"No. But Mr. Falkirk did go to Dr. Maryland; and urged that he should prevail with me, before I married you, to settle your fortune?or as much of it as possible?upon yourself. Dr.
Maryland refused to urge me, and would do no more than represent to me Mr. Falkirk"s wishes. So then Mr. Falkirk wrote to me himself, though as he said, with very little hope of doing any good. And I don"t think he did any good"?added Dane demurely.
"He did his best to vex me first."
She stood looking down at the cheque book, her face a study of changing colours. No,?this would have been done, though Mr.
Falkirk had held his peace. "Thank you!" she said, suddenly and softly.
"Thank me for what?" said Rollo gayly. "For giving you back a little piece of your power, after you had lodged it all with me? How did Mr. Falkirk vex you?"
"I suppose really he wanted to vex you," said Hazel. "And he knew how to choose his words. Olaf"?the soft intonation coming back again?"you are very good! But what makes you think I want power?"
"Habit is said to be second nature."
"Are you afraid of my missing what I used to have?"
"How should you miss it?" said he laughing. "Are you less of a witch than you used to be?"
She shook her head thoughtfully. "I do not quite know what I am.
Do you expect me to spend all this money wisely?"
"I shall never ask how you spend it, Wych. Only this I would say,?_spend it_. We have far too much now to go on acc.u.mulating."
"Ah," she said with a breath of satisfaction, "you are beginning to understand me!"
"What new token have I given of such sagacity?"
"So long as you and Mr. Falkirk had a monopoly of the wisdom, there was no use for my small supply," said Wych Hazel. "You never gave me an inch of line. And how you dare suddenly let so much out at once!"?she laughed a little, breaking off.
There was infinite grave fondness in the way Dane drew her up to him and putting his hand under her chin, lifted the changeable face to study it. Then kissing her and letting her go, he remarked,
"The rest we hold together, subject to your demands, whenever this stock happens to be insufficient."
"Yes,"?she said, not looking at him,?"the first demands, I think, will be to make myself into a business woman. How much of the time are you going to let me work with you in the Hollow?"
"Let you??There is unlimited room for work. I have bought the Charteris mills, Hazel."
"Have you!?I thought he would not be willing."
"He had stopped work, you know; the people were in terrible distress; the times might not encourage him to go on for some time; and he concluded to accept my offer. I got his answer only last night. I shall telegraph Arthur to-day to let the mills run again."
"They will keep New Year," was Hazel"s comment.
"One of my new mills is a small one, doing very fine work in cottons, and employs only tow hundred and fifty hands; the woollen mills have eight hundred more. So you see, we have the whole community now to manage and n.o.body to interfere with us."
"How many people?"
"Altogether?over two thousand five hundred. And everything to be done for them."
"Then I can go over every day and busy myself with small matters while you attend to the great."
"There is enough to do!" Rollo repeated with a smile, but a thoughtful one. "How do you propose to manage on Sundays?"
"I do not know. As you manage."
"I must be in the Hollow."
"All day?"
"All day. I shall hold a service in the morning for the children, in the afternoon for the grown people. My schoolhouse is nearly finished now, quite enough for use. By and by we will have a church there, if all goes as I hope;?or two, perhaps; but the people are not ready for that. They are half heathen, and will be less prejudiced against my preaching than any other. So I must give it to them for the present. I have sent up a load of Bibles and hymnbooks."
Hazel sat thinking.
"I could not preach," she said. "I do not know what I could do. Only where there is so much?I suppose I could feel my way and do something."
"I would be glad of your help in the Sunday-school. Arthur will be there; Prim has her own school at Crocus. Then we could lunch with Gyda, and you could drive back in time for Dr. Maryland"s afternoon service. Hey?"
"Why should I drive back?" said Hazel.
"What a question! To go to church."
"I can go to church in the Hollow."
"Pardon me. There is no church there, visible or invisible."
"There will be preaching?and you know you always did like to preach to me," said Hazel with a gleam.
"Dr. Maryland would like to preach to you too."
"He will find other opportunities."
"He would, I think, with reason, if you were absent from both services on Sundays. Speaking of work to do?How would you like to send one of the carriages several times a week to take Mrs.
Coles to drive?"
"Whenever you like?if she can drive without me. But are you in earnest about Sunday afternoon?" said Hazel with a look that was certainly earnest.
"I am in earnest at present," said Rollo. "But we will see. It is something for you to sacrifice, and something for me! but whoever would follow the Lord "fully," Hazel, will find himself called to lay down his own will at every step."
"So I must economize in you, first of all!" she said. The words slipped out rather too quick, and were followed by a shy blush which did not court notice.
Rollo half laughed and told her that "economy always enhances enjoyment."
CHAPTER XXVII.
THE WORLD AND HIS WIFE.
The purchases for Chickaree and the Hollow, the various packages that found their destination in Dr. Maryland"s house, had all been sent straight off where they were to go. There were however many things bought during those two days of New York"s work, which had no destination; at least, none as yet known. Such articles had been ordered to the hotel. And it followed, that in the course of a day or two thereafter, the rooms of the suite occupied by Mr. and Mrs. Rollo presented the appearance of a house from which the inhabitants are meditating an immediate journey with all their effects. Packages of all sizes and descriptions had acc.u.mulated, to a number which became intrusive upon the notice of said inhabitants.