A WEEK ON WALBEN'S BIBGE, 139 



the mule he took the other chair, and we fell 

 into talk about the weather, the crops, and 

 things in general. When the wife finally- 

 appeared, I rose, of course ; but she went on 

 in silence and entered the house, while the 

 husband said, " Oh, keep your seat." We 

 continued our conversation till the rain be- 

 gan to fall. Then we picked up our chairs 

 and followed the woman inside. She sat in 

 the middle of the room (young, pretty, newly 

 married, and Sunday -dressed), but never 

 once opened her lips. Her behavior was in 

 strict accordance with local etiquette, I was 

 afterward assured (as if all etiquette were 

 not local) ; but though I admire feminine 

 modesty as much as any man, I cannot say 

 that I found this particular manifestation of 

 it altogether to my liking. Silence is golden, 

 no doubt, and gold is more precious than 

 silver, but in cases of this figurative sort I 

 profess myself a bimetallist. A little silver, 

 I say ; enough for small change, at any rate ; 

 and if we can have a pretty free coinage, 

 why, so much the better, though as to that, 

 it must be admitted, a good deal depends 

 upon the " image and superscription." How- 

 ever, my hostess followed her lights, and 



