Ralph was about to explain that it was only the appearance of the man to which his sister objected, but she spoke for herself.

“Of course, we oughtn’t always to judge people by their looks,” she said, “but in my thoughts about our home, I never connected it with such a very shabby person.  But then, if he is an old family servant, he may be the very kind of a man the place needs.”

“Oh, I advise you to stick to Mike, by all means,” said the doctor, “and to Phoebe, too, if she will stay with you.  But I think she prefers the town to this somewhat secluded place.”

“A good omen,” said Ralph, as he closed the door after the doctor.  “As a neighbor, I believe that man is at the head of his class, and I am very glad that he happened to be the first one who came to see us.”

“Well,” said Miriam, “we haven’t seen the others yet, and I am glad that we don’t know whether this doctor is homeopathic or allopathic, so that we can get started in liking him before we know whether we approve of his medicines or not.”

“Upon my word,” cried Ralph, “I never knew that you had opinions about the different medical schools.  Did they teach you that sort of thing at Mrs. Stone’s?”

“I suppose I can have opinions without having them taught to me, can’t I?” she answered.  “I saw a lot of sickness among the girls, and I am homeopathic.”

“Stuff,” exclaimed Ralph, “I don’t believe you ever took any medicine in your life.”

“I have not taken much,” answered Miriam, “but I have taken enough to settle it in my mind that I am never going to take any more of the same sort.”

“And they were not little sugar pills?”

“No, indeed they were not,” said Miriam, very decidedly.

“I’ve made a fire in the parlor,” said Phoebe, coming in, “if you all want to sit there afore you go to bed.”

“I don’t want to sit anywhere,” cried Miriam, “and I am crazy to get a peep out of doors.  Come on, Ralph, just for a minute.”

Ralph followed her out on the piazza.

“It’s awfully dark,” said Miriam, “but if we walk carefully, I think we can get far enough away from the house to look up at it, and find out a little what it looks like.”

They groped their way across the driveway, and on to the grass beyond.

“We can see a good deal of it against the sky!” exclaimed Miriam.  “What tall pillars!  It looks like a Greek temple in front.  And from what I can make out, it’s pretty much all front.”

“I suppose it is a regular old-fashioned house,” said her brother, “with a Grecian portico front, and perhaps another at the back.  But you must come in now, for you have on neither hat nor wrap.”  And he took her by the hand.

“It isn’t cold,” said Miriam, “and oh, Ralph, look up at the stars.  Those are our stars, every one of them.”

Ralph laughed, as he led her into the house.

“Yes, indeed,” she insisted, “we own all the way down, and all the way up.”