There was no thought of compliment, for she did not even look toward the young man to whom she was apparently talking. At this moment a woman, handsomely attired, stood in the doorway, and with clouded brow bade her come in. “I was looking at a beautiful book, mamma,” said Marion. “We want no books of an agent,” said the stern, proud woman. “If we need books we buy them at Hamerton’s” (one of the largest dealers in the East). “I am in college,” said the young man, piqued at the woman’s rudeness, and half angered that the lovely girl should be found fault with. “I am earning some money in this way,” he added, not wishing to lie about the matter, and yet rather enjoying this study of human nature. “I am glad to help poor young men,”—she remembered when the shrewd Mr. Colwell, her husband, made his first dollars in common work at railroading,—“but I never buy of agents! Why, we should be bored to death if we did! Besides, I think our country is running to education. Men who should be West on farms are striving to go through college, and then will starve as poor doctors or lawyers in the busy cities. We need men to build our railroads; Mr. Colwell says men are so scarce and labor so dear that he has to import rough foreigners. Education is the bane of common folks. It spoils our girls. Look at those in our high schools!—they’re too good to be servants. While their mothers are toiling over the wash-tub these young misses fit themselves to be teachers. They’d better go West and become farmers’ wives. They’ve got to marry common people, for they can’t get rich men.” Grant thought to himself how these educated poor girls were to be the great moral force of our country in its grand future; but he made no answer as self-sufficient Mrs. Colwell went on: “If Marion were to teach, why, all this education would be good for her, perhaps; but my daughter will never be obliged to.” “But you didn’t see the book, mamma,” pleaded the girl, whose cheeks had become as red as the roses which Grant had handed back to her. “No; and I’ve no time for it. Your father is waiting to take you to drive. Besides, I was surprised to see you conversing with a stranger.” The young man lifted his hat to Marion as he passed out of the gate, but not till he had said a word of thanks for her kindness to an unknown student. He thought he saw the blue eyes moisten as they looked up to his, showing that she felt her mother’s harshness to a youth who appeared to be working his way alone in the world.