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152 RAINBOW VALLEYkeeper it would cut Aunt Martha to the quick. Shebelieved she could still do all that was meet and necessary.He could not so hurt and insult the poor oldwoman who had been so kind to him and his. Howdevoted she had 'been to Cecilia! And Cecilia hadasked him to be very considerate of Aunt Martha.Tobe sure, he suddenly remembered that Aunt MarthaHe felthad once hinted that he ought to marry again.she would not resent a wife as she would a housekeeper.But that was out of the question. He did notwish to marry he did not and could not care forany one. Then what could he do? It suddenlyoccurred to him that he would go over to Inglesideand talk over his difficulties with Mrs. Blythe. Mrs.Elythe was one of the few women he never feltshyor tongue-tied with.She was always so sympatheticand refreshing. It might be that she could suggestsome solution of his problems. And even if she couldnot Mr. Meredith felt that he needed a little decenthuman companionship after his dose of Mrs. Davissomething to take the taste of her out of his soul.He dressed hurriedly and ate his supper less abstractedlythan usual. It occurred to him that it wasa poor meal. He looked at his children; they wererosy and healthy looking enough except Una, and shehad never been very strong even when her mother wasalive. They were all laughing and talking certainlythey seemed happy. Carl was especially happy becausehe had two most beautiful spiders crawling around his