having the happy faculty of realizing everything in advance, whether it ever
took place or not.

As she slowly descended the stairs with the rocking chair, she thought,
"Nothing could be more suiterble. We are both about the same age; I am most
respecterbly connected--in fact, I regard myself as somewhat his superior in
this respect; he is painfully undeveloped and irreligious and thus is in sore
need of female influence; he is lonely and down-hearted, and in woman's voice
there is a spell to banish care; worst of all, things are going to waste. I
must delib'rately face the great duty with which Providence has brought me
face to face. At first, he may be a little blind to this great oppertunity of
his life--that I must expect, remembering the influence he was under so many
years--but I will be patient and, by the proper use of language, place
everything eventually before him in a way that will cause him to yield in glad
submission to my views of the duties, the privileges, and the
responserbilities of life."

So active was Mrs. Mumpson's mind that this train of thought was complete by
the time she had ensconced herself in the rocking chair by the fireless
kitchen stove. Once more Jane seized her hand and dragged her up. "You must
help," said the child. "I 'spect him every minnit and I'm scart half to death
to think what he'll do, 'specially if he finds out we've been rummagin'."

"Jane," said Mrs. Mumpson severely, "that is not a proper way of expressing
yourself. I am housekeeper here, and I've been inspecting."

"Shall I tell him you've been inspectin'?" asked the girl keenly.

"Children of your age should speak when they are spoken to," replied her
mother, still more severely. "You cannot comprehend my motives and duties, and