire what course was to follow.

"I answered an advertisement to-day," she announced, as she banged an
apple-pie on the table.

With difficulty Bindle withdrew his interest from the pie to Mrs.
Bindle's statement.

"You don't say so," he remarked pleasantly.

"And about time, I should think, with food going up as it is," she
continued, as she hacked out a large V-shaped piece of pie-crust which
she transferred to a plate, and proceeded to dab apple beside it.

Bindle regarded her uncomprehendingly.

"In _The Gospel Sentinel_." She vouchsafed the information grudgingly
and, rising, she fetched a paper from the dresser and threw it down in
front of Bindle, indicating a particular part of the page with a
vicious stab of her fore-finger.

Bindle picked up the paper. The spot indicated was the column headed
"Wanted." He read:

"CHRISTIAN HOME wanted by a single gentleman, chapel-goer,
temperance, quiet, musical, home-comforts, good-cooking,
moderate terms. References given and required. Apply Lonely,
c/o _The Gospel Sentinel_."

Bindle looked up from the paper at Mrs. Bindle.

"Well?" she challenged.

He turned once more to the paper and re-read the advertisement with
great deliberation, forgetful of his fast-cooling plate.

"Well," remarked Bindle judicially, "this is a Christian 'ome right
enough, plenty of soap an' water, with an 'ymn or two thrown in so as
you won't notice the smell. Cookin's good likewise, an' as for
'ome-comforts, if we ain't go