grandmother need you, nor your mother, and can you come up
the brae with that braw gown on?"

Katie smiled and took his hand.

"My gown will wash, and I'll take care, and grannie gave me leave to
come."

And so the two went slowly up the hill, saying little, but content with
the silence. When they came back again Mrs Fleming, who was waiting
for them at the door, felt her burden lightened, for her first glance at
her husband's face told her he was comforted.

"My bonny Katie, gentle and wise, a bairn with the sense of a woman,"
said she to herself, but she did not let her tenderness overflow. "We
have gotten the milking over without you, Katie, my woman. And now
haste you and take your supper, for it is time for the bairns' catechism
and we mustna keep your grandfather waiting."

That night when Ben Holt went home he found the house dark and
apparently forsaken. Miss Betsey sat rocking in her chair in solitude
and darkness, and she rocked on, taking no notice when Ben came in.

"Have you got a sick headache, Aunt Betsey?" said Ben after a little; he
did not ask for information, but for the sake of saying something to
break the ominous silence. He knew well Aunt Betsey always had a sick
headache and was troubled when he had been doing wrong.

"I shall get over it, I expect, as I have before; talking won't help
it."

Ben considered the matter a little. "I don't know that," said he, "it
depends some on what there is to say, and you don't need to have sick
headache this time, for I haven't been doing anything that you would
think bad."

Miss Betsey laughed unpleasantly.

"What has that to do with it?"

"Well, I haven't been doing anything bad, anyhow."

"Only just breaking Sunday in the face and eyes of all Gershom. You are
not a child to be punished now. Go to bed."

"I don't know about breaking Sunday; I didn't any more than old Mr
Fleming. He didn't care about going to Jacob's meeting, and no more did
Clif and me. We went along a piece, and then we went to the Scott
school-house to meeting. It was a first-rate meeting."

"What about Mr Fleming; has he and Jacob been having trouble?" asked
Miss Betsey, forgetting in her curiosity her controversy with Ben.

"Nothing new, I don't suppose. And Clif, he says that he don't believe
but what Jacob'll do the right thing, and he says he'll see to it
himself."

"There, that'll do," interrupted Miss Betsey. "If Clifton Holt was to
tell you that whit