a man in his
position is at a loss to know what to do when attacked by a woman
outside his family. He had enough pride to shrink from this invasion
of his affairs, but he did not know just how to resent it.

"It ain't no matter fer discussion," he said, "but she's been into my
pockets, an' thet's what I can't stand."

"What do you steal her money for, then?" demanded Nannie.

He stared at her in stupid astonishment.

"It's you who steal!" continued Nannie in ringing tones. "There she
is, earning more than you do, and----"

"I don't know how you make that out," said the man in a sulky tone.

"Try to hire some one to take her place, and you'll learn. She could
hire your work done fast enough, but there never has been and there
never will be money enough in all your horrid pockets put together to
hire what she does for you and the children; and then you are so
nasty, and mean, and dishonest as to clutch the money and pretend you
have the right to dole out what belongs to her. I wonder you aren't
ashamed to be alive!"

He certainly did look ashamed now. He had probably never before viewed
matters from this point.

"Well, I don't suppose I done just the right thing. I'm not going ter
deny it, but money comes hard, anyhow."

"And her life is hard enough, anyhow, without your making it harder by
tyrannizing over her."

Here one of the five little ones began to cry, and the mother started
forward to take it, but Nannie intercepted her.

"You go and get your dinner," she said. "I'll look after the
children."

And taking the two youngest in her arms she coaxed the others along,
and they all went out into the warm, pleasant sunlight, and there
Nannie sang to them, told them stories, washed their dirty little
faces, and mothered them generally until their own poor mother could
recover herself and their father had time to see the error of his way
and repent.

The sun was setting when Nannie wended her way homeward. She dreaded
to see Steve, but found relief in the thought that he would probably
appear as usual. When she learned that he had not returned she felt
surprised, but decided not to wait dinner, and so ate alone.

She spent the evening at her cousin's house. She did not quite dare to
go to Constance's, for she instinctively felt that Constance would
heartily disapprove of her leaving home in that way at a time when her
husband was likely to be alone.

Returning, she found the house dark. Steve had probabl