\"WhatLittleWilliewasexpecting，\"heremarkedonce，tothekeenjoyofMr。Penzance，\"wasahunkofbreadandcheeseatavillagesaloonsomewhere。Ioughttohavesaid`pub，’oughtn’tI？Youdon’tcallthemsaloonshere。\"
Hewasencouragedtotalk，andinhiscare—freefluencyheopenedupmanyvistastotheinterestedMr。Penzance，whofoundhimself，sotospeak，whirledalongBroadway，rushedupthestepsoftheelevatedrailroadandstrugglingtoobtainaseat，orastraptohangtoonaSixthAvenuetrain。
Themanwassaturatedwiththeatmosphereofthehotbattlehelivedin。Fromhischildhoodhehadknownnothingbutthefeverheatofhis\"littleoldNewYork，\"ashecalleditwithaffectionateslanginess，andanytemperaturelowerthanthathewasaccustomedtowouldhavestruckhimasbeingbelownormal。Penzancewasimpressedbyhisfeelingofaffectionfortheamazingcityofhisbirth。Headmired，headoredit，heboastedjoyouslyofitsperfervidcharm。
\"Somethingdoing，\"hesaid。\"That’swhatmysortofafellowlikes——somethingdoing。Youfeelitrighttherewhenyouwalkalongthestreets。LittleoldNewYorkformine。It’sgoodenoughforLittleWillie。Anditneverstops。Why，Broadwayatnight————\"
Heforgothischop，andleanedforwardonthetabletopourforthhisdescription。Themanservant，standingbehindMountDunstan’schair，forgothimselfalso，thoughthewasatraineddomesticwhosedutyitwastopresentdishestotheattentionwithoutanyapparentmentalprocesses。Certainlyitwasnothisbusinesstolisten，andgazefascinated。Thishedid，however，actuallyforthetimeunconsciousofhisbreachofmanners。Theverycrudityofthelanguageused，theoddlysounding，sometimesnoteasilytranslatableslangphrases，usedasiftheywereanecessarypartofanyconversation——theblunt，uneducatedbarenessoffigure——seemedtoPenzancetomakemoreroughlyvividthepicturedashedoff。
Thebroadthoroughfarealmostasthrongedbynightasbyday。Crowdsgoingtotheatres，loadedelectriccars，whizzingandclangingbells，theelevatedrailroadrushingandroaringpastwithinhearing，theatrefrontsflamingwithelectriclight，announcementsofnamesoftheatricalstarsandtheplaystheyappearedin，electriclightadvertisementsofbrandsofcigars，whiskies，breakfastfoods，allblazinghighinthenightairinsuchnumberandwithsuchstrengthofbrilliancythatthewholethoroughfarewasasbrightwithlightasaballroomoratheatre。Thevicarfelthimselfstandinginthemidstofitall，blindedbytheglare。
\"Sitdownonthesidewalkandreadyournewspaper，abook，amagazine——anyoldthingyoulike，\"withanexultantlaugh。
ThenamesofthedramaticstarsblazingoverentrancestothetheatreswereoftenEnglishnames，theirplaysEnglishplays，theircompaniesmadeupofEnglishmenandwomen。
G。SeldenwasasfamiliarwiththemandcommentedupontheirgiftsaseasilyasifhehaddrawnhisdramafromtheStrandinsteadoffromBroadway。Thenovelspiledupinthestationsofwhathecalled\"theL\"（whichrevealeditselfasbeingaNew—York—hasteabbreviationofElevatedrailroad），wereinlargeproportionEnglishnovels，andhehadhisingenuousestimateofEnglishnovelists，aswellasofallelse。
\"Ruddy，now，\"hesaid；\"Ilikehim。He’sallright，eventhoughwehaven’tquitecaughtontoIndiayet。\"
ThedazzleandbrilliancyofBroadwaysosurroundedPenzancethathefounditnecessarytowithdrawhimselfandreturntohisimmediatesurroundings，thathemightrecoverfromhissenseofinterestedbewilderment。HiseyesfelluponthesternlineamentsofaMountDunstaninacostumeofthetimeofHenryVIII。Hewasaburlygentleman，whoseruff—shortenedthickneckandhaughtyfixednessofstarefromthebackgroundofhisportraitweresuchasseemedtoeliminatehimfromtheschemeofthings，theclangingofelectriccars，andtheprevailingroaroftheL。
Confrontedbyhisgaze，electriclightadvertisementsofwhiskies，cigars，andcorsetsseemedimpossible。
\"He’sallright，\"continuedG。Selden。\"I’mreadytoseparatemyselffromonefiftyanytimeIseeanewbookofhis。He’sgotthegoodswithhim。\"
TherichnessofcolloquialismmovedthevicarofMountDunstantodeepenjoyment。
\"Wouldyoumind——Itrustyouwon’t，\"heapologisedcourteously，\"tellingmeexactlythesignificanceofthosetwolastsentences。InthinkIseetheirmeaning，but————\"
G。Seldenlookedgood—naturedlyapologetichimself。
\"Well，it’sslang——yousee，\"heexplained。\"IguessIcan’thelpit。You——\"flushingatrifle，butwithoutanytouchofresentmentintheboyishcolour，\"youknowwhatsortofachapIam。I’mnotpassingmyselfoffasanythingbutanordinarybusinesshustler，amI——justundersalesmantoatypewriterconcern？Ishouldn’tliketothinkI’dgotinhereonanybluff。IguessIslinginslangeveryhalfdozenwords————。\"
\"Mydearboy，\"Penzancewasabsolutelymovedandhespokewithwarmthquitepaternal，\"LordMountDunstanandIaregenuinelyinterested——genuinely。He，becauseheknowsNewYorkalittle，andIbecauseIdon’t。Iamanelderlyman，andhavespentmylifeburiedinmybooksindrowsyvillages。Praygoon。YourAmericanslanghasfrequentlyadelightfulmeaning——afantastichilarity，orcommonsense，orphilosophy，hiddeninitsorigin。InthatitgenerallydiffersfromEnglishslang，which——Iregrettosay——isusuallyfoundedonsomesillycatchword。Praygoon。WhenyouseeanewbookbyMr。Kipling，youarereadyto`separateyourselffromonefifty’becausehe`hasthegoodswithhim。’\"
G。Seldensuppressedaninvoluntaryyounglaugh。
\"Onedollarandfiftycentsisusuallythepriceofabook，\"
hesaid。\"Youseparateyourselffromitwhenyoutakeitoutofyourclothes——Imeanoutofyourpocket——andpayitoverthecounter。\"
\"There’sacarelesshumourinit，\"saidMountDunstangrimly。\"Thesuggestionofpartingisnothalfbad。Onthewhole，itissubtle。\"
\"Agreatdealofitissubtle，\"saidPenzance，\"thoughitallprofessestobeobvious。Theothersentencehasacommercialsound。\"
\"Whenamangoesaboutsellingforaconcern，\"saidthejuniorassistantofJones，\"hecanprovewhathesays，ifhehasthegoodswithhim。Iguessitcamefromthat。
Idon’tknow。Ionlyknowthatwhenamanisastraightsortoffellow，andcanshowup，wesayhe’sgotthegoodswithhim。\"
Theysatafterlunchinthelibrary，beforeanopenwindow，lookingintoalovelysunkengarden。Blossomswerebreakingoutoneveryside，androbins，thrushes，andblackbirdschirpedandtrilledandwhistled，asMountDunstanandPenzanceledG。Seldenontopaintfurtherpicturesforthem。
Someofthemwereratherpainful，Penzancethought。Asconnectedwithyouth，theyheldatouchofpathosSeldenwasallunconsciousof。Hehadhadahardlife，madeup，sincehistenthyear，ofstrugglestoearnhisliving。Hehadsoldnewspapers，hehadrunerrands，hehadsweptouta\"candystore。\"Hehadhadafewyearsatthepublicschool，andafewmonthsatabusinesscollege，towhichhewentatnight，afterworkhours。Hehadbeen\"upagainstitgoodandplenty，\"hetoldthem。Heseemed，however，tohavehadaknackofmakingfriendsandofgivingthem\"aboostalong\"
whensuchachancewaspossible。Bothofhislistenersrealisedthatagoodmanypeoplehadlikedhim，andthereasonwasapparentenoughtothem。
\"Whenachapgetssorryforhimself，\"heremarkedonce，\"he’sdownandout。That’sastone—coldfact。There’slotsofhard—luckstoriesthatyou’vegottohearanyhow。Thefellowthatcankeephistohimselfisthefellowthat’slikelytogetthere。\"
\"Getthere？\"thevicarmurmuredreflectively，andSeldenchuckledagain。
\"Getwherehestartedouttogoto——theWhiteHouse，ifyoulike。Thefellowsthathavegottherekepttheirhard—
luckstoriesquiet，Ibet。Guessmostof’emhadplentyduringelection，iftheywerethekindtolieawakesobbingontheirpillowsbecausetheirfeelingswerehurt。\"
Hehadneverbeensorryforhimself，itwasevident，thoughitmustbeadmittedthatthereweremomentswhentheelderlyEnglishclergyman，whosemostseriousencountershadbeenannoyinginterviewswithcottagersofdisrespectfulmanner，rathershudderedasheheardhissimplerecitalofdayswhenhehadtrampedstreetafterstreet，carryinghiscataloguewithhim，andtryingtotellhisstoryoftheDelkofftofranticallybusymenwhoweredrivenmadbytheimportunatesightofhim，toworried，ill—temperedoneswhobrokeintofurywhentheyheardhisvoice，andtosavagebruteswhowereonlyrestrainedbylawfromkickinghimintothestreet。
\"You’vegottotakeit，ifyoudon’twanttoloseyourjob。
Someofthem’sastiredasyouare。Sometimes，ifyoucangive’emajollyandmake’emlaugh，they’lllisten，andyoumayunloadamachine。Butit’snomerryjestjustatfirst——
particularlyinbadweather。ThefirstfiveweeksIwaswiththeDelkoffInevermadeasale。Hadtoliveonmytenper，andthat’sprettyhardinNewYork。Threeandahalfforyourhallbedroom，andtherestforyourhashandshoes。
ButIheldon，andgraduallyluckbegantoturn，andIbegannottocaresomuchwhenamangaveittomehot。\"
ThevicarofMountDunstanhadneverheardofthe\"hallbedroom\"asaninstitution。Adozenunconscioussentencesplaceditbeforehismentalvision。Hethoughtithorriblytouching。Anarrowroomatthebackofacheaplodginghouse，abed，astripofcarpet，awashstand——thisthesolerefugeofamalehumancreature，inthefloodtideofyouth，nomorethanthistocomebacktonightly，footsoreandresentfulofsoul，afteraday’strampspentinforcinghimselfandhiswaresonpeoplewhodidnotwanthimorthem，andwhofoundinfinitevarietyintheforcefulnessoftheirmethodofsayingso。
\"Whatyouknow，whenyougointoaplace，isthatnobodywantstoseeyou，andnoonewillletyoutalkiftheycanhelpit。Theonlythingistogetinandrattleoffyourstuntbeforeyoucanbefiredout。\"
Sometimesatfirsthehadgonebackatnighttothehallbedroom，andsatontheedgeofthenarrowbed，swinginghisfeet，andaskinghimselfhowlonghecouldholdout。Buthehadheldout，andevidentlydevelopedintoagoodsalesman，beingboldandofimperturbablegoodspiritsandtemper，andnottroubledbyhypersensitiveness。Hearingofthe\"hallbedroom，\"thecoldnessofitinwinter，andthebreathlessheatinsummer，theutterlonelinessofitatalltimesandseasons，onecouldnothavefeltsurpriseifthegrown—upladdoomedtoitsnarrownessashomehadbeendrawnintotheelectric—lightedgaietyofBroadway，andbeingcaughtinitsmaelstrom，hadbeensuckedundertoitslowestdepths。ButitwastobeobservedthatG。Seldenhadacleareye，andahealthyskin，andahealthyyounglaughyet，whichwereallwonderfullytohiscredit，andaddedenormouslytoone’slikingforhim。
\"Doyouuseatypewriter？\"hesaidatlasttoMr。
Penzance。\"Itwouldcutouthalfyourworkwithyoursermons。
Ifyoudouseone，I’djustliketocallyourattentiontotheDelkoff。It’sthemostup—to—datemachineonthemarketto—day，\"drawingoutthecatalogue。
\"Idonotuseone，andIamextremelysorrytosaythatIcouldnotaffordtobuyone，\"saidMr。Penzancewithconsideratecourtesy，\"butdotellmeaboutit。IamafraidI
neversawatypewriter。\"
Itwasthemosthospitablethinghecouldhavedone，andwasofthetactofcourts。Hearrangedhispincenez，andtakingthecatalogue，appliedhimselftoit。G。Selden’ssoulwarmedwithinhim。Tobelistenedtolikethis。Tobetreatedasagentlemanbyagentleman——by\"afineoldswelllikethis——Hullygee！\"
\"Thisisn’twhatI’musedto，\"hesaidwithgenuineenjoyment。\"Itdoesn’tmatter，yournotbeingreadytobuynow。Youmaybesometime，oryoumayrunupagainstsomeonewhois。LittleWillie’salwaysreadytosayhispiece。\"
Hepoureditforthwithglee——theimprovedmechanicalappliances，thecutsinthecatalogue，theplatenroller，theribbonswitch，thetwenty—sixyardsofredorbluetyping，thefiftypercent。savinginribbonexpenditurealone，thenewbasketshift，thestationarycarriage，thetabulator，thesuperioritytoallothertypewritingmachines——thepriceonehundreddollarswithoutdiscount。AndbothMountDunstanandMr。Penzancelistenedentranced，examinedcutsinthecatalogue，askedquestions，andinfactendedbyfindingthattheymustrepressanactualdesiretopossesstheluxury。ThejoytheirattitudebestoweduponSeldenwasthethinghewouldfeelgavethefinishingtouchtothehourswhichhewouldrecalltotheendofhisdaysasthe\"timeofhislife。\"
Yes，bygee！hewashaving\"thetimeofhislife。\"
Laterhefoundhimselffeeling——asMissVanderpoelhadfelt——ratherasifthewholethingwasadream。Thiscameuponhimwhen，withMountDunstanandPenzance，hewalkedthroughtheparkandthecuriouslybeautifuloldgardens。
Thelovely，soundlessquiet，brokenintoonlybybirdnotes，orhiscompanions’voices，hadanextraordinaryeffectonhim。
\"It’ssostillyoucanhearit，\"hesaidonce，stoppinginavelvet，moss—coveredpath。\"Seemslikeyou’vegotquietshutuphere，andyou’veturneditontilltheair’sthickwithit。GoodLord，thinkoflittleoldBroadwaykeepingitup，andtheLwhizzingandthunderingalongeverythreeminutes，justthesame，whilewe’restandinghere！Youcan’tbelieveit。\"
Itwouldhavegonehardwithhimtodescribetothemthevalueofhisenjoyment。Againandagaintherecamebacktohimthememoryofthegrandmotherwhoworetheblacknetcaptrimmedwithpurpleribbons。ApparentlyshehadremainedtothelastalmostcontumaciouslyBritish。ShehadkeptphotographsofQueenVictoriaandthePrinceConsortonherbedroommantelpiece，andhadmadecaustic，internationalcomparisons。Butshehadseenplaceslikethis，andherstoriesbecamerealitiestohimnow。Butshehadneverthoughtofthepossibilityofanychanceofhisbeingshownaboutbythelordofthemanorhimself——lunching，bygee！andtalkingtothemabouttypewriters。Hevaguelyknewthatifthegrandmotherhadnotemigrated，andhehadbeenborninDunstanvillage，hewouldnaturallyhavetouchedhisforeheadtoMountDunstanandthevicarwhentheypassedhimintheroad，andconversationbetweenthemwouldhavebeenanunlikelything。SomehowthingshadbeenchangedbyDestiny——
perhapsforthewholeofthem，asyearshadpassed。
Whathefeltwhenhestoodinthepicturegalleryneitherofhiscompanionscouldatfirstguess。Heceasedtotalk，andwanderedsilentlyabout。Secretlyhefoundhimselfatrifleawedbybeinglookeddownuponbytheunchangingeyesofmeninstrange，richgarments——incorslet，ruff，anddoublet，velvet，powder，curledlovelocks，brocadeandlace。Thefaceoflong—deadlovelinesssmiledoutfromitscanvas，orwithhelditselfhaughtilyfromhissalesman’sgaze。Wonderfulbarewhiteshoulders，andbosomsclaspedwithgemsorflowersandlace，defiedhimtorecallanytreasuresofBroadwaytocomparewiththem。Elderlydames，garbedinstiffsplendour，heldstiff，unsympatheticinquiryintheireyes，astheylookedbackuponhim。Whatexactlywasathirtyshillingbicyclesuitdoingthere？IntheDelkoff，plainlynonewereinterested。
Apretty，masqueradingshepherdess，withalambandacrook，seemedtolaughathimfromunderherbroadberibbonedstrawhat。Afterlookingatherforaminuteorso，hegaveahalflaughhimself——butitwasanawkwardone。
\"She’salooker，\"heremarked。\"They’realotofthemlookers——notall——butafairshow————\"
\"Alooker，\"translatedMountDunstaninalowvoicetoPenzance，\"means，Ibelieve，ayoungwomenwithgoodlooks——abeauty。\"
\"Yes，sheISalooker，bygee，\"saidG。Selden，\"but——
but——\"theawkwardhalflaugh，takingonadepressedtouchofsheepishness，\"shemakesmefeel’wayoff——theyalldo。\"
Thatwasit。Surroundedbythem，hewasfascinatedbutnotcheered。Theywereallsosmilingly，ordisdainfully，orindifferentlyunconsciousoftheexistenceofthehumanthingofhisclass。Hisaspect，hislife，andhisdesireswereasremoteasthoseofprehistoricman。HisBroadway，hisL
railroad，hisDelkoff——whatweretheywheredidtheycomeintotheschemeoftheUniverse？TheysilentlygazedandlightlysmiledorfrownedTHROUGHhimashestood。Hewasprobablynotintheleastawarethatheratherloudlysighed。
\"Yes，\"hesaid，\"theymakemefeel’wayoff。I’mnotinit。Butsheisalooker。Getontothatdimpleinhercheek。\"
MountDunstanandPenzancespenttheafternoonindoingtheirbestforhim。Hewaswellworthit。Mr。Penzancewasfilledwithdelight，andsaturatedwiththeatmosphereofNewYork。
\"Ifeel，\"hesaid，softlypolishinghiseyeglassesandalmostaffectionatelysmiling，\"IreallyfeelasifIhadbeenwalkingdownBroadwayorFifthAvenue。IbelievethatImightfindmywayto——well，supposewesayWeber&Field’s，\"andG。
Seldenshoutedwithglee。
Neverbefore，infact，hadhefelthisheartsowarmedbyspontaneousaffectionasitwasbythiselderly，somewhatbaldandthin—facedclergymanoftheChurchofEngland。Thishehadneverseenbefore。Withoutthetrainedsubtletytohaveexplainedtohimselfthefinelysweetandsimplygraciousdeepsofit，hewasmovedanduplifted。Hewasgladhehad\"comeacross\"it，hefeltavagueregretatpassingonhisway，andleavingitbehind。Hewouldhavelikedtofeelthatperhapshemightcomeback。HewouldhavelikedtopresenthimwithaDelkoff，andteachhimhowtorunit。HehaddelightedinMountDunstan，andrejoicedinhim，buthehadratherfalleninlovewithPenzance。CertainAmericandoubtshehadhadofthesolidityandpermanencyofEngland’spositionandpowerweresomewhatmodified。Whenfellowslikethesetwostoodatthefirstrank，littleoldEnglandwasaprettysafeproposition。
Aftertheyhadgivenhimteaamongthescentsandsongsofthesunkengardenoutsidethelibrarywindow，theysethimonhisway。Theshadowswerelengtheningandthesunlightfallingindeepeninggoldwhentheywalkeduptheavenueandshookhandswithhimatthebigentrancegates。
\"Well，gentlemen，\"hesaid，\"you’vetreatedmegrand——asfineassilk，anditwon’tbelikeLittleWillietoforgetit。
WhenIgobacktoNewYorkit’llbeallIcandotokeepfromgettingtheswellheadandbraggingaboutit。I’veenjoyedmyselfdowntotheground，everyminute。I’mnotthekindoffellowtobelikelytobeabletopayyoubackyourkindness，but，hullygee！ifIcouldI’ddoittobeattheband。
Good—bye，gentlemen——andthankyou——thankyou。\"
Acrosswhichoneoftheirmindspassedthethoughtthatthesoundofthehollowimpactofatrottinghorse’shoofsontheroad，whicheachthatmomentbecameconsciousofhearingwasthesoundoftheadvancingfootofFate？Itcrossednomindamongthethree。Therewasnoreasonwhyitshould。
Andyetatthatmomentthemeaningoftheregular，stirringsoundwasafatefulthing。
\"Someoneonhorseback，\"saidPenzance。
Hehadscarcelyspokenbeforeroundthecurveoftheroadshecame。Afinelyslenderandspiritedlyerectgirl’sfigure，uponasatin—skinnedbrightchestnutwithathoroughbredgait，asmartgroomridingbehindher。Shecametowardsthem，wasabreastthem，lookedatMountDunstan，asmilingdimplenearherlipasshereturnedhisquicksalute。
\"MissVanderpoel，\"hesaidlowtothevicar，\"LadyAnstruther’ssister。\"
Mr。Penzance，replacinghisownhat，lookedafterherwithsurprisedpleasure。
\"Really，\"heexclaimed，\"MissVanderpoel！Whatafinegirl！Howunusuallyhandsome！\"
Seldenturnedwithagaspofdelighted，amazedrecognition。
\"MissVanderpoel，\"heburstforth，\"ReubenVanderpoel’sdaughter！Theonethat’soverherevisitinghersister。Isitthatone——sure？\"
\"Yes，\"fromMountDunstanwithoutfervour。\"LadyAnstrutherslivesatStornham，aboutsixmilesfromhere。\"
\"Gee，\"withfeverishregret。\"Ifherfatherwasthere，andIcouldgetnexttohim，myfortunewouldbemade。\"
\"Shouldyou，\"venturedPenzancepolitely，\"endeavourtosellhimatypewriter？\"
\"Atypewriter！Holysmoke！I’dtrytosellhimtenthousand。A
fellowlikethatsyndicatestheworld。IfIcouldgetnexttohim————\"andhemountedhisbicyclewithalaugh。
\"Getnext，\"murmuredPenzance。
\"Getonthegoodsideofhim，\"MountDunstanmurmuredinreply。
\"Solong，gentlemen，good—bye，andthankyouagain，\"calledG。Seldenashewheeledoff，andwascarriedsoundlesslydownthegoldenroad。
CHAPTERXXIV
THEPOLITICALECONOMYOFSTORNHAM
Thesatin—skinnedchestnutwasoneofthenewhorsesnowstandingintheStornhamstables。Therewereseveralofthem——apairforthelandau，saddlehorses，smartyoungcobsforphaetonordogcart，aponyforUghtred——theanimalsnecessaryatsuchaplaceatStornham。Thestablesthemselveshadbeenquicklyputinorder，groomsandstableboyskeptthemastheyhadnotbeenkeptforyears。Themenlearnedinaweek’stimethattheirworkcouldnotbedonetoowell。
Therewerenewcarriagesaswellashorses。TheyhadcomefromLondonafterLadyAnstruthersandhersisterreturnedfromtown。Thehorseshadbeenbroughtdownbytheirgrooms——immenselylookedafter，blanketed，hooded，andaltogethercaredforasiftheywerevisitingdukesandduchesses。
Theywereallfine，handsome，carefullychosencreatures。
WhentheydancedandsidledthroughthevillageontheirwaytotheCourt，theycreatedasensation。Whosoeverhadchosenthemhadknownhisbusiness。TheoldervehicleshadbeenrepairedinthevillagebyTread，anddidhimcredit。
Foxhadalsodonehisworkwell。
Plentymoreofithadcomeintotheirwork—shops。Toolstobeusedontheestate，gardenimplements，wheelbarrows，lawnrollers，thingsneededaboutthehouse，stables，andcottages，weretobeattendedto。Thechurchroofwasbeingrepaired。Takingallthesethingsandthe\"doingup\"oftheCourtitself，therewasmoreworkthanthevillagecouldmanage，andcarpenters，bricklayers，anddecoratorswerenecessarilybroughtfromotherplaces。StillJoeButtleandSimSoameswereallowedtoleadinallsuchthingsaslaywithintheircapabilities。Itwastheywhomadesuchasplendidjoboftheentrancegatesandthelodges。Itwasastonishinghowmuchwasdone，andhowthesenseoflifeintheair——theworkofresultingprosperity，mademenbegintotreadwithlesslistlessstepsastheywenttoandfromtheirlabour。Inthecottagesthingswerebeingdonewhichmadedowncastwomenbestirthemselvesandlooklessslatternly。Leaksmendedhere，windowsthere，thehopelesscopperinthetinywashhousereplacedbyanewone，chimneyscuredofthehabitofsmoking，aclean，floweredpaperputonawall，acoatofwhitewash——
theyweresmallmatters，butproducedgreateffect。
Bettyhadbeguntodropintothecottages，andmaketheacquaintanceoftheirowners。Herfirstvisits，sheobserved，createdgreatconsternation。Womenlookedfrightenedorsullen，childrenstaredandrefusedtospeak，clingingtoskirtsandaprons。Shefoundtheatmosphereclearafterhersecondvisit。Thewomenbegantotalk，andthechildrencollectedingroupsandlistenedwithcheerfulgrins。ShecouldpickuplittleJane’skitten，orgiveapattosmallThomas’mongreldog，inamannerwhichthrewdownbarriers。
\"Don’tputoutyourpipe，\"shesaidtooldGrandfatherDoby，risingtotteringlyrespectfulfromhischimney—sidechair。
\"Youhaveonlyjustlightedit。Youmustn’twasteawholepipefuloftobaccobecauseIhavecomein。\"
Theoldman，grownchildishwithage，titteredandshuffledandgiggled。Suchajokeasthegrandyoungladywashavingwithhim。Shesawhehadonlyjustlightedhispipe。
Thegentryjokedabitsometimes。Buthewasafraidofhisgrandson’swife，whowasfrowningandshakingherhead。
Bettywenttohim，andputherhandonhisarm。
\"Sitdown，\"shesaid，\"andIwillsitbyyou。\"Andshesatdownandshowedhimthatshehadbroughtapackageoftobaccowithher，andactuallyawonderofaredandyellowjartoholdit，atthesightofwhichunheard—ofjoyshisrapturewassogreatthathistremblinghandscouldscarcelyclasphistreasures。
