; and _if_ they knowed it, you see,
there'd be the devil to pay.'

'I wouldn't give myself bad names, ef I was you,' remarked Mrs. Bounder
quietly. 'Christopher'--

'What then?'

'I'm jes' thinkin''--

'What are you thinkin' about?'

'Jes' you wait till I know myself, and I'll tell ye.'

Christopher was silent, watching from time to time his spouse, who
seemed to be going on with her supper in orderly fashion. Mr. Bounder
was not misled by this, and watched curiously. He had acquired in a few
months a large respect for his wife. Her very unadorned attire, and her
peculiar way of knotting up her hair, did not hinder that he had a
great and growing value for her. Christopher would have liked her
certainly to dress better and to put on a cap; nevertheless, and odd as
it may seem, he was learning to be proud of his very independent wife,
and even boasted to his sister that she was a 'character.' Now he
waited for what was to come next.

'I guess I was a fool,' began Mrs. Bounder at last. 'But it came into
my head, ef they're in such a fix as you say, whether maybe they
wouldn't take up with my house. I guess, hardly likely.'

'_Your_ house?' inquired Christopher, in astonishment. But his wife
calmly nodded.

'_Your_ house!' repeated Christopher. 'Which one?'

'Wall, not this one, I guess,' said his wife quietly. 'But I've got one
in town.'

'A house in town! Why, I never heard of it before.'

'No, 'cause it's been standin' empty for a spell back, doin' nothin'.
Ef there had been rent comin' in, I guess you'd have heard of it. But
the last folks went out; and I hadn't found no one that suited me to
let hev it.'

'Would it do for the colonel and Miss Esther?'

'That's jes' what I don' know, Christopher. It would du as fur's the
rent goes; an' it's all right and tight. It won't let the rain in on
'em; I've kep' it in order.'

'I should like to see what you don't keep in order!' said Christopher
admiringly.

'Wall, I guess it's my imagination. For, come to think of it, it ain't
jes' sich a house as your folks are accustomed to.'

'The thing is,' said Christopher gravely, 'they can't have just what
they're accustomed to. Leastways I'm afeard they can't. I'll just speak
to Miss Esther about it.'

'Wall, you kin du that. 'Twon't du no harm. I allays think, when
anybody's grown poor he'd best take in his belt a little.'

CHAPTER XXXI.

_MAJOR STREET_.

According to the conclusion thus arrived a