I had failed to produce conviction on the subject of tools.  I resolved to try another tack.  “What do you pay for help?” said I.

“Help?” said he interrogatively.

“Yes,” said I.  “What do you pay your cook and chambermaid?”

“Hoh!” said he contemptuously.  “I don’t keep no help.  My Bible tells me that God made the wife to be a help-meet for man, and my wife is all the help I want.  I wouldn’t have a servant round my house at no price.”

“Do you suppose our pastor and his wife can get along the same way?” I asked.

“Don’t see why not,” said he sententiously.

“What!” said Mr. Wheaton.  “Would you have your pastor’s wife do her own work, Mr. Hardcap?  I hope we haven’t got so poor as that.  She must be a lady, Mr. Hardcap; a lady, sir.”

“Well,” said Mr. Hardcap, “and can’t a lady do her own work?  High and mighty notions these that a woman must eat the bread of idleness to be a lady.”

“Oh! it’s all very well, Mr. Hardcap,” said Mr. Wheaton; “but our pastor’s wife has a position to maintain.  She owes a duty to the parish, sir.  She can’t be maid of all work at home.  I should be ashamed of the church to suffer it.”

“There certainly is a difference, Mr. Hardcap,” said the Deacon.  “Mrs. Hardcap may do her own washing.  And if anybody finds her over the washtub Monday morning no one thinks the worse of her for it.  But it really wouldn’t do for our pastor’s wife.”

Mr. Hardcap shook his head resolutely.  “I don’t see it,” said he.  “I don’t believe a minister’s wife is too good to work.”

“She isn’t,” said the Deacon.  “But if she washes Monday, and irons Tuesday, and sweeps Wednesday, and bakes Thursday, and sews Friday and Saturday, what time has she left to make calls or receive them?”

Mr. Hardcap only shrugged his shoulders.

“How many calls does your wife make in a year?” I asked.

“Oh! we don’t make no calls,” said Mr. Hardcap.  “We’ve got other work to do.”

“And yet you expect your minister and his wife to call on you?” said I interrogatively.

“I s’pose so,” said he.

“I remember hearing you say that you thought it rather hard of Mrs. Work, just before they left, that she hadn’t been inside of your house for six months.  How many calls do you suppose Mrs. Mapleson would have to make in a year in order to call on every family once in six months?”

“Don’t know,” said Mr. Hardcap, shortly.

“Well,” said the Deacon, “we’ve got over a hundred families in our parish.  It would take nearly one call every day.”

“Beside extra calls on the sick,” I continued.  “You will either have to give Mrs. Mapleson a servant or relinquish your expectation of receiving any calls from her; that is very evident.”

Mr. Hardcap made no reply.

“There are one or two other items that ought to be considered in deciding what the pastor’s salary should be,” said a gentle but tremulous voice at my side.  I turned about to see the speaker.  It was old Father Hyatt, who had joined our group, unperceived.