I heard Charles when he drove home at night, or away in the morning; knew when Nell was in a bad humor by the tone of his voice, which I heard whether my window was open or shut.

It was a pretty room, with a set of maple furniture, and amber and white wallpaper, and amber and white chintz curtains and coverings.

It suited the color of my hair, Alice declared, and was becoming to my complexion.
"Yes," said Charles, looking at my hair with an expression that made me put my hand up to my head as if to hide it; I knew it was carelessly dressed.
I made a study that day of the girls' heads at school, and from that time improved in my style of wearing it, and I brushed it with zeal every day afterward.

Alice had my room kept so neatly for me that it soon came to be a reproach, and I was finally taught by her example how to adjust chairs, books, and mats in straight lines, to fold articles without making odd corners and wrinkles; at last I improved so much that I could find what I was seeking in a drawer, without harrowing it with my fingers, and began to see beauty in order.

Alice had a talent for housekeeping, and her talent was fostered by the exacting, systematic taste of her husband.