can do will satisfy her; and yet for her I have
sacrificed everything--everything."

"A sacrifice is no sacrifice if it be agreeable. The sacrifice
consists in its being painful."

"Well, I suppose so. I say that to myself so often. It is the only
consolation I have."

"Not that I think your home should be made uncomfortable to you.
There is no reason why it should be. At least, I should think not."
She spoke with little spasmodic efforts, which, however, did not
betray themselves to her companion, who seemed to her to be almost
more engaged with Dumpling than with the conversation. It certainly
had been through no wish of hers that they were thus talking of his
household concerns; but as they were speaking of them, she was forced
into a certain amount of hypocrisy. It was a subject on which she
could not speak openly.

There was then another hill to be walked up, and Adela thought there
would be no more of it. The matter had come up by accident, and would
now, probably, drop away. But no. Whether by design, or from chance,
or because no other topic presented itself, Arthur went back to the
subject, and did so now in a manner that was peculiarly startling to
Miss Gauntlet.

"Do you remember my calling once at West Putford, soon after I got
the living? It is a long time ago now, and I don't suppose you do
remember it."

"Yes, I do; very well."

"And do you remember what I told you then?"

"What was it?" said Adela. It clearly is the duty of a young lady on
very many occasions to be somewhat hypocritical.

"If there be any man to whose happiness marriage is more necessary
than to that of another, it is a country clergyman."

"Yes, I can believe that. That is, if there be not ladies of his own
family living with him."

"I do not know that that makes any difference."

"Oh, yes; it must make a difference. I think that a man must be very
wretched who has no one to look after his house."

"And is that your idea of the excellence of a wife? I should have
expected something higher from you, Adela. I suppose you think, then,
that if a man have his linen looked after, and his dinner cooked,
that is sufficient." Poor Adela! It must be acknowledged that this
was hard on her.

"No, I do not think that sufficient."

"It would seem so from what you say."

"Then what I said belied my thoughts. It seems to me, Mr. Wilkinson,
since you drive me to speak out, that the matter is very much in
your own hands. You are c