“‘Yes,’ said I, for I felt just the least bit termagantish, ‘but such things do not happen now-a-days.’ “Mr. S—— _looked_ again, and I was quieted, though I felt very much like laughing. “‘One can sleep on the sofa,’ continued my husband, after a pause. “It was the nearest approach toward calculating probabilities that I had ever known him to make; but I took somewhat of a wicked pleasure in replying, “‘Not if he is very tall—and then he would probably roll out, it is so narrow; and, after all, that is only one.’ “‘Chairs!’ suggested Mr. S——. “‘Don’t you think,’ said I, rather hesitatingly, ‘that they would rather go where they could be better accommodated?’ “‘Anna,’ said Mr. S——, as he deliberately laid down his pen, ‘I am really sorry to see you so unwilling to contribute your mite toward entertaining those who should be welcome guests in every house.’ “‘_Mite_, indeed!’ thought I; ‘but that sounded better in a sentence than ‘superhuman efforts.’’ “‘Mr. S——,’ said I, in a sort of frantic hope of reducing him to reason, ‘there are exactly two spare-beds in the house—these divided among six full-grown men are not very extensive accommodations.’ “My husband turned upon me a look, ‘more in sorrow than in anger,’ and left the room, as I imagined, to examine our stock of blankets and comfortables. But not he; he only went to look for a book of reference, and soon was writing again as calmly as though six ministries were not hovering over us in perspective. “I sat like one bewildered, and thought. Mr. S—— would not imagine the possibility of our not being able to accommodate them; and I foresaw that all the blame of a failure would fall upon me. Had they only been girls, I could have disposed of them somehow; but the idea of packing away six grave ministers, like so many bundles, was quite repugnant to my feelings of reverence. I thought, however, in vain—there was no conclusion to come to; nothing left for me but inglorious retreat. In spite of having taken him ‘for better or for worse’—notwithstanding that I had vowed to cling to him through every thing—I deserted him in his hour of need. Yes, I thought that a good, practical lesson might be of benefit both to him and me; so I went off on a visit, ostensibly to spend the day, but I contrived to be gone all night—the very night that the ministers were to arrive. “I learned the particulars of their visit from Mr. S——.