Fred frowned. That word "cheap" always irritated her. "Miss Carter is a good woman," Mrs. Payton went on, "but she's a little coarse once in a while." "I suppose Flora wants a home of her own," Fred said, yawning; "when women have no brains they have to marry for homes." "All women want homes, whether they have brains or not," said Mrs. Payton; "where would they have their babies if they didn't have homes? Freddy, it must be very lonely for you in Lakeville. Your Uncle William is really shocked about it. He says there are no people of our class there." "Billy-boy is correct. I had two people of the better class in to supper last night--_workers_. Mother, one of the things the women's vote is going to do, besides giving the Floras of the world a chance to be independent of men, is to obliterate class lines." "Then it will have to obliterate life," Mrs. Payton whispered. "Women need men to take care of them. And as for class, God makes a difference in people. You can't vote God down." It was so unusual for Mrs. Payton to set her opinion against her daughter's that Frederica laughed, in spite of herself. Mrs. Payton laughed a little, too; then they both looked at the bed, but the heavy breathing went steadily on. "Your grandmother thinks," Mrs. Payton said, impulsively, "that you would have more beaux if we lived up on the Hill." "That's like her." "Freddy dear, you know I have to stay here on account of Morty? Not that I'd do more for him than for you--I love you both _just_ the same! But I couldn't take him up on the Hill." "'Course you couldn't! Mother, for the Lord's sake, don't listen to Grandmother! She's one of the type that keeps the world back." "She doesn't like change, that's all," Mrs. Payton explained. She came in and sat down at the table. "Yes; she doesn't like change," Fred agreed. "If Nature had listened to Grandmother we'd all be protoplasm still. Probably the grandmother of the first worm that sprouted legs, kicked. No, she couldn't kick," Fred said, chuckling, "because she didn't have the legs she despised; she just said, 'It isn't _done_!'" Mrs. Payton looked perfectly blank. "I'm going to use that idea in my paper," Fred said, with satisfaction. "Do you think Howard Maitland likes you to write papers, dear?" "Likes me to? Why shouldn't he? It wouldn't make a bit of difference to me whether he did or not, but as he has ordinary garden sense, I am sure he doesn't dislike it." "Men," Mrs. Payton said, timidly, "don't like clever women." "Clever men do." "Your dear father was clever--but he married me." The simplicity of that was touching, even to Frederica. "You were a thousand times too good for him!" Mrs. Payton was pleased, but she made the proper protest: "Oh, my _dear_! I had a letter from your grandmother yesterday; she thinks it's shocking--your living in Lakeville alone." "Go on!" Frederica said, contemptuously. "Hush-sh!" Mrs. Payton cautioned her.