uld not tell her.

"Do--do; always do that," said Mrs. Burton, laying her hand
affectionately on his arm. "There is no way so certain to bind a woman
to you, heart and soul, as to show her that you trust her in everything.
Theodore tells me everything. I don't think there's a drain planned
under a railway bank but that he shows it me in some way; and I feel so
grateful for it. It makes me know that I can never do enough for him. I
hope you'll be as good to Flo as he is to me."

"We can't both be perfect, you know."

"Ah, well! of course, you'll laugh at me. Theodore always laughs at me
when I get on what he calls a high horse. I wonder whether you are as
sensible as he is?"

Harry reflected that he never wore cotton gloves. "I don't think I am
very sensible," said he. I do a great many foolish things, and the worst
is, that I like them."

"So do I. I like so many foolish things."

"Oh, mamma!" said Cissy.

"I shall have that quoted against me, now, for the next six months,
whenever I am preaching wisdom in the nursery. But Florence is nearly as
sensible as her brother."

"Much more so than I am."

"All the Burtons are full up to their eyes with good sense. And what a
good thing it is! Who ever heard of any of them coming to sorrow?
Whatever they have to live on, they always have enough. Did you ever
know a woman who has done better with her children, or has known how to
do better, than Theodore's mother? She is the dearest old woman." Harry
had heard her called a very clever old woman by certain persons in
Stratton, and could not but think of her matrimonial successes as her
praises were thus sung by her daughter-in-law.

They went on talking, while Sophy sat in Harry's lap, till there was
heard the sound of a key in the latch of the front door, and the master
of the house was known to be there. "It's Theodore," said his wife,
jumping up and going out to meet him. "I'm so glad that you have been
here a little before him, because now I feel that I know you. When he's
here, I shan't get in a word." Then she went down to her husband, and
Harry was left to speculate how so very charming a woman could ever have
been brought to love a man who cleaned his boots with his
pocket-handkerchief.

There were soon steps again upon the stairs, and Burton returned,
bringing with him another man, whom he introduced to Harry as Mr. Jones.
"I didn't know my brother was coming," said Mrs. Burton, "but it will be
very pleasan