"I am sure of that," said I. "If you had done so, it would only have been self-righteousness. What I understand by the righteous, in the highest sense, is those who are made so by the righteousness of Christ; and if any one might be expected to have sound wisdom laid up for them, I am sure they have a right to it. Now, you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ; then you are made righteous in Him. Don't you know where it is written, 'Not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith'?" Yes, my neighbour knew this; it was a great comfort to her to know something of the meaning of it, she said. "Well, then, to come to the point from which we have started, being a Christian woman, your husband, your children, I, everybody, have a sort of right to expect from you the fruits of that wisdom which cometh from above; and, as you know, is 'first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated.'" "To be sure, sir, there's no doubt of that. But, you see, when a poor woman, whether Christian or not, is hard pushed, and the husband won't do what he ought, why, then maybe she forgets what she ought to remember, and wisdom, as you call it, sir, is just nowhere." "'If any of you lack wisdom,' said the apostle James, 'let him (or her) ask of God, who giveth to all liberally, and upbraideth not.' There are two lessons for us there, I think," said I. "Very likely," said Martha; "and I want teaching badly enough." "The first lesson is the plain one, that when we are in a sort of trouble we should go to God, through the Lord Jesus Christ, for guidance. The next is, that if God does not upbraid us for our folly, we should take care how we set about upbraiding others." "And that's true," said Martha; "I never thought of that before." "And then," I continued, "the Bible, especially the new Testament part of it, clearly sets before us our Christian duty, whatever may be our station and position in life. You know what it says about wives; but I don't think that it is anywhere said, 'Wives, scold your husbands.'" Mrs. Howland smiled at this. "A funny thing that would be if it did," said she. "But something is said about the husband being the head of the wife." Martha remembered this, and thought that no good was likely to come by her scolding her husband, as she acknowledged she had done. "Certainly no good can come of it, because it is contrary to the law and the gospel." "But what is a poor wife to do?" asked Martha, in much perplexity; "you don't think it is right for Will to be hanging about indoors all day, or pretty near it, when he ought to be at work, or looking after it--though it is the Bible he is reading?" "No; I do not. There is a time for all things, and--but I am not going to talk to you about your husband, that wouldn't be fair. Leave him to me; I'll talk to him." "I'd be thankful to you, sir, if you would," said Martha.