While he was musing in this vein, the odor of frying bacon from the kitchen, warmed his nose.  So he was not surprised to see Mrs. Grumble appear in the doorway soon afterward.  “Your supper is ready,” she said; “if you don’t come in at once it will grow cold.”

For supper, Mr. Jeminy had a bowl of soup, a glass of milk, bacon, potatoes, and a loaf of bread.  When Mrs. Grumble was seated, he bent his head, and said:  “Let us give thanks to God for this manifestation of His bounty.”

During the meal Mrs. Grumble was silent.  But Mr. Jeminy could see that she had something important to say.  At last she remarked, “As I was on my way to the village, I met Mrs. Barly.  She said, ’You’ll have to buy your own milk after this, Mrs. Grumble.’  I just stood and looked at her.”

Mr. Jeminy nodded his head.  “I am not surprised,” he said.  And, indeed, it did not surprise him.  Now that the war was over, the neighbors no longer came to his cottage with gifts of vegetables, fruit, and milk.  Mrs. Grumble looked at him thoughtfully, and while she washed the plates at the kitchen sink, sighed from the bottom of her soul.  Although she liked Mr. Jeminy who, she declared, was a good man, she felt, nevertheless, that in his company her talents were wasted.  “It is impossible to talk to Mr. Jeminy,” she told Miss Beal, the dress-maker, “because he talks so much.”

It was true; Mr. Jeminy liked to talk a great deal.  But his conversation, which was often about such people as St. Francis, or Plotinus, did not seem very lively to Mrs. Grumble.  “He talks about nothing but the dead,” she said to Miss Beal; “mostly heathen.”

“No,” said Miss Beal.  “How aggravating.”

Now, Mr. Jeminy, unheeding the sighs of his housekeeper, continued:  “But after all, I would not change places with Farmer Barly.  For riches are a source of trouble, Mrs. Grumble; they crowd love out of the heart.  A man is only to be envied who desires little.”

“It is always the same,” said Mrs. Grumble; “the rich have their pleasures, and the poor people their sorrows.”

“That,” said Mr. Jeminy, “is the mistake of ignorance.  For Epictetus was a slave, and Saint Peter was a fisherman.  They were poor; but they did not consider themselves unfortunate.  More to be pitied than either Saint Peter or Epictetus, was Croesus, King of Lydia, who was probably not as rich as Mr. Gary.  But he knew how to use his wealth.  Therefore he was all the more disappointed when it was taken away from him by Cyrus, the Persian.  No, Mrs. Grumble, what you can lose is no great good to any one.

“If you wish,” he added, “I will dry the dishes, and you can spend the evening in the village.”

As he stood above the sink, rubbing the dishes with a damp cloth, he thought:  “When I die, I should like it said of me:  By his own efforts, he remained a poor man.”  And he stood still, the dishtowel in his hand, thinking of that wealthy iron-master, whose epitaph is said to read:  Here lies a man who knew how to enlist in his service better men than himself.