She advised me to take Emily Scott because Emily had money of her own and was a pattern housekeeper . I said , says I , 'Em ily Scott would n't look at me . ' ` You ask her and see , ' says my sister ; and just to ease her mind I promised her I would ... and I did . And Emily said she 'd have me . Never was so surprised in my life , Anne ... a smart pretty little woman like her and an old fellow like me . I tell you I thought at first I was in luck . Well , we were married and took a little wedding trip to St. John for a fortnight and then we went home . We got home at ten o'clock at night , and I give you my word , Anne , that in half an hour that woman was at work housecleaning . Oh , I know you 're thinking my house needed it ... you 've got a very expressive face , Anne ; your thoughts just come out on it like print ... but it did n't , not that bad . It had got pretty mixed up while I was keeping bachelor 's hall , I admit , but I 'd got a woman to come in and clean it up before I was married and there 'd been considerable painting and fixing done . I tell you if you took Emily into a brand new white marble palace she 'd be into the scrubbing as soon as she could get an old dress on . Well , she cleaned house till one o'clock that night and at four she was up and at it again . And she kept on that way ... far 's I could see she never stopped . It was scour and sweep and dust everlasting , except on Sundays , and then she was just longing for Monday to begin again . But it was her way of amusing herself and I could have reconciled myself to it if she 'd left me alone . But that she would n't do . She 'd set out to make me over but she had n't caught me young enough . I was n't allowed to come into the house unless I changed my boots for slippers at the door . I dars n't smoke a pipe for my life unless I went to the barn . And I did n't use good enough grammar .
Emily 'd been a schoolteacher XXXXX her early life and she 'd never got over it .
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