Mrs. Lewis took off her hood and shawl in silence, untied her wet shoes, and placed her cold feet on the clean, warm stove-hearth; took in the brightness of the room, the shiny candlesticks, the neatly-spread tea-table; took whiffs of the steaming tea,--all in utter silence; only, when Kitty's father, looking out, said, "There's been business done here since you went away," something in her mother's voice, as she answered, "I should think there had," made the blood rush warmly into Kitty's cheeks, and made her whisper to herself, as she stooped to place the wet shoes under the stove to dry, "Mr. Holbrook told me true, I do believe. I guess I have pleased Jesus to-day; I feel so." While she was taking up the pudding, there was a merry whistle outside, a brisk, crushing step on the snow, and Tip whizzed into the room. Oh, there was no mistaking the look of delight on his face, nor the glad ring in his voice, as he said, "Oh, Kitty! why, Kitty Lewis! what _have_ you been doing? Why, it looks almost as nice here as it does at Howard Minturn's." All that evening there seemed a spell upon the Lewis family. Mrs. Lewis didn't say one cross or fretful word; indeed, she had no cause, for in Kitty's heart there was a strange, new feeling of love for her mother, of longing to please and give her comfort; and never was mother waited on with a more quiet care than Mrs. Lewis received that night. This was the first coming of home-comfort to the family. Tip had apples in his pocket, which Howard Minturn had given him; he roasted them before the fire, and his father ate very little pieces of them; and his mother darned stockings by the light of the candle in the clean little candlestick set on the clean little stand; and they were happy. By and by Tip brought out his grammar, and, finding Kitty very much interested in examining it, said,-- "What if you should begin and study grammar with me?" "What if I should?" answered Kitty. So that evening she commenced her education, and, though grammar was a queer study to _begin_ with, still it was a beginning. The pleasant evening wore away; the town clock had struck nine; Kitty's father had gone quietly to sleep, and the bedroom door was shut to keep all sounds from disturbing him. Tip had taken his candle and gone. Mrs. Lewis sat toasting her feet before the dying fire. Yet still Kitty lingered. She wanted to take Tip's advice, and tell her mother about her dear, new Friend, and this evening, of such wonderful peace, seemed the good time for doing so; but she didn't know how. If her mother would only say something to help her! and presently she did. "Kitty, what fit came over you, to go to work and clear up at such rate?" "I wanted to please _you_, I guess." Kitty knew that this answer would surprise her mother, and it did, into utter silence; but, after what seemed to Kitty a long, _long_ time, she spoke again: "What did you want to do that for?"