ses me up to look at the yard.
Emily hasn't had time to tidy it up yet."

As soon as they were comfortably seated on the veranda Mr. Harrison
began his tale of woe.

"I lived in Scottsford, New Brunswick, before I came here, Anne. My
sister kept house for me and she suited me fine; she was just reasonably
tidy and she let me alone and spoiled me . . . so Emily says. But three
years ago she died. Before she died she worried a lot about what was
to become of me and finally she got me to promise I'd get married. She
advised me to take Emily Scott because Emily had money of her own and
was a pattern housekeeper. I said, says I, 'Emily Scott wouldn't look at
me.' 'You ask her and see,' says my sister; and just to ease her mind I
promised her I would . . . and I did. And Emily said she'd have me. Never
was so surprised in my life, Anne . . . a smart pretty little woman like
her and an old fellow like me. I tell you I thought at first I was in
luck. Well, we were married and took a little wedding trip to St. John
for a fortnight and then we went home. We got home at ten o'clock at
night, and I give you my word, Anne, that in half an hour that woman was
at work housecleaning. Oh, I know you're thinking my house needed it . . .
you've got a very expressive face, Anne; your thoughts just come out
on it like print . . . but it didn't, not that bad. It had got pretty
mixed up while I was keeping bachelor's hall, I admit, but I'd got a
woman to come in and clean it up before I was married and there'd been
considerable painting and fixing done. I tell you if you took Emily into
a brand new white marble palace she'd be into the scrubbing as soon as
she could get an old dress on. Well, she cleaned house till one o'clock
that night and at four she was up and at it again. And she kept on that
way . . . far's I could see she never stopped. It was scour and sweep and
dust everlasting, except on Sundays, and then she was just longing for
Monday to begin again. But it was her way of amusing herself and I
could have reconciled myself to it if she'd left me alone. But that
she wouldn't do. She'd set out to make me over but she hadn't caught me
young enough. I wasn't allowed to come into the house unless I changed
my boots for slippers at the door. I darsn't smoke a pipe for my life
unless I went to the barn. And I didn't use good enough grammar. Emily'd
been a schoolteacher in her early life and she'd never got over it. Then
she hated to see