a little
like a person who through long absences has forgotten how wonted he
used to be in a certain place or how fond he was of what he found
there. Nothing further from the truth!

He accosted both ladies after his usual gay fashion, and talked for a
while about nothings and as if he cared about nothing. He could make
nothing of Faith, except perhaps that she was a trifle shy of him. That
did not mean evil necessarily; it was natural enough. He wouldn't
disturb her shyness!

"I have a sympathetic feeling for you, Mrs. Derrick," he remarked. "I
miss Mr. Linden so much in Pattaquasset, I can't think how you must do
in the house."

"No, doctor, you can't," was Mrs. Derrick's quiet rejoinder.

"How do you?"

"Why I can't tell you, either," said Mrs. Derrick.

"Mrs. Derrick," said the doctor, "I shouldn't like to be a lawyer and
have to examine you as a witness. Unless it wasn't August!"

"Well I suppose we should agree upon that, doctor," said Mrs. Derrick.
"I don't know what August has to do with it."

"My dear madam, it would be too much trouble!--Apparently it isn't
August everywhere!"--A very peremptory rap at the front door came in
the train of footsteps that were loud and brisk as by authority, and
that had quite survived the enervating effects referred to by the
doctor.

"Miss Faith," said Cindy appearing at the parlour door, "here's a man's
got something--and he won't give it to me without I'll take oath I'm
you--which of course I dursn't. I'm free to confess, I can't even get
sight of it. Shall I fetch him in--thing and all?"

Faith went to the door. It was nobody more terrific than an
express-man, who seemed to recognize "Miss Faith Derrick" by instinct,
for he asked no questions--only put a package into her hands, and then
gave her his book to sign. Faith signed her name, eagerly, and then ran
up stairs with her treasure and a beating heart, and struck a light.

There was no need to ask where it came from--the address was plain
enough; nor much need to ask what it was--she knew that it must be her
Bible. Yet that only heightened the pleasure and interest, as she took
off one wrapping paper after another, till its own beautiful morocco
covers appeared. Within was the perfection of type and paper, with here
and there a fine coloured map; in size and shape just that medium which
seems to combine the excellencies of all the rest. There was no letter
in the package, but a slip of paper with a new "ladd