no more o' they than I sees the wisdom of," reflected
Mrs. Tucker as, primed with questions to ask Joan and messages to give
to Eve, she securely fastened the doors preparatory to her departure.
"If I was to tell up such talk to Eve her'd be piping off here next
minit or else sendin' back a pack o' silly speeches that 'ud make Adam
mazed to go to she. 'Tis wonderful how took up he is with a maid he
knows so little of. But there! 'tis the same with all the men, I
b'lieve--tickle their eye and good-bye to their judgment." And giving
the outer gate a shake to assure herself that it could not be opened
without a preparatory warning to those within, Mrs. Tucker turned away
and out into the road.

A natural tendency to be engrossed by personal interests, together with
a life of narrowed circumstances, had somewhat blunted the acuteness of
Mrs. Tucker's impressionable sensibilities, yet she could not but be
struck at the change these last two weeks had wrought in the aspect of
the place. The houses, wont to stand open so that friendly greetings
might be exchanged, were now closed and shut; the blinds of most of the
windows were drawn down; the streets, usually thronged with idlers, were
all but deserted; the few shops empty of wares and of customers. Calling
to her recollection the frequent prophetic warnings she had indulged in
about these evil days to come, Mrs. Tucker's heart smote her. Surely
Providence had never taken her at her word and really brought a judgment
on the place? If so, seeing her own kith and kin would be amongst the
most to suffer, it had read a very wrong meaning in her words; for it
stood to reason when folks talked serious-like they didn't always stop
to measure what they said, and if a text or two o' Scripture sounded
seemly, 'twas fitted in to help their speech out with, not to be pulled
abroad to seek the downright meanin' o' each word.

Subdued and oppressed by these and like reflections, Mrs. Tucker reached
Uncle Zebedee's house, inside which the change wrought was in keeping
with the external sadness. Both girls looked harassed and
careworn--Joan, now that there was no further occasion for that display
of spirit and bravado which before the soldiers she had successfully
contrived to maintain, utterly broken down and apathetically dejected;
Eve, unable to enter into all the difficulties or sympathize in the
universal danger, ill at ease with herself and irritable with all around
her. In her anxiet