Statira worked in the box-factory now; she liked it a great deal
better than the store, and declared that she was ever so much
stronger. The cough lingered still, but none of them noticed it
much; she called it a cold, and said she kept catching more. 'Manda
Grier told her that she could throw it off soon enough if she would
buy a few clothes for warmth and not so many for looks; but they did
not talk this over before Lemuel. Before he came Statira took a
soothing mixture that she got of the apothecary, and then they were
all as bright and gay as could be, and she looked so pretty that he
said he could not get used to it. The housekeeping experiment was a
great success; she and 'Manda Grier had two rooms now, and they
lived better than ever they had, for less money. Of course, Statira
said, it was not up to the St. Albans, which Lemuel had told them of
at first a little braggingly. In fact she liked to have him brag of
it, and of the splendours of his position and surroundings. She was
very curious, but not envious of anything, and it became a joke with
her and 'Manda Grier, who pretended to despise the whole affair.
At first it flattered Lemuel to have her admire his rise in life so
simply and ardently; but after a while it became embarrassing, in
proportion as it no longer seemed so superb to him. She was always
wanting him to talk of it; after a few Sundays, with the long hours
they had passed in telling each other all they could think of about
themselves, they had not much else to talk of.
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