"No, she isn't, Auntie; the expected is never what happens." "Jane, any one with your religion can't rely on proverbs to help them out, because the whole thing puts you right outside of common-sense to begin with." Jane was sitting looking out upon the pretty garden. "I know, Auntie; I only quoted that in reference to the Sewing Society gossip. It's never the expected that happens in their world; it's the expected that always happens in my world. And proverbs don't exist in my world; they're every one of them a human limitation." "Well, Jane, I don't know; some of them are very pretty, and when I've seen Matilda over the fence and run down to get a few scraps, I've taken considerable comfort in 'No cloud without a silver lining' and 'It never rains but it pours.' They were a great help to me." Jane kissed her tenderly. "Bless you, Auntie,--everything's all right and all lovely, and Madeleine made me so happy to-day. I'm sure that she's engaged." "Yes, I've thought that, too." "Yes, and I'm so glad for her." "I hope he's good enough for her." "Oh, I'm sure that he is." Jane thought a minute. "And Madeleine gave me a big lesson, too," she added. "What?" "She showed me that with all my teaching and preaching, I don't trust God half enough yet." "Well, Jane," said Susan solemnly, "I s'pose trusting God is like being grateful for the sunshine,--human beings ain't big enough to hold all they ought to feel." "Perhaps we'd be nothing but trust and gratitude, then," said Jane, smiling. "They're nice feelings to be made of," said Susan serenely, "but I must go and put my bonnet away. But, oh, heavens, when I think that to-morrow old Mrs. Croft is coming!" "And that lots of good is coming with her; she is coming to bring happiness and happiness only." "Yes, I know," Susan's air was completely submissive. "I can hardly wait for her to get here. They wondered at the Sewing Society if she'd sing Captain Jinks all night often. She does sometimes, you know. But I'm sure we'll like her. She's a nice woman." CHAPTER X OLD MRS. CROFT OLD Mrs. Croft arrived the next afternoon about half after four. She was rolled up in her chair, and her small trunk followed on a wheelbarrow. "How old you have grown!" she said to Susan, by way of greeting, as she grated up the gravel. "My, to think you ever looked young!" They wheeled her into the hall. "Same hall," she said, looking about, "same paper you had thirty years ago. Oh, my, to think of it. I've papered and papered and scraped off, and papered and papered and scraped off, and then papered again in those same thirty years."