books; she didn't know how to sew; and, except for Mrs. Newbolt,
there was no one she wanted to see. Often, in her empty evenings, while
Edith was in her own room studying, she sat by the fire and cried, and
broke her heart upon her desire for a child--"_then_ he would be happy,
and stay at home!"

It was a dull house; so dull that Edith made up her mind to get out of
it for her next winter at Fern Hill. When she went home for the Easter
vacation, she expressed decided opinions: "Father, once, ages ago"--she
was sitting on her father's knee, and tormenting him by trying to take
his cigar away from him--"you got off something about the dinner of
herbs and Eleanor's stalled ox--"

"Good heavens, Buster! You haven't said that before Eleanor?"

"Ha! I got a rise out of you!" Edith said, joyfully; "I haven't
mentioned it, _yet_; but I shall make a point of doing so unless you
order two pounds of candy for me, _at once_. Well, I suppose what you
meant was that Eleanor is stupid?"

"Mary," said Henry Houghton, "your blackmailing daughter is displaying a
glimmer of intelligence."

"I'm only reminding you of your own remark," Edith said, "to explain
why I want to be in one of the dormitories next winter. Eleanor _is_
stupid--though she's never fed me on stalled ox! And I think she sort of
doesn't like it because I'm not _awfully_ fond of music."

"You are an absolute heathen about music," her father said.

"Well, it bores me," Edith explained, cheerfully; "though I adore
Maurice's playing. Maurice is a lamb, and I adore just being in the
house with him! But she's nasty to him sometimes. And when she is, I'd
like to choke her!"

"Edith--Edith--" her mother remonstrated. And her father reminded her
that she must _not_ lose her temper.

"Let your other parent be a warning to you as to the horrors of an
uncontrolled temper," said Henry Houghton; "I have known your mother, in
one of her outbursts of fury, so far forget herself as to say, _'Oh,
my!'_"

Edith grinned, but insisted, "Eleanor is dull as all get out!"

"Consider the stars," Mrs. Houghton encouraged her.

But Mr. Houghton said, "Mary, you've got to do something about this
girl's English! ... You miss John Bennett?" he asked Edith (Johnny was
taking a special course in an Eastern institute of technology).

"He did well enough to fill in the chinks," Edith said, carelessly; "but
it's Maurice's being away that takes the starch out of me. He's
everlastingly te