their house."

"I am not sure that we should call Maurice a bad match for any girl.
With a fair amount of brains, and a great capacity for work, he would be
sure to get on in a country like ours, even if he were less thoroughly a
good fellow. He has but two faults; he is too scrupulous about trifles,
and a little too Quixotic in his ideas about women. However, my wife
will never let me say that."

The subject did not interest Mr. Percy; he began to ask questions about
something else, and they soon after reached home. Later in the day Mrs.
Bellairs met him coming in extremely bored from her husband's office.

"I am going to pay some visits," she said, "are you disposed to go with
me?"

"Most thankfully," he answered. "I have been listening to half-a-dozen
cases of trespass, not a single word of which I could understand. It
will be doing me the greatest kindness to take me into civilized
society."

"I thought," she said laughing, "that you came to the backwoods to
escape civilized society."

"If I did," he replied, handing her into the pony-carriage, "it is quite
clear that I made a happy mistake."

"I am going first," she said, as soon as Bob was fairly in motion, "to
the Parsonage. Mr. and Mrs. Bayne were to have been with us yesterday,
but one of the children was ill, and I must inquire after it."