he could find a good place; and Mrs.
Wishart wants to know, if _we_ would like to have her in our house."

"To board?" cried Madge.

Lois nodded, and watched the faces around her.

"We never did that before," said Madge.

"No. The question is, whether we will do it now."

"Take her to board!" repeated Charity. "It would be a great bother.
What room would you give her?"

"Rooms. She wants two. One for a sitting-room."

"Two! We couldn't, unless we gave her our best parlour, and had none
for ourselves. _That_ wouldn't do."

"Unless she would pay for it," Lois suggested.

"How much would she pay? Does Mrs. Wishart say?"

"Guess, girls! She would pay--twelve dollars a week."

Charity almost jumped from her chair. Madge stood leaning with her
hands upon the table and stared at her sister. Only the old grandmother
went on now quietly with her knitting. The words were re-echoed by both
sisters.

"Twelve dollars a week! Fifty dollars a month!" cried Madge, and
clapped her hands. "We can have bonnets all round; and the hay and the
apples won't matter. Fifty dollars a month! Why, Lois!--"

"It would be an awful bother," said Charity.

"Mrs. Wishart says not. At least she says this lady--this Mrs.
Barclay--is a delightful person, and we shall like her so much we shall
not mind the trouble. Besides, I do not think it will be so much
trouble. And we do not use our parlour much. I'll read you the letter
now."

So she did; and then followed an eager talk.

"She is a city body, of course. Do you suppose she will be contented
with our ways of going on?" Charity queried.

"What ways do you mean?"

"Well--will our table suit her?"

"We can make it suit her," said Madge. "Just think--with fifty dollars
a month--"

"But we're not going to keep a cook," Charity went on. "I won't do
that. I can do _all_ the work of the house, but I can't do half of it.
And if I do the cooking, I shall do it just as I have always done it. I
can't go to fussing. It'll be country ways she'll be treated to; and
the question is, how she'll like 'em?"

"She can try," said Lois.

"And then, maybe she'll be somebody that'll take airs."

"Perhaps," said Lois, laughing; "but not likely. What if she did,
Charity? That would be her affair."

"It would be my affair to bear it," said Charity grimly.

"Daughters," said Mrs. Armadale gently, "suppose we have some tea."

This suggestion brought all to their bearings. Madge set the table
bris