THE CHILDREN 179 
dearly ; but I had given long, hard service to it, 
and felt that I had earned the right to freedom 
from its exacting demands. I have never lost 
interest in this, the noblest of professions, but I 
had done my share, and was now willing to 
watch the work of others. In my mind there 
was no doubt about the desirability of the 
change. I have always loved the thought of 
country life, and now that my thoughts were 
taking material shape, I was keen to push on. 
Polly looked toward the untrammelled life we 
hoped to lead with as great pleasure as I. 
But how about the children? Would it 
appeal to them with the same force as to us? 
The children have thus far been kept in the 
background. I wanted to start my factory farm 
and to get through with most of its dull details 
before introducing them to the reader, lest I 
should be diverted from the business to the 
domestic, or social, proposition. 
The farm is laid by for the winter, and most 
of the details needed for a just comprehension of 
our experiment have been given. From this time 
on we will deal chiefly with results. We will 
watch the out-put from the factory, and com- 
mend or find fault as the case may deserve. 
The social side of life is quite as important as 
the commercial, for though we gain money, if we 
lose happiness, what profit have we? Let us 
study the children to see what chances for happi- 
ness and good fellowship lie in them. 
