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 'And about dress. He is not very rich you know, Mary; but it will make him unhappy if you are not always tidy. And his own shirts—I fancy he has no one to look after them now, for I so often see the buttons off. You should never let one of them go into his drawers without feeling them all to see that they're on tight.'

'I'll remember that,' said Mary, and then she made another little furtive attempt to open the book.

'And about your own stockings, Mary. Nothing is so useful to a young woman in your position as a habit of darning neat. I'm sometimes almost afraid that you don't like darning.'

'Oh, yes I do.' That was a fib; but what could she do, poor girl, when so pressed?

'Because I thought you would look at Jane Robinson's and Julia Wright's which are lying there in the basket. I did Rebecca's myself before tea, till my old eyes were sore.'

'Oh, I didn't know,' said Mary, with some slight offence in her tone. 'Why didn't you ask me to do them downright if you wanted?'

'It's only for the practice it will give you.'

'Practice! I'm always practising something.' But nevertheless she laid down the book, and dragged the basket of work up on to the table. 'Why, Mrs. Thomas, it's impossible to mend these; they're all darn.'

'Give them to me,' said Mrs. Thomas. And then there was silence between them for a quarter of an hour during which Mary's thoughts wandered away to the events of her future life. Would his stockings be so troublesome as these?

But Mrs. Thomas was at heart an honest woman, and as a rule was honest also in practice. Her conscience told her that Mr. Graham might probably not approve of this sort of practice for conjugal duties, and in spite of her failing eyes she resolved to do her duty. 'Never mind them, Mary,' said she. 'I remember now that you were doing your own before dinner.'

'Of course I was,' said Mary sulkily. 'And as for practice, I don't suppose he'll want me to do more of that than anything else.'

'Well, dear, put them by.' And Miss Snow did put them by, resuming Rasselas as she did so. Who darned the stockings of Rasselas and felt that the buttons were tight on his shirts? What a happy valley must it have been if a bride expectant were free from all such cares as these!

'I suppose, Mary, it will be some time in the spring of next year.' Mrs. Thomas was not reading, and therefore a little conversation from time to time was to her a solace.

'What will be, Mrs. Thomas?'

'Why, the marriage.'

'I suppose it will. He told father it should be early in 18—, and I shall be past twenty then.'