hall be gone some
time probably."

CHAPTER II.

Matilda went to the study. It was in winter trim now. The red curtains
fell over the windows; a carpet had replaced or covered the summer mat;
the lamp was lighted, but burned low; and a fire of nut wood sticks
blazed and crackled softly in the chimney. The whole room was sweet
with the smell of it. Matilda sat down on the rug in front of the
blaze; but she was hardly there when she heard the front door open and
Norton come in. So she called him to the study.

"Is the dominie gone out?" said Norton, as he entered Mr. Richmond's
sanctum.

"Gone out for a good while, he said. You and I have got to take care of
the fire." And Matilda threw herself down on the rug again.

"This is jolly," said Norton.

"Isn't it?" said Matilda. "It is so nice here. And do you smell,
Norton, how sweet it is with the hickory wood?"

"That isn't hickory," said Norton. "It's oak."

"Part of it is hickory, Norton, I know. But I suppose oak is sweet."

"I think everything is sweet to you," said Norton.

"I do think it is," said Matilda. "Everything is to-night, I am sure.
Everything. Isn't this just as pleasant as it can be?"

"It's jolly," said Norton. "Let's have on another stick. Now we can
think and talk what we will do."

"What we will _do_, Norton?" Matilda repeated.

"Yes. We've got no end of things to do. Why, now we can do what we
like, Pink. You aren't going away any more; and we can just lay our
plans in comfort."

"I didn't know we had any plans to lay," said Matilda. She looked as if
the present was good enough. The firelight shone on a little figure and
face of most utter contentment, there down on the rug; a soft little
head, a very gentle face, but alive with pleasant thoughts.

"We want to get home now," continued Norton.

"But it is pleasant here, too. O Norton!" Matilda broke out suddenly,
"you don't know how pleasant! Now I can take the good of it. I did
before, in a way; but then I was always thinking it would maybe stop
to-morrow. Now it will never stop; I am so glad!"

"What will never stop?"

"O I don't know. It seems to me my happiness will never stop. You don't
know anything about it, Norton. To think I am not to go back to that
old life again--I was afraid of it every day; and now to-night at tea,
and _now_, I am as happy as I can be. I can't think of it enough."

"Of what, Pink?"

"Of that. That I am not to go back to aunt Candy any more.