news concerned the first citizen of that place.  There was a certain railroad in the West which had got itself much into Congress, and much into the newspapers, and Isaac D. Worthington had got himself into that railroad:  was gone West, it was said on that business, and might not be back for many weeks.  And Lem Hallowell remembered when Mr. Worthington was a slim-cheated young man wandering up and down Coniston Water in search of health.  Good Mr. Satterlee, thinking this a safe subject, allowed himself to be led into a discussion of the first citizen’s career, which indeed had something fascinating in it.

Thus they jingled into Brampton Street and stopped before the cottage of Judge Graves—­a courtesy title.  The judge himself came to the door and bestowed a pronounced bow on the minister, for Mr. Satterlee was honored in Brampton.  Just think of what Ezra Graves might have looked like, and you have him.  He greeted Cynthia, too, with a warm welcome—­for Ezra Graves,—­and ushered them into a best parlor which was reserved for ministers and funerals and great occasions in general, and actually raised the blinds.  Then Mr. Satterlee, with much hemming and hawing, stated the business which had brought them, while Cynthia looked out of the window.

Mr. Graves sat and twirled his lean thumbs.  He went so far as to say that he admired a young woman who scorned to live in idleness, who wished to impart the learning with which she had been endowed.  Fifteen applicants were under consideration for the position, and the prudential committee had so far been unable to declare that any of them were completely qualified. (It was well named, that prudential committee?) Mr. Graves, furthermore, volunteered that he had expressed a wish to Colonel Prescott (Oh, Ephraim, you too have got a title with your new honors!), to Colonel Prescott and others, that Miss Wetherell might take the place.  The middle term opened on the morrow, and Miss Bruce, of the Worthington Free Library, had been induced to teach until a successor could be appointed, although it was most inconvenient for Miss Bruce.

Could Miss Wetherell start in at once, provided the committee agreed?  Cynthia replied that she would like nothing better.  There would be an examination before Mr. Errol, the Brampton Superintendent of Schools.  In short, owing to the pressing nature of the occasion, the judge would take the liberty of calling the committee together immediately.  Would Mr. Satterlee and Miss Wetherell make themselves at home in the parlor?

It very frequently happens that one member of a committee is the brain, and the other members form the body of it.  It was so in this case.  Ezra Graves typified all of prudence there was about it, which, it must be admitted, was a great deal.  He it was who had weighed in the balance the fifteen applicants and found them wanting.  Another member of the committee was that comfortable Mr. Dodd, with the tuft of yellow beard, the hardware dealer whom we have