ill be other winters."

"Well--we will sleep on the matter. We can't tell about next winter."

Warren thought she ought to go. Aunt Priscilla came over a day or two
after in Jonas Field's sleigh. He was out collecting, and would call for
her at half-past five, though she still insisted she was pretty
sure-footed in walking.

Mr. Perkins in a moment of annoyance had once said to his wife:
"Priscilla, you have one virtue, at least. One can always tell just
where to find you. You are sure to be on the opposition side."

She had a faculty of always seeing how the other side looked. She had a
curious sympathy with it as well. And though she was not an irresolute
woman, she did sometimes have a longing to go over to the enemy when it
was very attractive.

She listened now--and nodded at Mrs. Leverett's reasoning, adding the
pungency of her sniff. Betty's heart dropped like lead. True, she had
not really counted on Aunt Priscilla's influence.

"I just do suppose if 'Lecty was ill and alone, and wanted Betty,
there'd be no difficulty. It's the question between work and play. There
wan't much time to play when I was young, and now I wish I had some of
the work, since I'm too old to play. I do believe the thing ought to be
evened up."

This was rather non-committal, but the girl's heart rose a little.

"Oh, if 'Lecty was ill--but you know, Aunt Priscilla, they keep a man
beside the girl, and it seems to me she is always having a nurse when
the children are ailing, or a woman in to sew, or some extra help. She
doesn't _need_ Betty, and it seems as if I did."

"Now, if that little young one was good for anything!"

"She's at her lessons all the time, and she must learn to sew. I should
have been ashamed of my girls if they had not known how to make one
single garment by the time they were ten year old."

"But Doris isn't ten," interposed Betty. "And here is Electa's letter,
Aunt Priscilla."

"No, I don't see how I can spare Betty," said Mrs. Leverett decisively.

Aunt Priscilla took out her glasses and polished them and then adjusted
them to her rather high nose.

"Well, 'Lecty's got to be quite quality, hasn't she? And Matthias, too.
I suppose it's proper to give folks their whole name when they're
getting up in the world and going to legislatures. But land! I remember
Mat King when he was a patched-up, barefooted little boy. He was always
hanging after 'Lecty, and your uncle thought she might have done better.
'L