Then there came a day when Mrs.
Carter burst into reluctant but passionate tears, asserting that Life and Mr.Carter had been, from the beginning, against her; that she had committed, indeed, acts of folly in the past, but only when driven desperately against a wall; that she bore no grudge against any one alive, but loved all humanity; that she was going to do her best to be a better woman, but couldn't really hope to arrive at any satisfactory improvement without Mrs.Slater's assistance; that Mrs.Slater, indeed, had shown her a New Way, a New Light, a New Path.
Mrs.Slater, humble woman, had no illusions as to her own importance in the scheme of things; nothing touched her so surely as an appeal to her strength of character.

She received Mrs.Carter with open arms, suggested that they should read the Bible together on Sunday mornings, and go, side by side, to St.Matthew's on Sunday evenings.

There was nothing like a study of the "Holy Word" for "defeating the bottle," and there was nothing like "defeating the bottle" for getting back one's strength and firmness of character.
It was along these lines that Mrs.Slater proposed to conduct Mrs.
Carter.
Now unfortunately Henry took an instant and truly savage dislike to his mother's new friend.

He had been always, of course, "odd" in his feelings about people, but never was he "odder" than he was with Mrs.
Carter.

"Little lamb," she said, when she saw him for the first time.