"Know well, my soul, God's hand controls Whate'er thou fearest; Round Him in calmest music rolls Whate'er thou hearest.
"What to thee is shadow, to Him is day, And the end He knoweth; And not on a blinded, aimless way The spirit goeth."
WHITTIER.
CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I. THE SEWING SOCIETY
CHAPTER II. THE NEW MINISTER
CHAPTER III. HARNESSING PRINCE
CHAPTER IV. MOTHER BARTLETT
CHAPTER V. MAKING HAY
CHAPTER VI. MR. KNOWLTON'S FISH
CHAPTER VII. BELLES AND BLACKBERRIES
CHAPTER VIII. THE NEW RICHES OF THE OLD WORLD
CHAPTER IX. MRS STARLING'S OPINIONS
CHAPTER X. IN SUGAR
CHAPTER XI. A STORM IN SEPTEMBER
CHAPTER XII. THE ASHES OF THE FIRE
CHAPTER XIII. FROM THE POST OFFICE
CHAPTER XIV. MEETING AT ELMFIELD
CHAPTER XV. CATECHIZING
CHAPTER XVI. IS IT WELL WITH THEE?
CHAPTER XVII. THE USE OF LIVING
CHAPTER XVIII. A SNOWSTORM
CHAPTER XIX. OUT OF HUMDRUM
CHAPTER XX. SETTLED
CHAPTER XXI. UNSETTLED
CHAPTER XXII. NEW LIFE
CHAPTER XXIII. SUPPER AT HOME
CHAPTER XXIV. THE MINISTER'S WIFE
CHAPTER XXV. MISS COLLINS' WORK
CHAPTER XXVI. THINGS UNDONE
CHAPTER XXVII. BONDS
CHAPTER XXVIII. EVAN'S SISTER
CHAPTER XXIX. HUSBAND AND WIFE
CHAPTER XXX. SUNSHINE
CHAPTER XXXI. A JUNE DAY
CHAPTER XXXII. WIND AND TIDE
CHAPTER XXXIII. BUDS AND BLOSSOMS
CHAPTER XXXIV. DAIRY AND PARISH WORK
CHAPTER XXXV. BABYLON
CHAPTER XXXVI. THE PARTY
CHAPTER XXXVII. AT ONE
DIANA.
CHAPTER I.
THE SEWING SOCIETY.
I am thinking of a little brown house, somewhere in the wilds of NewEngland. I wish I could make my readers see it as it was, one Juneafternoon some years ago. Not for anything very remarkable about it;there are thousands of such houses scattered among our hills andvalleys; nevertheless one understands any life story the better forknowing amid what sort of scenes it was unfolded. Moreover, such aplace is one of the pleasant things in the world to look at, as Ijudge. This was a small house, with its gable end to the road, and alean-to at the back, over which the long roof sloped downpicturesquely. It was weather-painted; that was all; of a soft darkgrey now, that harmonized well enough with the gayer colours of meadowsand t