"You know it is no fault of mine that we have not seen more of each other," said Letty, gently.
"I know; I know," replied Mrs. Train, hastily. "I have no fault to find with either you or John. You have always been kind and respectful to me, Letty,—always: I will say that for you. How nice and pleasant you look here!" said Mrs. Train, glancing around. "Your wife has that trait of a good housekeeper, John. She knows how to make every part of her house pleasant and inviting. She does not have one grand parlour for company, and the living-rooms anyhow and every-how."
"I never have any but living-rooms," said Letty, smiling. "I never want a house larger than I can use. How do you like the one where you are going?"
"All show and outside," replied Mrs. Train. "It is handsome, too,—very handsome. But I do think it rather hard upon my old bones to have to mount up to the third story to sleep, or else up with a little hole of a room in the basement. I am not used to stairs, and they are very hard upon me. The fact is, the house is not nearly so convenient as the one we are in, especially with a helpless child like Madge to take care of; but, then, Joe and Agnes think the situation makes up for every thing; and perhaps it does."
"I don't myself see the great advantages of the situation," said John, dryly. "The land is, a great deal of it, made by filling in, and the lots are very small. The houses have no gardens, and they are all up-stairs and down-stairs."
"Yes; but, then, we never do any thing with a garden. If we had forty acres, we should only raise just so many more weeds. Joe says a garden does not pay."
"Mine pays, I can assure you," said John. "Think of all the fruit we have had this year,—strawberries and raspberries and grapes more than we could use, and almost all the summer vegetables we have needed. Joe's garden is as good as mine if he would work it as I do."
"Why, aunt, you used to be fond of a garden," said Letty. "I remember what a nice one you always had at the old North Street house."
"I used to have a good many things in the old North Street house that I shall never have again," said Mrs. Train, rather bitterly. "Take my advice, Letty, and keep your own roof over your head as long as you can. There is no great comfort in living in other people's houses."
"So I think," said Letty.