followed the
two cows which were slowly moving about there. It was as quiet a bit of
nature as could be found anywhere; and Diana was very quiet looking at
it. But Mrs. Bartlett's eye was upon her much more than upon her work;
which, indeed, could go on quite well without such supervision. She
broke silence at last, speaking with an imperceptible little sigh.

"And so, dear, the minister preached his sermon about the fashions last
Sabbath?"

"About fashion," said Diana. "He had promised it long ago."

"And what did he say, dear?"

"He said, 'The fashion of this world passeth away.'"

"But he said something more, I suppose? _I_ could have said that."

"He said a great deal more," replied Diana. "It was a very curious
sermon."

"As I hain't heard it, and you hev', perhaps you'll oblige me with some
more of it."

"It was a very curious sermon," Diana repeated. "Not in the least like
what you would have expected. There wasn't much about fashion in it;
and yet, somehow it seemed to be _all_ that."

"What was his text?"

"I can't tell; something about 'the grace of the fashion of it.' I
don't remember how the words went."

"I know, I guess," said the old lady. "'Twas in James, warn't it?
Something like this--'The sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat.'"

"Yes, yes, that was it."

"'--but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the
grace of the fashion of it perisheth.'"

"That was it," assented Diana.

"So he preached about the shortness of life?"

"No, not at all. He began with those words, and just a sentence or
two--and it was beautiful, too, mother--explaining them; and then he
said the Bible hadn't much in it directly speaking of our fashions; he
would give us what there was, and let us make what we could of it; so
he did."

"You can make a good deal of it if you try," said Mrs. Bartlett. "And
then, dear?"

"Then he went off, you'd never think where--to the last chapter of
Proverbs; and he described the woman described there; and he made her
out so beautiful and good and clever and wise, that somehow, without
saying a word about fashion, he made us feel how _she_ would never have
had any concern about it; how she was above it, and five times more
beautiful without, than she would have been with, the foolish ways of
people now-a-days. But he didn't say that; you only felt it. I don't
much believe there are any such women, mother."

"I hope and believe you'll make just suc