"No. For she isn't in Raleigh with her husband; she is at Asheville." "Why, how's that?" inquired Chase, who had seen, from the first, Jared's deep attachment to his wife. "How indeed!" thought the mother. Her lips quivered. She compressed them in order to conceal it. The satisfaction which she had, for a time, felt in the idea that Genevieve was learning, at last, that she could not always control her husband--this had now vanished in the sense of her son's long and dreary solitude. For the wife had not been in Raleigh during the entire winter; Jared had been left to endure existence as best he could in his comfortless boarding-house. "My daughter-in-law has been very closely occupied at Asheville," she explained, after a moment. "They are improving their house there, you know, and she can superintend work of that sort remarkably well." "That's so," said Chase, agreeingly. "She is also much interested in a new wing for the Colored Home," pursued Mrs. Franklin; and this time a little of her deep inward bitterness showed itself in her tone. "Gen's pretty cute!" thought Chase. "She's not only feathering her own nest up there in Asheville, but at the same time she is starving out that wrong-headed husband of hers." Then he went on aloud: "Well, ma'am, if it's to be Mrs. Jared who is to attend to the matter for me, I guess I'll wait until I can put the whole thing before her in a nutshell, with the details arranged. That will be pretty soon now--as soon as I come back from California. For I must go to California myself before long." "Are you going to take Ruth? How I shall miss her!" said the mother, dispiritedly. "We shall not be gone a great while--only five or six weeks. On second thoughts, why shouldn't you come along, ma'am?--come along with us? I guess I could fix it so as you'd be pretty comfortable." "You are very kind. But I could not leave Dolly." "Of course not. I didn't mean that, ma'am; I meant that Miss Dolly should come along too. That French woman of Ruth's--Felicity--she's capital when travelling. Or we could have a trained nurse? They have very attractive nurses now, ma'am; real ladies; and good-looking too, and sprightly." "You are always thoughtful," answered Mrs. Franklin, amused by this description. "But it is impossible. Dolly can travel for two or three days, if we take great precautions; but a longer time makes her ill. Ruth is coming to lunch, isn't she? With Malachi? I am so glad you brought him; he doesn't have many holidays."