, nor of fancying that
what one saw there was the reflection of one's own thought.

Mr. Cobb made none of these generalizations; his remark to his wife
that night was simply to the effect that whenever the child looked at
him she knocked him galley-west.

"Miss Ross, a lady that paints, gave me the sunshade," said Rebecca,
when she had exchanged looks with Mr. Cobb and learned his face by
heart. "Did you notice the pinked double ruffle and the white tip and
handle? They're ivory. The handle is scarred, you see. That's because
Fanny sucked and chewed it in meeting when I wasn't looking. I've never
felt the same to Fanny since."

"Is Fanny your sister?"

"She's one of them."

"How many are there of you?"

"Seven. There's verses written about seven children:--

"'Quick was the little Maid's reply,
O master! we are seven!'

I learned it to speak in school, but the scholars were hateful and
laughed. Hannah is the oldest, I come next, then John, then Jenny, then
Mark, then Fanny, then Mira."

"Well, that IS a big family!"

"Far too big, everybody says," replied Rebecca with an unexpected and
thoroughly grown-up candor that induced Mr. Cobb to murmur, "I swan!"
and insert more tobacco in his left cheek.

"They're dear, but such a bother, and cost so much to feed, you see,"
she rippled on. "Hannah and I haven't done anything but put babies to
bed at night and take them up in the morning for years and years. But
it's finished, that's one comfort, and we'll have a lovely time when
we're all grown up and the mortgage is paid off."

"All finished? Oh, you mean you've come away?"

"No, I mean they're all over and done with; our family 's finished.
Mother says so, and she always keeps her promises. There hasn't been
any since Mira, and she's three. She was born the day father died. Aunt
Miranda wanted Hannah to come to Riverboro instead of me, but mother
couldn't spare her; she takes hold of housework better than I do,
Hannah does. I told mother last night if there was likely to be any
more children while I was away I'd have to be sent for, for when
there's a baby it always takes Hannah and me both, for mother has the
cooking and the farm."

"Oh, you live on a farm, do ye? Where is it?--near to where you got on?"

"Near? Why, it must be thousands of miles! We came from Temperance in
the cars. Then we drove a long ways to cousin Ann's and went to bed.
Then we got up and drove ever so far to Maplewood, where t