shall break my heart if Tom's wife is not of good family and position,
and good manners, and good education. That's the least I can ask for."

"She has as good manners as anybody you know!" said Tom flaring up. "As
good as Julia's, and better."

"I should say, she has no manner whatever," remarked Miss Julia quietly.

"What is 'manner'?" said Tom indignantly. "I hate it. Manner! They all
have 'manner'--except the girls who make believe they have none; and
their 'manner' is to want manner. Stuff!"

"But the girl knows nothing," persisted Mrs. Caruthers.

"She knows absolutely _nothing_,"--Julia confirmed this statement.

Silence.

"She speaks correct English," said Dillwyn. "That at least."

"English!--but not a word of French or of any other language. And she
has no particular use for the one language she does know; she cannot
talk about anything. How do you know she speaks good grammar, Mr.
Dillwyn? did you ever talk with her?"

"Yes--" said Philip, making slow admission. "And I think you are
mistaken in your other statement; she _can_ talk on some subjects.
Probably you did not hit the right ones."

"Well, she does not know anything," said Miss Julia.

"That is bad. Perhaps it might be mended."

"How? Nonsense! I beg your pardon, Mr. Dillwyn; but you cannot make an
accomplished woman out of a country girl, if you don't begin before she
is twenty. And imagine Tom with such a wife! and me with such a sister!"

"I cannot imagine it. Don't you see, Tom, you must give it up?" Dillwyn
said lightly.

"I'll go to the Isles of Shoals and think about that," said Tom.
Wherewith he got up and went off.

"Mamma," said Julia then, "he's going to that place to meet that girl.
Either she is to be there with Mrs. Wishart, or he is reckoning to see
her by the way; and the Isles of Shoals are just a blind. And the only
thing left for you and me is to go too, and be of the party!"

"Tom don't want us along," said Tom's mother.

"Of course he don't want us along; and I am sure we don't want it
either; but it is the only thing left for us to do. Don't you see?
She'll be there, or he can stop at her place by the way, going and
coming; maybe Mrs. Wishart is asking her on purpose--I shouldn't be at
all surprised--and they'll make up the match between them. It would be
a thing for the girl, to marry Tom Caruthers!"

Mrs. Caruthers groaned, I suppose at the double prospect before her and
before Tom. Philip was silent. Miss