she showed herself to be an excellent
person with much common sense, and even a religious seriousness of tone
on matters pertaining to her afflictions.

CHAPTER VII: DICK MAKES HIMSELF USEFUL

The effect of Geoffrey's incidental allusions to Mr. Shiner was to
restrain a considerable flow of spontaneous chat that would otherwise
have burst from young Dewy along the drive homeward. And a certain
remark he had hazarded to her, in rather too blunt and eager a manner,
kept the young lady herself even more silent than Dick. On both sides
there was an unwillingness to talk on any but the most trivial subjects,
and their sentences rarely took a larger form than could be expressed in
two or three words.

Owing to Fancy being later in the day than she had promised, the
charwoman had given up expecting her; whereupon Dick could do no less
than stay and see her comfortably tided over the disagreeable time of
entering and establishing herself in an empty house after an absence of a
week. The additional furniture and utensils that had been brought (a
canary and cage among the rest) were taken out of the vehicle, and the
horse was unharnessed and put in the plot opposite, where there was some
tender grass. Dick lighted the fire already laid; and activity began to
loosen their tongues a little.

"There!" said Fancy, "we forgot to bring the fire-irons!"

She had originally found in her sitting-room, to bear out the expression
'nearly furnished' which the school-manager had used in his letter to
her, a table, three chairs, a fender, and a piece of carpet. This
'nearly' had been supplemented hitherto by a kind friend, who had lent
her fire-irons and crockery until she should fetch some from home.

Dick attended to the young lady's fire, using his whip-handle for a poker
till it was spoilt, and then flourishing a hurdle stick for the remainder
of the time.

"The kettle boils; now you shall have a cup of tea," said Fancy, diving
into the hamper she had brought.

"Thank you," said Dick, whose drive had made him ready for some,
especially in her company.

"Well, here's only one cup-and-saucer, as I breathe! Whatever could
mother be thinking about? Do you mind making shift, Mr. Dewy?"

"Not at all, Miss Day," said that civil person.

"--And only having a cup by itself? or a saucer by itself?"

"Don't mind in the least."

"Which do you mean by that?"

"I mean the cup, if you like the saucer."

"And the saucer, if