Chamberlain district.
The Haddon school board didn't meet this week and the director of number
Twelve was away, and it was so late last night that I couldn't get home."

"Oh, you've always got a good excuse. I bet you didn't get a school after
all."

Elizabeth had been edging toward the door as her father was speaking and
now made her escape to the inside of the house as she replied over her
shoulder in a perfectly respectful tone:

"Oh, yes, I did, and it begins Monday."

"Well, it's better than I expected. Now see to it that you get that riding
skirt off an' come an' drive my team while I finish them oats."

The daughter stopped where she stood and was going to reply that she must
get ready if she were to go to Aunt Susan's the next day, but on second
thought closed her mouth down firmly. She knew she would do well if she
escaped with no harder tax laid upon her temper than that of putting off
her arrival at the Hornby home, and she turned to do as she was bidden.

When Elizabeth found her homecoming unpleasant and her father sullen and
evidently nursing his wrath, she faced the storm without protest, took all
that was said quietly, helped in the fields and endeavoured to make up for
her unfortunate words in every helpful way possible. In all, she was so
subtly generous with her assistance that it was impossible to bring on a
quarrel with her, and the sour demeanour of her father was so carefully
handled that Friday arrived without an open break having occurred. A new
dress had been one of the longed-for accomplishments of the week's work,
but certain of Aunt Susan's help when she was safely entrenched in her
home, Elizabeth retired to the attic whenever she saw her father approach
the house. His attitude was threatening, but the anxious girl was able to
delay the encounter. It could only be _delayed_, for Mr. Farnshaw made a
virtue of not forgetting unpleasant things.

The only unfortunate occurrence of the week was the presence of Sadie
Crane and her mother when Mr. Hunter drove up to the back door for
Elizabeth's trunk, but even this had had its beneficial side, for Josiah
Farnshaw had been mending harness, because a shower had made the ground
too wet to plow, and the presence of neighbours made it possible to get
the trunk packed without unpleasantness. When John Hunter drove up to the
back door, Mr. Farnshaw rose from his chair beside the window and went to
help put his daughter's possessions in the wagon.