exceedingly pretty old woman in these, with her fresh face and her
bright eyes, and if her hair was not all her own, she had companions in
bangs. Dr. Maybury made a darling of her all his lifetime, and when he
died he left her what he had; not much,--the rent of the Webster
House,--but enough.

But there had always been a pea-hen in Mrs. Maybury's lot. It was all
very well to have an adoring husband,--but to have no home! The Doctor
had insisted for years upon living in the tavern, which he owned, and if
there was one thing that his wife detested more than another, it was
life in a tavern. The strange faces, the strange voices, the going and
coming, the dreary halls, the soiled table-cloths, the thick crockery,
the damp napkins, the flies, the tiresome _menu_--every roast tasting of
every other, no gravy to any,--the all out-doors feeling of the whole
business, your affairs in everybody's mouth, the banging doors, the
restless feet, the stamping of horses in the not distant stable, the
pandemonium of it all! She tried to make a little home in the corner of
it; but it was useless. And when one day Dr. Maybury suddenly died,
missing him and mourning him, and half distracted as she was, a thrill
shot across the darkness for half a thought,--now at any rate she could
have a home of her own! But presently she saw the folly of the
thought,--a home without a husband! She staid on at the tavern, and took
no pleasure in life.

But with Dr. Maybury's departure, the thought recurred again and again
to Mrs. Cairnes of her and Sophia's old dream of living together. "We
used to say, when we were girls, that we should keep house together, for
neither of us would ever marry. And it's a great, great pity we did! I
dare say, though, she's been very happy. I know she has, in fact. But
then if she hadn't been so happy with him, she wouldn't be so unhappy
without him. So it evens up. Well, it's half a century gone; but perhaps
she'll remember it. I should like to have her come here. I never could
bear Dr. Maybury, it's true; but then I could avoid the subject with
her. I mean to try. What a sweet, comfortable, peaceful time we should
have of it!"

A sweet, comfortable, peaceful time! Well; you shall see. For Mrs.
Maybury came; of course she came. Her dear, old friend Julia! Oh, if
anything could make up for Dr. Maybury's loss, it would be living with
Julia! What castles they used to build about living together and working
with the heathe