"
"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.
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