Susanna noticed the change.

"It will be Brother Ansel coming along to the grindstone," Hetty
stammered, burying her head in the leaves.

"No," Susanna answered, "it is Nathan. He has a long pole with a saw on
the end. He must be going to take the dead branches off the apple trees;
I heard Ansel tell him yesterday to do it."

"Yee, that will be it," said Hetty, bending over the plants as if she
were afraid to look elsewhere.

Nathan came nearer to the herb-garden. He was a tall, stalwart, handsome
enough fellow, even in his quaint working garb. As the Sisters spun and
wove the cloth as well as cut and made the men's garments, and as the
Brothers themselves made the shoes, there was naturally no great air of
fashion about the Shaker raiment; but Nathan carried it better than
most. His skin was fair and rosy, the down on his upper lip showed
dawning manhood, and when he took off his broad-brimmed straw hat and
stretched to his full height to reach the upper branches of the apple
trees, he made a picture of clean, wholesome, vigorous youth.

Suddenly Susanna raised her head and surprised Hetty looking at the lad
with all her heart in her eyes. At the same moment Nathan turned, and
before he could conceal the telltale ardor of his glance, it had sped to
Hetty. With the instinct of self-preservation he stooped instantly as if
to steady the saw on the pole, but it was too late to mend matters: his
tale was told so far as Susanna was concerned; but it was better she
should suspect than one of the Believers or Eldress Abby.

[Illustration: HETTY LOOKING AT THE LAD WITH ALL HER HEART IN HER EYES]

Susanna worked on in silent anxiety. The likelihood of such crises as
this had sometimes crossed her mind, and knowing how frail human nature
is, she often marveled that instances seemed so infrequent. Her instinct
told her that in every Community the risk must exist, even though all
were doubly warned and armed against the temptations that flesh is heir
to; yet no hint of danger had showed itself during the months in which
she had been a member of the Shaker family. She had heard the Elder's
plea to the young converts to take up "a full cross against the
flesh"; she had listened to Eldress Abby when she told them that the
natural life, its thoughts, passions, feelings, and associations, must
be turned against once and forever; but her heart melted in pity for the
two poor young things struggling helplessly against instincts of w