Villa Valley, three double-truck loads of furniture preceding us by way of the turnpike.  I had thoughtfully ordered quite a quantity of provisions put into the house, in advance of our arrival.  Hiring a carriage at the station, and obtaining the keys of the agent, we drove to our residence.  Sophronia, to use her own expression, ’felt as she imagined Juno did, when first installed as mistress of the rosy summit of the divine mount; while I, though scarcely in a mood to compare myself with Jove, was conscious of a new and delightful sense of manliness.  The shades and curtains were in the windows, the sun shone warmly upon them, and a bright welcome seemed to extend itself from the whole face of the cottage.  I unlocked the door and tenderly kissed my darling under the lintel; then we stepped into the parlor.  Sophronia immediately exclaimed: 

“Gracious!”

The word that escaped my lips, I shrink from placing upon the printed page.  A barrel of flour, one of sugar, another of corned beef, and a half-barrel of molasses, a box of candles, a can of kerosene oil, some cases of canned fruits, a box of laundry soap, three wash-tubs, and a firkin of butter—­all these, and many other packages, covered the parlor floor, and sent up a smell suggestive of an unventilated grocery.  The flour had sifted between the staves of the barrel, the molasses had dripped somewhat, the box of soap had broken open and a single bar had been fastened to the carpet by the seal of a boot-heel of heroic size.  Sophronia stepped into little pools of molasses, and the effect seemed to be that the carpet rose to bestow sweet clinging kisses upon the dainty feet of the loveliest of her sex.

“Horrible!” ejaculated Sophronia.

“And here come the trucks,” said I, looking out of the window, “and the one with the parlor furniture is in front.”

Fortunately, the truckmen were good-tempered and amenable to reason, expressed by means of currency; so we soon had the provisions moved into the kitchen.  Then the senior truckman kindly consented to dispose of an old tarpaulin, at about twice the price of a piece of velvet carpet of similar size, and this we spread upon the parlor floor while the furniture should be brought in.  Sophronia assumed the direction of proceedings, but it soon became evident that she was troubled.

“The room, evidently, was not arranged for this furniture,” said she.

And she spoke truthfully.  We had purchased a lounge, a large centre-table, an etagere, a Turkish chair, two reception chairs, four chairs to match the lounge, a rocker or two, an elegant firescreen, and several other articles of furniture, and there was considerable difficulty experienced, not only in arranging them, but in getting them into the parlor at all.  Finally, the senior truckman spoke: 

[Illustration:  A BRIGHT WELCOME SEEMED TO EXTEND ITSELF FROM THE WHOLE FACE OF THE COTTAGE.]