"Did you ever hear of an engaged pair who didn't write every day?"

"It must take a good deal of your time," she remarked. "But, of course,
she can cook. Every sane girl takes a cooking-school course nowadays. It's
as essential as French."

"You did, then?"

"Of course. Don't you remember when I used to edify you with new and
wonderful dishes every time you dropped in to luncheon?"

"But did you learn the more important things?"

"I paid especial attention to soups, sir," laughed Juliet. "Now, if Mrs.
Anthony has done that you can live very economically."

"I'll suggest it to her," said Anthony gravely.

V.--MUSLINS AND TACKHAMMERS

It took several trips to the small house, and a great deal of hemming and
ruffling of muslin on the part of Juliet and the Marcy sewing-woman, to
say nothing of many days of Anthony's hard labour, to get everything in
place. But it was all done at length, and the hour arrived to close the
new home and leave it to wait the oncoming day in September when it should
be permanently opened.

"I'll just go over it once more," said Juliet to Mrs. Dingley. The latter
lady was lying in a hammock out under the apple trees, waiting for train
time and her final release from duties which were becoming decidedly
wearisome. It was the first day of August, and the evening was a warm one.
Anthony had gone off upon a last errand of some sort. Mrs. Dingley was too
exhausted to offer to accompany her niece, and Juliet ran back into the
house alone. She wandered slowly through the rooms, looking about to see
if there might be any perfecting touch which she could add.

It was a charming place; even a daughter of the house of Marcy could but
own to that. Under her skilful management the little rooms had blossomed
into a fresh, satisfying beauty that needed only the addition of the
personal adornment which Anthony's bride would be sure to bring, to become
a home--the home not only of a poor man but of a refined and cultured one
as well. Restricted though she had been to the most inexpensive means of
bringing about this happy result, Juliet had made them all tell toward an
effect of great harmony and beauty. Perhaps to nobody was this more of a
revelation than to the girl herself.

She was very proud of the living-room, as she looked about it. The
partition between it and the tiny hall had been removed, according to her
suggestion, and the straight staircase altered by means of a landing and
a