"I can do all my own work, and perhaps lend her a helping hand, for she'll be sure to miss you; and 'tisn't fair that I should take her son, and not make her some kind of a return."
"Bless you, my girl! I'd thought of that before, but didn't like to say anything to you about it, because some women might have been jealous if their husbands had thought anything about their old mothers, who nursed 'em and brought 'em up. I'm real glad you're not that sort."
"I should think it downright mean to be jealous of my own mother-in-law, so you never need fear for me, my dear," returned Jane.
Thus they chatted on through the evening, the first of many such pleasant times; and for weeks Richard never returned from his daily toil without being gladdened by the sight of a figure in clean print dress standing in the doorway to greet him.
But one evening, although Jane met her husband as usual, there was something about her which puzzled Richard.
"What's the matter with you, missis?" he inquired at length, examining her critically, as she took her seat opposite him at the table and began to pour out his tea.
Jane flushed and hesitated, and finally said: "What eyes you men have! Can't you see?"
"I declare you've never changed your morning gown, and it wasn't extra clean to start with; so said I to myself this morning: 'I suppose Jane's going to have a cleaning day; but there's one comfort, she'll be as neat and clean when I get back as she was the first day she stepped foot in the house.'"
"That's just how it is, Richard. I've had a good hard day's work; and I was so tired, I thought for once it didn't matter about changing my dress, as my hands and face were clean."
"Humph," said Richard. He was evidently not quite of his wife's opinion; and, all that evening, whenever he happened to look across at Jane, he experienced a disagreeable sensation at the unaccustomed sight of a dirty dress, and hair that was anything but smooth.