The Aristocratic Miss Brewster by Joseph C. Lincoln

The summer days and weeks slipped by. Mary became accustomed to the change in her daily routine. It was not so very different from that she had known prior to her assuming the duties of assistant bookkeeper in the bank. There was one marked difference, however; she was no longer worried over financial matters. Benjamin was faithful to the letter of this agreement. Her own income was hers, to spend as she pleased, and he never asked concerning it. With the old Brewster home, the house and grounds, he was more interested. They were Mary's of course, but he seemed to have taken charge of them. At first, before improvements and changes were made, he consulted her, asked her advice. She almost never disagreed, and perhaps because of this, he began to make them without consulting her. The house was painted, the fences repaired, the flower beds trimmed and shrubbery uprooted or planted where, in Ben's opinion, it should be. And, after a little, he began to make changes inside as well as out.

Oddly enough, it was Azure, more than Mary, who objected to these latter. She was more intimately concerned in them, of course, for Benjamin gave his orders directly to her and insisted that they be carried out. Azure's rejoicing over the fact that the wealthy and cultured relative from Denver was to live right there in the house with them "forever and ever" had been quite as great as her jubilation at Mary's giving up her work at the bank. Her manner when meeting Mrs. Noah Oaks or Roxanna Beasley or any of her New Church acquaintances was no longer defiantly apologetic. She was condescending even to the Reverend Mr. Bacon when she met him.