long before that he will begin to see everything in a new
light. It will gradually dawn upon him that he has been defrauded of
proper female influence and society. Now, he is crude, he thinks only
of work and accumulating; but when the work is done by a menial
female's hands and his mind is more at rest, there will begin to steal
in upon him the cravings of his mind. He will see that material things
are not all in all."

"P'raps he will. I don't half know that you're talkin' about. 'Fi's
you, I'd learn to work and do things as he wants 'em. That's what I'm
going to do. Shall I go now and make up his bed and tidy his room?"

"I think I will accompany you, Jane, and see that your task is properly
performed."

"Of course you want to see everythin' in the room, just as I do."

"As housekeeper, I should see everything that is under my care. That
is the right way to look at the matter."

"Well, come and look then."

"You are becoming strangely disrespectful, Jane."

"Can't help it," replied the girl, "I'm gettin' mad. We've been
elbowed around long's I can remember, at least I've been, and now we're
in a place where we've a right to be, and you do nothin' but talk,
talk, talk, when he hates talk. Now you'll go up in his room and
you'll see everythin' in it, so you could tell it all off tomorrow.
Why, can't you see he hates talk and wants somethin' done?"

"Jane," said Mrs. Mumpson, in her most severe and dignified manner,
"you are not only disrespectful to your parent, but you're a time
server. What Mr. Holcroft wants is a very secondary matter; what is
BEST for him is the chief consideration. But I have touched on things
far above your comprehension. Come, you can make up the bed, and I
shall inspect as becomes my station."

Chapter VI.

A Marriage!

In a quiet side street of the market town in which Mr. Holcroft was
accustomed to dispose of his farm produce was a three-story tenement
house. A family occupied each floor, those dwelling in the first two
stories being plain, respectable people of the mechanic class. The
rooms in the third story were, of course, the cheapest, but even from
the street might be seen evidences that more money had been spent upon
them than could have been saved in rent. Lace curtains were looped
aside from the windows, through which were caught glimpses of flowers
that must have come from a greenhouse. We have only to enter these
apartments to find that the suggesti