months, for I don't know when I have liked a young girl so well.
Priscilla was anxious I should take that black-eyed daughter of her
brother's, and was quite hurt because I refused."

"I dare say you were right," acknowledged Miss Fraley, though she
could not exactly see the obstacles to her friend's freedom in such
strong light as was expected.

"I know that it must be difficult for you sometimes," resumed the
hostess presently, in a more sympathetic tone. "Your mother naturally
finds it hard to give up the rule. We can't expect her to look at life
as younger persons do."

"I don't expect it," said poor Miss Fraley appealingly, "and I am sure
I try to be considerate; but how would you like it, to be treated as
if you were sixteen instead of nearly sixty? I know it says in the
Bible that children should obey their parents, but there is no such
commandment, that I can see, to women who are old enough to be
grandmothers themselves. It does make me perfectly miserable to have
everything questioned and talked over that I do; but I know I ought
not to say such things. I suppose I shall lie awake half the night
grieving over it. You know I have the greatest respect for mother's
judgment; I'm sure I don't know what in the world I should do without
her."

"You are too yielding, Eunice," said Miss Prince kindly. "You try to
please everybody, and that's your way of pleasing yourself; but, after
all, I believe we give everybody more satisfaction when we hold fast
to our own ideas of right and wrong. There have been a great many
friends who were more than willing to give me their advice in all
these years that I have been living alone; but I have always made up
my mind and gone straight ahead. I have no doubt I should be very
impatient now of much comment and talking over; and yet there are so
many times when I would give anything to see father or mother for a
little while. I haven't suffered from living alone as much as some
persons do, but I often feel very sad and lonely when I sit here and
think about the past. Dear me! here is Phoebe with the lights, and I
dare say it is just as well. I am going to ask you to go up stairs and
see the fresh paint, and how ship-shape we are at last, as father used
to say."

Miss Fraley rose at once, with an expression of pleasure, and the two
friends made a leisurely tour of the old house which seemed all ready
for a large family, and though its owner apparently enjoyed her
freedom and d