Where ?" She turned over the leaves till she found the place, and giving it to him bade him read.
"'Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in his law doth he meditate, day and night.
"'And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in due season; his leaf also shall not wither, _and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper_.'" Rufus stopped and stood looking on the page.
"Beautiful words!" he said.
"They will bear looking at," said Mrs.Landholm.
"But my dear mother, I never heard of anybody in my life of whom this was true." "How many people have you heard of, in your life, who answered the description ?" Rufus turned and began to walk up and down again.
"But suppose he were to undertake something not well -- not right ?" "The security reaches further back," said Winthrop.
"You forget," said his mother, "he could not do that; or could not persist in it." Rufus walked, and the others sat still and looked at the fire, till the opening of the door let in Mr.Landholm and a cold blast of air; which roused the whole party.

Winthrop put more wood on the fire; Mr.Landholm sat down in the corner and made himself comfortable; and Mrs.Landholm fetched an enormous tin pan of potatoes and began paring them.

Rufus presently stopped behind her chair, and said softly, "What's that for, mother ?" "For your breakfast to-morrow, sir." "Where is Karen ?" "In bed." "Why don't you let her do them, mother ?" "She has not time, my son." Rufus stood still and looked with a discontented face at the thin blue-veined fingers in which the coarse dirty roots were turning over and over.
"I've got a letter from my friend Haye to-day," Mr.Landholm said.
"What Haye is that ?" said his wife.
"What Haye?
-- there's only one that I know of; my old friend Haye -- you've heard me speak of him a hundred times.

I used to know him long ago in Mannahatta when I lived at Pillicoddy; and we have been in the Legislature together, time and again." "I remember now," said Mrs.Landholm paring her potatoes.
"What does he want ?" "What do you guess he wants ?" "Something from the farm, I suppose." "Not a bit of it." "Mr.Haye of Asphodel ?" said Rufus.
"Asphodel?
no, of Mannahatta; -- he used to be at Asphodel." "What does he want, sir ?" "I am going to tell your mother by and by.

It's her concern." "Well tell it," said Mrs.Landholm.
"How would you like to have some company in the house this summer ?" Mrs.Landholm laid the potatoe and her knife and her hands down in the pan and looking up asked, "What sort of company ?" "You know he has no wife this many years ?" "Yes -- " "Well -- he's a couple of little girls that he wants to put somewhere in the country this summer, for their health, I understand." Mrs.Landholm took up her knife again and pared potatoes diligently.
"Does he want to send them here ?" "He intimates as much; and I have no doubt he would be very glad.