OR, HOW I BECAME A FLORIST. 45 



To this I paid no heed, but turned towards home. 



" Stop a moment, Maria. Now bo sensible for once. 

 How are you going to support yourself and your children 

 in this house? " - 



" By the labor of my two hands." 



" Oh, that's all very well, but I am afraid you will find 

 it pretty poor pickings. What can a woman do? " 



"Joseph," I cried, "if Mr. Oilman were alive, you 

 would not dare to say this. I'll thank you to say no more. 

 I can, and shall, take care of myself." 



Upon which he left me, muttering something about the 

 fools not being all dead. I quite agreed with him. 



That morning I spent at my housework. To tell the 

 truth, this had been sadly neglected for the previous week. 

 By dinner-time everything was finished up square, and all 

 the threads gathered together and ready to go on again as 

 smoothly as ever. 



After clearing away the dinner things, I told the children 

 that, as they had a half holiday, we would all go out for a 

 walk over Maple Hill. It was my intention to visit Mr. 

 McTernan's place, and see what information I could pick 

 up in regard to tuberoses or anything else. At. first, I 

 thought of going up in the train ; but the fares for us all 

 would be, at least, thirty cents. Only a trifle, to be sure ; 

 but then it would not take many such trifles to use up my 

 daily receipts. So off we started on our two-mile tramp, 

 the children happy and gay as possible, ready to see and 



