“  Well,  what  if  it  is?  "  Jean  had  flung  back  at  her
hotly.  “  Having  things  in  place  isn’t  the  end  and
aim  of  happiness.  Just  because  a  house  is  swept
and  garnished  isn't  any  sign  that  it  is  a  blissful
habitation.  When  I  was  a  child  I  used  to  visit  my
two  great-aunts  in  Maryland.  I  loved  to  go  to
Aunt  Mary's,  but  I  dreaded  Aunt  Anne's.  And
the  reason  was  this.  Everything  in  Aunt  Anne’s
house  went  by  clock-work,  and  everything  was  pol¬
ished  and  scrubbed  and  dusted  within  an  inch  of  its
350


THE  EMPTY  HOUSE


life.  When  we  arrived,  we  scraped  onr  shoes  before
we  kissed  Aunt  Anne,  and  when  we  departed,  we
felt  that  she  literally  swept  us  out — .  We  had
hours  for  everything,  and  nobody  thought  of  doing
as  she  pleased.  It  was  always  as  Aunt  Anne
pleased,  and  the  meals  were  always  on  time,  and
nobody  was  ever  expected  to  be  late,  and  if  she  was
late  she  was  scolded  or  punished ;  and  nobody  ever
dared  throw  a  newspaper  on  the  floor,  or  go  out  to
the  kitchen  and  make  fudge,  or  pop  corn  by  the
sitting-room  fire.  Yet  Aunt  Anne  was  so  efficient
that  her  house-keeping  was  the  admiration  of  the
whole  State.
