"All husbands are alike," answered Gwen. "They get nice girls to marry them, taking them away from their homes, and no sooner have they got them than they seem to forget their existence. I have been studying husbands lately, that is to say since my friend Mabel married. Men are fearfully selfish." Rachel looked gravely at her sister. "Gwen, I advise you to wait to give out your opinions till you are a little older. You really talk like a very silly child. I hope if you have been saying anything impertinent to Luke that you will apologise to him before you are an hour older. I am quite horrified at you." Rachel's face was flushed, and Gwen saw she was more angry with her than she had ever been in her life. But she was not daunted. Here was her favourite sister, whom she adored, tied for life to a man who was engrossed in his parish and had no time whatever to think of her. She felt boiling with rage. "I certainly shall not apologise," she said, "it would take away any little good my words may have done. I think I have come to spy out the land none too soon, and that Luke will awake to see that what I have said anyhow has some sense in it, and that he will not let you carry the coal scuttle another time." Rachel looking at Gwen's earnest and rather anxious face repented that she had been so stern with her. After all she was only an ignorant child. She could not expect an old head on young shoulders; besides, Gwen was always putting her foot into it, talking of things about which she really knew nothing. The family took her sayings for what they were worth and laughed at them. She wished she had not taken her so seriously. But the fact was, that Rachel was conscious that Luke sometimes surprised her by not doing what he would have done during their courtship. He had been very chivalrous in those days, and more careful of her than was necessary. Now he often let her do things for him which he would in those days have done for her. At times the consciousness of this had a little hurt her; he seemed to have lost, where she was concerned, his old world courtesy. She remembered feeling ashamed when Mrs. Stone had come to tea, that he had let her, his wife, do all the waiting while he sat still and talked. He was so interested in his conversation that he had never noticed it. But these were such very little things after all, that Rachel had made up her mind not to notice them. However, the fact that Gwen had noticed them made her feel sore and somewhat indignant with her sister. But glancing again at the child who had tears in her eyes at the thought that Rachel was wasted on Luke, anger fled, and an amused smile took its place. "Oh Gwen dear," she said, "I wish you could see how ridiculous you are. What do all those little things matter when people love one another as Luke and I love? You see you are too young to understand. I really advise you to put away your silly imaginations." She ended up with a laugh.