"Sam _aint_"--said Joe, as if that was all he cared about.
"Only the boys, Miss Faith," said Reuben with another glance at his comrade. "But it"s a pretty place over there,--and so"s the ride.
There"s room for Mrs. Derrick too if she"d like it," Reuben added,--"I suppose we shall be gone all day."
"It"s very good of you to come and ask me, both of you," said Faith, evidently in perplexity;--"and I should like to go dearly if I can, Reuben--but I am afraid I can"t. I am glad if the wagon"s big enough to hold you all without me. You"ll have a great time."
"You may say that!" said Joe--while Reuben looked down, disappointed.
"We didn"t know whether you would," he said--"but Mr. Linden said you wouldn"t be displeased at our asking. We asked him first, Miss Faith--or we shouldn"t have made so free. And you shall have some of the nuts, anyway!"
A little cheered with which view of the subject, Reuben made his bow, and Joe Deacon whistled after him out of the gate.
Faith looked after them, disappointed too. There was a grave set of the lines of her mouth, and it was with rather a thoughtful face that she looked down the road for a minute. Then remembering the volume of Prescott in her hand, which her finger still kept open, she went up stairs again and set herself down to finish her treasure. Faith"s reading-place, it must be known, was no other than a deep window-seat in Mr. Linden"s room. That was a large, old-fashioned room, as has been said, with brown wainscottings and corner and window cupboards; and having on two sides a pleasant exposure, the light generally made it a winsome place to look at. Now, in this October weather, it came in mellow and golden from a softened sun and changing foliage; the brown wood and white walls and dark old furniture and rich bindings of books, all mingled in the sunlight to make a rich sunny picture.
There were pictures outside too and pleasant ones. From the south window, straight down the street, the houses and trees and the brown spire of the Methodist church stretched away--roofs and gable ends and the enormous tufty heads of the elm trees that half hung over them. At the back of these houses, the eye went uninterruptedly over meadows and fields to the belt of woods which skirted at a little distance the line of the sh.o.r.e from the Lighthouse to Barley Point--here and there a break through which a schooner might be seen standing up or down the Sound; elsewhere only its topsails might be discerned above the woods.
The western window took in the break where Barley Point lay; and further on in the southwest a distant glimpse of the Sound, with the little brown line of Monongatesak Point. The lane leading to the sh.o.r.e ran off due west, with houses, gardens, orchards, bordering it and spotting the country generally. A fair country--level and rich--all the range west and northwest was uninterrupted smooth fields; the eye had full sweep to the wide horizon; the dotting of trees, barns and houses, only enriched it, giving the sweet air of peaceful and happy occupation.
Faith"s place was the deep low sill, or seat, of that western window.
There often Faith"s book rested, while on the floor before it the reader sat. This time the book was near finished, and a few more leaves turned over changed the "near" into "quite." Faith stood then considering the books. The name of Prescott on another volume had tempted her, for she had taken it down and considered the t.i.tle page; before settling to it, Faith laid her hand on one of another set not yet much examined; a set of particular outside beauty. But what was the inside? For Faith stood by the cupboard door, not looking here and there, but leaf by leaf walking into the middle of the book. Faith rested the volume on the shelf and turned over more leaves; and at last dropped down by her window seat, laid the book there, put her cheek on her hand as usual, a cheek already flushed, and lost herself in the very beams of the afternoon sun.
It might have been a dream, it might have been a vision (only that _vision_ it was not)--it might have been reality; wrapped up in her book, what should Faith know? Yet when some crisis was turned over with the leaf, and the real world began to supplant the unreal, Faith started up and looked round. Had she heard a step? a rustling of paper on the table? The door was firmly shut, the shadowy corner near by had lost the sunbeams, but was else unchanged; the table looked just as before--unless--Had there been a letter lying there when she came in?--Faith never could tell.
The door opened now, however, and Mrs. Derrick entered--peering in somewhat anxiously.
"Why here you are, pretty child!" she said, "I began to think you were lost! Mrs. Somers has been here, and so"s Miss Harrison, and they wanted to see you ever so much. I don"t think that"s a good cheese we cut last night, Faith,--I guess I"ll cut another."
Faith was an image of innocent guilt; and without daring to ask if it was tea-time, she ran down stairs. Her mother followed and stood by, not with any thought of overseeing but for the pleasure thereof.
"Well child," she said, "are you learning all the world up? What"s in the oven now?"
"Don"t you think that is good?"--
The question had reference to the freshly cut cheese, of which Faith presented her mother with a small morsel. Mrs. Derrick tasted--critically, but the first topic was the most interesting.
"What"s made your cheeks burn?" she said laying her hand softly against the rose-colour. "If you"re going to study yourself into a fever, Faith, _I_"m not going to stand by and see it."
"No fear, mother. I forgot myself. Is Mr. Linden come in?"
"He must be--he always is by this time. Miss Harrison says the Doctor"s got back, Faith."
Faith took up her cheese and walked in with it. The tea-table stood alone. But the tea hour being come, and Mr. Linden known to be surely there within five minutes of the tea hour, the tea was made--and not a minute too soon.
Faith was not on this occasion talkative, nor anybody else. The meal proceeded rather silently. Spoons spoke in low tones, knives made themselves busy; and Cindy put her head in at the door and withdrew it with the mental e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.n,
"My! if they baint settin" there yet!"
At this point Mr. Linden spoke. "And so, Miss Faith, you have no fancy for nuts to crack?"
Faith flushed a little and hesitated.
"I didn"t say so, Mr. Linden."
"Have you any dislike to Neanticut?"
"Not the least," she said laughing.
"I dare not go further, and inquire as to the company. Don"t you know how to drive, Miss Faith?"
"And what if I do?" said Faith.
"Is there any insuperable objection to your driving Mrs. Derrick over to Neanticut Sat.u.r.day morning? It would be so comfortable to know there were people there--and fires--in case it was a cold morning," said Mr.
Linden demurely. "I could send Reuben with you, and the key."
"O that"s good!" cried Faith clapping her hands. "Mother, will you go?"
"Why don"t I always, just where you want me to, child?" said her mother. "I should like to go to Neanticut, besides. I haven"t been there this long while. But I guess you and I can open the house, Faith, without Reuben Taylor."
"After all, Mr. Linden," said Faith, "there is a great objection to my driving mother over there,--because she"ll drive me."
"There is a great objection to your opening the house--for Reuben has the key--or will have it; and keys you know, are matters of trust, and not transferable. I don"t know but Mr. Simlins would make an exception in your favour,--but I shall not ask him."
"I am glad to have Reuben along," said Faith. "And I suppose we must take our dinner with us, Mr. Linden?"
"I have no doubt there will be dinner enough from other quarters," he answered, "but how much of it will be like Mrs. Seacomb"s tea I cannot say. I think it would be safe to take a very little basket--such as would suffice for two ladies."
"O with Reuben we can manage nicely," said Faith joyously. He looked at her--pleased with her pleasure.
"Don"t make any grand preparation for me," he said,--"you know I must eat in commons--for the same reason that I cannot offer to drive you over."
"Does that mean that you will have to take a piece out of everybody"s basket?"
"As near as possible!"
Faith shook her head, but made no further remark.
Early Sat.u.r.day morning, before any other steps had brushed the dew from the gra.s.sy roadside, Reuben Taylor was on his way from the rocky coast point where he lived to the smooth well-ordered abode of Mr. Simlins.
Receiving from that gentleman the key of the old house at Neanticut, and having harnessed the horses to the big wagon under his special directions, Reuben drove down to the village, put horses and wagon in safe keeping, and reported himself at Mrs. Derrick"s. All things there being in readiness, that small turn-out was soon on its way; leaving Mr. Linden to look after his own much larger consignment. And despite the presence of Reuben Mrs. Derrick chose to drive; because, as she said, "when she had the reins in her own hands, she knew which way the horse was going."
The road for awhile went on towards Mrs. Seacomb"s, but pa.s.sing the turn into the woods kept on its uneven way to the ferry. The natural hedges--all glittering with dew--shewed little colour but in the leaves. The fair clethra and the sweet clematis had ended their short reign and were gone, and high-coloured sumachs flamed out in insurrection. Now the country became more hilly, and where the eastern portion of Pattaqua.s.set lay close upon the Mong, the road went down by a succession of steep pitches to its sh.o.r.e Then the road ran on through a sort of half drained marsh--varied in its course by holes and logs and a little bridge, and then they were at the ferry.
Now the ferry between Pattaqua.s.set and Neanticut was--and is, as I trust it will always be--propelled by wind power. No plodding horses to distract one"s eyes from the surrounding peace,--no puffing steam to break with its discord the sweet rush of the water,--but a large, flat-bottomed boat, a white sail, and a Yankee steersman. The only evil attendant upon these advantages is, that the establishment cannot be upon both sides at once--and that the steersman, like other mortals, must take his dinner. This time it happened to be breakfast; for having been much interrupted and called for at the hour when he should have taken that refreshment, long Tim declared "he would have it now, and no mistake!" The little fact that two ladies were waiting for him on the other side, did not in the least affect his appet.i.te or his deliberation.
"Faith," said her mother when they had waited about a quarter of an hour, "if "tother wagon should catch up we shouldn"t get there first!"
Faith laughed and said, "Well, mother!"
"Well, child," said her mother cheerfully, while Reuben waved fresh signals to the obdurate ferryman, "I"m sure I don"t mind, if you don"t."