, Rachel's mother, also perambulating through with great
curiosity, and three small children clinging to her skirts, pronounced
it "fine enough, goodness knows, but wait till you see them teachers!"
This rather damped the children's enthusiasm, for by Mrs. Hemphill's
manner one would have imagined those teachers little less than monsters.

What caused greatest comment, however, was a stately building just
opposite the point of the flat-iron, which brought it very close to the
center of the town, and but a stone's-throw from the little church,
which was the embodied dream of Gus Peters, turning pain into beauty,
and making the scars of his burned arms and hands only a record of
glorious days and heavenly nights, because at last he had been enabled
to put to practical use the talent that was in him.

As the plaintive song of the teakettle may have been but the wail of
imprisoned power, until Watts set it free to work out its glorious
destiny, so the boy's surly ways had been his own protest against a
destiny that seemed enchaining him to an uncongenial work, for which he
brought neither love nor patience. In more congenial labor his soul had
broadened, his heart grown warmer, his very looks had improved--But we
were talking of the great house near the church. This stately pile, with
broad halls from which lofty rooms opened on either side, might be a
private dwelling on a large scale, to be sure; yet, instead of chambers
above, there was one very large apartment with two or three smaller
rooms off, that were being fitted up as a kitchen and dressing-rooms.
This building proved a puzzle to these work-people. They could not find
any use for it, as they strolled by twos and fours through its
unfinished expanse. Nate Tierney suggested that young Early was coming
here to live, and that this great upper chamber was to be his ball-room,
where he could have his routs and banquets, the kitchen being in handy
proximity. Most of the villagers accepted this explanation, as nothing
better offered, and commented either in pious disdain, or honest envy.

"He'd have to give big parties, to fill this," remarked Hapgood,
slipping clumsily about on the polished floor, "and what's he got that
stage at t'other end for?"

"Why, the musicianers, of course," declared Nate. "Jim! but it's fine,
ain't it?"

"Umph! How some folks can fling theirselves. It makes you feel 't ain't
much use of tryin', don't it?"

"Tryin' for what?" laughed Nate.