it.

Nathan and Susan Hornby disagreed, as much as it was possible for them to
do, on the way home.

"You may say what you please, if she don't come it's because she don't
want to. You couldn't ask for a more rousin' welcome 'n _he_ give us,"
Nathan said as he watched the forefoot on the off horse to see whether it
was a cake of snow that made it limp or a more serious trouble.

"It wasn't any more rousing than hers was when I went in and--and look how
he spoke of Luther," Susan replied hesitatingly. She hardly dare point out
the weakness of John, however angry she was at him, for she had had
trouble enough to get Nathan to bring her at all.

"That's so," Nathan admitted. "They're a pair of snobs, anyhow. You think
she treats you all right, but you saw how she shied round th' subject when
I put it straight to 'er. I went because you wanted me to--but I ain't
sure----" Nathan Hornby ceased to speak before his sentence was finished.
Elizabeth's neglect had been another nail in the coffin of his friendly
trust. Susan had had hard work to persuade him to bring her to-day and had
hoped that some lucky circumstance would help to dispel his suspicions.
This had looked possible at first, but she saw that he still nursed his
grievances.

Susan had her suspicions also, but they were of John, not of Elizabeth.
Elizabeth had been as glad to see her as she had always been, whatever
there might have been that was unexplainable on the surface. Susan Hornby
knew with a knowledge that was unassailable that Elizabeth Hunter loved
her as much as Elizabeth Farnshaw had done.

"I don't care, I'm going again some day before long," she said; "she won't
be going out much now for a while."

"Well, now, look here," Nathan said, stubbornly sticking to a conviction
from which he was unable to get away. "You think Hunter keeps her from
coming. He give us more of a welcome 'n she did, a good sight."

Susan Hornby glanced around at her husband in astonishment. She had never
said that she thought Elizabeth was prevented by John from coming to see
them. Nathan had measured her better than she had realized.

"No-o, he didn't," she replied slowly. She resolved to speak frankly. "You
didn't see her when she took me into the house. Honestly, Nate, it was
better than a whole revival service to have that girl tell me of--of----"

"I didn't see that," Nathan interrupted, "I only know he _was_ glad t' see
us; you saw that for yourself."

"I was jus