erkins, however, did not notice this interruption but proceeded
with, "Yes, a dollar and ninepence is all I ever ask, and if I kept
them so dreadful slim, I guess the committee man wouldn't always come
to me the first one."

"Mrs. Perkins, here's the pint," said Mrs. Bates, dropping a stitch in
her zeal to explain matters; "you see the cheaper they get the
school-ma'am boarded, the further the money goes, and the longer
school they have. Don't you understand it?"

Mrs. Knight, fancying that affairs were assuming altogether too
formidable an aspect, adroitly turned the conversation upon the
heroine of our story, saying how glad she was that Mary had at last
found so good a home.

"So am I," said Mrs. Bates; "for we all know that Mrs. Mason will take
just as good care of her, as though she were her own; and she's had a
mighty hard time of it, knocked around there at the poor-house under
Polly Grundy's thumb."

"They do say," said Mrs. Perkins, whose anger had somewhat cooled,
"They do say that Miss Grundy is mowing a wide swath over there, and
really expects to have Mr. Parker, if his wife happens to die."

In her girlhood Mrs. Perkins had herself fancied Mr. Parker, and now
in her widowhood, she felt an unusual interest in the failing health
of his wife. No one replied to her remark, and Mrs. Bates continued:
"It really used to make my heart ache to see the little forlorn thing
sit there in the gallery, fixed up so old and fussy, and then to see
her sister prinked out like a milliner's show window, a puckerin' and
twistin', and if she happens to catch her sister's eye, I have
actually seen her turn up her nose at her,--so--" and Mrs. Bates's
nasal organ went up towards her eyebrows in imitation of the look
which Ella sometimes gave Mary. "It's wicked in me, perhaps," said
Mrs. Bates, "but pride must have a fall, and I do hope I shall live to
see the day when Ella Campbell won't be half as well off as her
sister."

"I think Mrs. Campbell is answerable for some of Ella's conduct," said
Mrs. Knight, "for I believe she suffered her to visit the poor-house
but once while Mary was there."

"I guess she'll come oftener now she's living with a city bug,"
rejoined Mrs. Perkins.

Just then there was the sound of carriage wheels, and a woman near the
door exclaimed, "If you'll believe it there she is now, going right
straight into Mrs. Mason's yard."

"Well, if that don't beat me," said Mrs. Perkins. "Seems to me I'd
h