t, I can't to-morrow," said Winthrop,
marching out. "I must go home to-morrow."

_Home!_ It shook Elizabeth's heart to hear him speak the old
word. But she only caught her breath a little, and then spoke,
following him out to the front of the house.

"I would rather they were not put up, Mr. Landholm. I can get
somebody to do it."

"Not unless I fail."

"It troubles me very much that you should have such a day."

"I have had just such a day -- as I wanted," said Winthrop,
measuring with his eye and rule the blind and the window-frame
respectively.

"Miss 'Lizabeth, Karen's got the tea all ready, she says,"
Clam announced from the door; "and she hopes everybody's tired
of waitin'."

"You've not had tea! --" exclaimed Elizabeth. "Come then, Mr.
Winthrop."

"Not now," said he, driving in his gimlet, -- "I must finish
this first. 'The night cometh wherein no man can work.'"

Elizabeth shrank inwardly, and struggled with herself.

"But the morning comes also," she said.

Winthrop's eye went up to the top hinge of the blind, and down
to the lower one, and up to the top again; busy and cool, it
seemed to consider nothing but the hinges. Elizabeth struggled
with herself again. She was mortified. But she could not let
go the matter.

"Pray leave those things!" she said in another minute. "Come
in, and take what is more necessary."

"When my work is done," said he. "Go in, Miss Elizabeth. Karen
will give me something by and by."

Elizabeth turned; she could do nothing more in the way of
persuasion. As she set her foot heavily on the door-step, she
saw Clam standing in the little passage, her lips slightly
parted in a satisfied bit of a smile. Elizabeth was vexed,
proud, and vexed again, in as many successive quarter seconds.
Her foot was heavy no longer.

"Have you nothing to do, Clam?"

"Lots," said the damsel.

"Why aren't you about it, then?"

"I was waitin' till you was about your'n, Miss 'Lizabeth. I
like folks to be out o' my way."

"Do you! Take care and keep out of mine," said her mistress.
"What are you going to do now?"

"Settle your bed, Miss 'Lizabeth. It's good we've got linen
enough, anyhow."

"Linen, --" said Elizabeth, -- "and a bedstead, -- have you got a
bed to put on it?"

"There's been care took for that," said Clam, with the same
satisfied expression and a little turn of her head.

Half angry and half sick, Elizabeth left her, and went in
through her new-furnished keeping-r