and Holcroft groaned as he read it, not on account of its marvelous spelling
and construction, but by reason of the vista of perplexities and trouble it
opened to his boding mind. But he named on half a sheet of paper as large a
sum as he felt it possible to pay and leave any chance for himself, then
affixed his signature and sent it back by the messenger.

The widow Mumpson wished to talk over this first point between the high
contracting powers indefinitely, but Mr. Weeks remarked cynically, "It's
double what I thought he'd offer, and you're lucky to have it in black and
white. Now that everything's settled, Timothy will hitch up and take you and
Jane up there at once.

But Mrs. Mumpson now began to insist upon writing another letter in regard to
her domestic status and that of her child. They could not think of being
looked upon as servants. She also wished to be assured that a girl would be
hired to help her, that she should have all the church privileges to which she
had been accustomed and the right to visit and entertain her friends, which
meant every farmer's wife and all the maiden sisters in Oakville. "And then,"
she continued, "there are always little perquisites which a housekeeper has a
right to look for--" Mr. Weeks irritably put a period to this phase of
diplomacy by saying, "Well, well, Cynthy, the stage will be along in a couple
of hours. We'll put you and your things aboard, and you can go on with what
you call your negotiations at Cousin Abiram's. I can tell you one thing
though--if you write any such letter to Holcroft, you'll never hear from him
again."

Compelled to give up all these preliminaries, but inwardly resolving to gain
each point by a nagging persistence of which she was a mistress, she finally
declared that she "must have writings about one thing which couldn't be left
to any man's changeful mind. He must agree to give me the monthly salary he