The parsonage was so altered, both inside and out, that the real pain was less than she had anticipated.  It was not like the same place.  The garden, the grass-plat, formerly so daintily trim that even a stray rose-leaf seemed like a fleck on its exquisite arrangement and propriety, was strewed with children’s things; a bag of marbles here, a hoop there; a straw-hat forced down upon a rose-tree as on a peg, to the destruction of a long beautiful tender branch laden with flowers, which in former days would have been trained up tenderly, as if beloved.  The little square matted hall was equally filled with signs of merry healthy rough childhood.

‘Ah!’ said Mrs. Hepworth, ’you must excuse this untidiness, Miss Hale.  When the nursery is finished, I shall insist upon a little order.  We are building a nursery out of your room, I believe.  How did you manage, Miss Hale, without a nursery?’

‘We were but two,’ said Margaret.  ’You have many children, I presume?’

’Seven.  Look here! we are throwing out a window to the road on this side.  Mr. Hepworth is spending an immense deal of money on this house; but really it was scarcely habitable when we came—­for so large a family as ours I mean, of course.’  Every room in the house was changed, besides the one of which Mrs. Hepworth spoke, which had been Mr. Hale’s study formerly; and where the green gloom and delicious quiet of the place had conduced, as he had said, to a habit of meditation, but, perhaps, in some degree to the formation of a character more fitted for thought than action.  The new window gave a view of the road, and had many advantages, as Mrs. Hepworth pointed out.  From it the wandering sheep of her husband’s flock might be seen, who straggled to the tempting beer-house, unobserved as they might hope, but not unobserved in reality; for the active Vicar kept his eye on the road, even during the composition of his most orthodox sermons, and had a hat and stick hanging ready at hand to seize, before sallying out after his parishioners, who had need of quick legs if they could take refuge in the ’Jolly Forester’ before the teetotal Vicar had arrested them.  The whole family were quick, brisk, loud-talking, kind-hearted, and not troubled with much delicacy of perception.  Margaret feared that Mrs. Hepworth would find out that Mr. Bell was playing upon her, in the admiration he thought fit to express for everything that especially grated on his taste.  But no! she took it all literally, and with such good faith, that Margaret could not help remonstrating with him as they walked slowly away from the parsonage back to their inn.

’Don’t scold, Margaret.  It was all because of you.  If she had not shown you every change with such evident exultation in their superior sense, in perceiving what an improvement this and that would be, I could have behaved well.  But if you must go on preaching, keep it till after dinner, when it will send me to sleep, and help my digestion.’