Year: 1876

our story, MIS- MerWln, worn Win COLI
slant confinement, accepted the invita-
ton of an old schoolmate, and taking
Minnie, went to Vermont to pass the
warm DAYS of Summer. The other chill
dren remained at home, with a tried
housekeeper, who would be sure to look
after them carefully. Frank had his
club, and would occasionally come to
Vermont and pass the Sabbath during
Mrs. Merwin's stay He had known
Mr.. Banks, the husband of his wife's
friend in former days, and had profess
sional interchanges of courtesy and
business with him as they were both
lawyers, but hitherto there had been no
visiting between the families.


On her arrival at her friends house,
Mrs. Merwin was most cordially re-
ceived, and made to feel quite at home.
The years that had separated them since
they left school dwindled into nothing.
and they soon were interchanging
thought and feeling as long years be-
fore, when they walked arm in arm
about the playground ofthe old academy
or rambled in the park adjoining it.
Both had children whom they loved and
were proud of; both had indulgent and
intellectual husbands; both had beauti-
full homes. But Mrs. Merwin was not
slow to perceive, as they sat together
sewing, in the cool mornings, that her
friend was far above her in sweep of
thought and grasp of intellect. She
was mortified that of many subjects that
came up naturally in the course of con-
versatiOn she was quite ignorant, and
though she could talk fiuently in regard
to carpets and curtains, embroideries
and dress-the latest discoveries of sci
ence, the latest achievements of art, the
last new books she knew absolutely
nothing about, and was dumb when
they were mentioned. How did Mrs.
Banks manage to keep up with the age,
and she so far behind it? Their chill
dren were nearly the same in number,
their household cares not widely differ
ent, their husbands in the same profess
sion. Here was a mystery, and she
watched for its solution.


She noticed that at night the young
children were put to bed early, before
Mr.. Banks came home, so the house
was quiet; for though men who have
worked with their muscles all day may
love to frolic with their little ones when
coming home at night men whose brains
have been taxed during ali the busi-
ness hours of the day enjoy the most
perfect stiffness and require it. She
noticed, too, that the sewing machine,
the work basket, even the knitting work
was invisible after nightfall land how
ever awry or difficult the household ar
rangements had been during the day,
nothing but serenity and cheerfulness
shone in the evening parlOrs. While
those of the children who were per-
mitted to appear at the table amused
themselves in the dining room or read
quietly in the parlor, Mr.. and Mrs.
Banks gave themselves wholly to them
selves and their guest. The news of the
day was discussed. the last new book
reviewed, or some important discovery
rehearsed, while at intervals the con-
versation dropped into that pleasant
small talk which makes up SO much of
social interchange. Occasionally they
passed the evening at concert or
prayer meeting, but Mr.. Banks was
never at the club, rarely away from
home after nightfall.


Many sad misgivings had Mrs. Mer-
win as she contrasted the perfect mu-
tual interchange between the husband
and wife whose guest she was, and her
life with her husband; and as she re-
viewed the years, little by little, light
dawned upon her mind. She saw how
gradually she had allowed unnecessary
industries to encroach on time that
might so much better have been devoted
to intellectual culture. What ayailed
1t now that Mollie and Henry and Will
lie had been so elaborately dressed in
their babyhood? If they had worn
plain attire, instead of that on which
she had spent so much time and thought,
how many hours she might have given
to reading and keeping up with her
husbandi To be sure her parlors were
exquisitely Ornamented with a variety
of fancy work wrought by her hands;
but when she listened to the utterances
of her friends, rich as they were with
the varied accumulations of those intel
lectual treasures, the law Of whose ex-