"Be a good girl." Chilian kissed the soft red lips and then went his way. There was not much caressing in the restrained New England nature of that day, especially among those who had grown up with few family ties. His mother had died while he was yet quite a boy. "Let us go back now," said Rachel presently. "I believe I have found all our goods. Miss Leverett will be appalled." The child repeated the word. "What does it mean?" she asked. "Astonished, surprised." "Why, _they_ have a houseful of things;" in protest. "Then there is the less room for ours." "But there is ever so much room in the garret." "I almost wish we were going to live by ourselves in a little house, like some we saw yesterday." "Who would cook the dinner and wash the dishes?" "Oh, I could;" laughing. "Only us two? It would be lonesome." "We are not likely to." "Don't go straight home. Let us find the market again. I didn't half see it last night." "It wasn't night exactly. Yes--we must learn to find our way about, for we cannot stay in all the time. This is Essex Street. Let us turn here." The market was in its glory this morning. The stalls were ornamented with branches of evergreens, the floors sifted over with sawdust. There were vegetables and meats, but no great variety. There was no sunny south, no swift train to send in delicious luxuries. The cold storage of that day was being buried in pits and being brought out to light as occasion required. There were other stalls, with various household stores. Iron-holders, tin kettles, whiskbrooms, pins (which were quite a luxury), crockery ware even. Wagons had come in from country places and customers were thronging about them. The people interested Miss Winn, and the chaffering, the beating down in prices, was quite amusing. Here a woman was measuring some cotton goods from her chin to the ends of her fingers; here sat a cobbler doing odd jobs while some one waited. Altogether it was very entertaining, and it was dinner-time when they reached home. "Mr. Leverett has gone to Boston," announced Miss Leverett. "We must have our dinner without him." "Yes, he was down on the ship," said Miss Winn. "Do you often go to Boston?" "I am much too busy to be gadding about," returned Elizabeth sharply; "though we have connections there, and I once spent several years in the city." "I don't suppose it is at all like London. Eastern cities are so different--and dirty," she added. "Boston is very nice, quite a superior place, but we do not consider it much above Salem," Miss Elizabeth said, with an air. "We have nearly all of the East India trade. To be sure, there is Harvard at Cambridge, and that calls students and professors. Cousin Chilian is a graduate. He could have been an accepted professor if he had chosen." Then the conversation languished. They were hardly through dinner when the next relay of goods arrived.