While Mrs. Herne was engaged in reading the letter, Mrs. Wentworth's child, seeing the door leading from one room to another open, took the opportunity of doing a little exploring. It was not long before he was in the parlor. When he entered Stella just looked up from the paper she was reading, to see who it was, and went on with her reading, which she was absorbed in. She had seen the child about the house on other occasions. Now, where Stella was sitting, there was another chair at the back of Stella's chair, and this vacant one was against the wall. On the wall just over the chair was a pretty shelf, with a fancy bright-colored ball fringe all around it, which attracted the child's attention. So he climbed up in the chair, and when he stood up on the seat he saw on the shelf a small, fancy, cut-glass bottle, with a very shining silver-like top to it; so he put his hand out and took it from the shelf, after which he turned round and faced the back of Stella's chair. In passing the bottle from one hand to the other, in order to help himself down with his possessions, his faculty of weight not being as yet well trained, he let go of the bottle before he had got a firm hold of it with the other hand, and the result was that it fell on Stella's shoulder. Fortunately the stopper did not come off till it reached her lap, when she received the whole contents of a bottle of ink on her wedding dress. Just about that time Mrs. Wentworth said to Mrs. Herne: "I must go and see what that child is doing;" and she arrived in the room just as the bottle of ink fell into Stella's lap. Mrs. Wentworth took the situation in at a glance and the hot blood instantly flew to her face, and hotter words came from her mouth; and, among other things she said, was: "My God! that brat of mine has spoiled your fine, white dress;" and she took the boy, and was spanking him amidst hot words and the cries of the child. Stella said: "Please don't hurt the child; it's nothing, it's nothing, Mrs. Wentworth." But the mother paid no attention to Stella's protests, but left the room with the child just as Mrs. Herne entered. Clara said: "Why, Stella, dear, what is the matter?" Stella laughed, and said: "I have got some new figures on my wedding dress. Don't you think they are pretty?" On seeing Stella's skirt and underskirt all saturated with ink in places, Clara was not quite prepared to enter into the same laughable mood as her guest, but said: "Stella, dear, how well you take it! I wish I could be that way." To which Stella replied: "I would not have a disturbed mind for a dozen of the best dresses ever made. Clara, nothing is so dear and sacred to me as 'the peace of mind which passeth all understanding.'" Clara said: "I see you kept the ink from going on my new carpet, by rolling your skirts up. It's just like your thoughtfulness, dear."