"Amen," replied Mr. Flint.
"Oh, dear!" exclaimed Mrs. Flint, "I just can't finish those dishes. I—"
"Let 'em go," said Mrs. Stout; "nobody's s'posed to wash dishes when there's a weddin' comin' off in a few minutes, your own son's, too, and the best, sweetest woman in the whole wide world." And to prove that she meant every word she put her arms around Barbara and kissed the cheeks that grew pink with pleasure and modesty.
"And in you they have one of the best, truest friends possible," Barbara replied.
"Nonsense," said Mrs. Stout, who was modest herself.
"No nonsense about it," Mr. Flint interposed, earnestly. "If it had not been for you and your kindness, where would we all be now?"
"Oh, well," replied Mrs. Stout, "you'd prob'ly been alive just the same."
"Ah, Mrs. Stout, but what is life without sunshine in our hearts? Barbara not only nursed me back to life—she showed me how to live. And you were her friend when all others failed, you saved her for the task."
"Well," sighed Mrs. Stout, resignedly, "I done what I thought was best."