Page:The Life of Mary Baker G. Eddy.djvu/438

384 often took him to task harshly for this fault, and it was the cause of many a scene between them. She now threatened to take the accounts altogether out of his hands and give them to her new son, but as often as she decided upon this step she as often changed her mind, and in the end the books remained in the keeping of Mr. Frye. He probably knew that Mrs. Eddy trusted him in so far as she could trust any one, but that it was necessary for her to have grievances and to break into thunder-storms about them. Every one had to take his turn at standing up under these cataclysms of nerves; if it were not Mr. Frye, then it was some one else, and the new son was soon having his occasional bad day like the rest.

Mrs. Lydia Roaf, Mr. Frye's sister, was Mrs. Eddy's cook at this time, but she and her brother had little to say to each other. Miss Martha Morgan acted as housekeeper. She had come from Maine to study under Mrs. Eddy and had stayed to help with the housework. Foster Eddy's duties were manifold, but were chiefly in the nature of personal services to Mrs. Eddy. He went about town on errands to her publishers and printers; addressed meetings which she could not attend; wrote some of her letters for her; saw visitors when she was indisposed; sometimes took a drive with her; kept her desk in order; played and sang for her when she was in a pensive mood. Mrs. Eddy liked her son to appear with some distinction when he went out to represent her. In winter he usually wore a long fur-lined coat, and Mrs. Eddy later bought him a diamond solitaire for his little finger. Since he had to speak occasionally in public, Mrs. Eddy sent him to the Boston School