n around home. And Julia always went to the old East
Church, too; and they had believed just the same things, the same
election, and predestination and damnation and all; at one time they had
thought of going out missionaries together to the Polynesian Island, but
that had been before Julia took Captain Cairnes for better or worse,
principally worse, and before she herself undertook all she could in
converting Dr. Maybury,--a perfect Penelope's web of a work; for Dr.
Maybury died as he had lived, holding her fondest beliefs to be old
wives' fables, but not quarreling with her fidelity to them, any more
than with her finger-rings or her false bangs, her ribbons, and what she
considered her folderols in general. And how kind, she went on in her
thoughts, it was of Julia to want her now! what comfort they would be to
each other! Go,--of course she would!

She took Allida with her; Allida who had been her maid so long that she
was a part of herself; and who, for the sake of still being with her
mistress, agreed to do the cooking at Mrs. Cairnes's and help in the
house-work. The house was warm and light on the night she arrived;
other friends had dropped in to receive her, too; there were flowers on
the table in the cosy red dining-room, delicate slices of ham that had
been stuffed with olives and sweet herbs, a cold queen's pudding rich
with frosting, a mold of coffee jelly in a basin of whipped cream, and
little thin bread-and-butter sandwiches.

"Oh, how delightful, how homelike!" cried Mrs. Maybury. How unlike the
great barn of a dining-room at the Webster House! What delicious bread
and butter! Julia had always been such a famous cook! "Oh, this is home
indeed, Julia!" she cried.

Alas! The queen's pudding appeared in one shape or another till it lost
all resemblance to itself, and that ham after a fortnight became too
familiar for respect.

Mrs. Cairnes, when all was reestablished and at rights, Sophia in the
best bedroom, Allida in the kitchen, Sophia's board paying Allida's
wages and all extra expense, Sophia's bird singing like a little
fountain of melody in the distance, Mrs. Cairnes then felt that after a
long life of nothingness, fate was smiling on her; here was friendship,
interest, comfort, company, content. No more lonesomeness now. Here was
a motive for coming home; here was somebody to come home to! And she
straightway put the thing to touch, by coming home from her
prayer-meeting, her bible-class, her