"
"Set it down in the corner, and I'll take it up to-morrow."
"Thank you, Ma’am; — rather go myself, if it's all the same to
you. You needn't be scared, I've left my shoes at the door.
Miss Ellen, I believe I've got to go through your room."
Ellen was glad to run before, to hide her laughter. When they
reached her room, Mr. Van Brunt produced a hammer out of the
bag, and taking a handful of nails from his pocket, put up a
fine row of them along her closet wall, then, while she hung
up her dresses, he went on to the garret, and Ellen heard him
hammering there, too. Presently he came down, and they
returned to the kitchen.
"What's all that knocking?" said Miss Fortune.
"I've been driving some nails," said Mr. Van Brunt, coolly.
"Up in the garret?"
"Yes, and in Miss Ellen's closet; she said she wanted some."
"You should ha' spoken to _me_ about it," said Miss Fortune to
Ellen. There was displeasure enough in her face: but she said
no more, and the matter blew over much better than Ellen had
feared.
Ellen steadily pursued her plans of studying, in spite of some
discouragements.
A letter, written about ten days after, gave her mother an
account of her endeavours and of her success. It was a
despairing account. Ellen complained that she wanted help to
understand, and lacked time to study; that her aunt kept her
busy, and, she believed, took pleasure in breaking her off
from her books; and she bitterly said, her mother must expect
to find an ignorant little daughter when she came home.
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