hed her forehead. Not the less she went clearly
through with what she had to say, her eyes only at the last words
drooping. Mr. Stoutenburgh rose up with great energy and stood before
her.

"My dear," he said, "he shall do it! If it was any other man I'd
promise to make him do more, but Sam always must have some way of
amusing himself, and I'm afraid I can't make this as expensive as the
last one he tried. You tell your mother, Miss Faith, that she shall
stay in her house till she'd rather go to yours. I hope that won't be
more than a year, but if it is she shall stay."

"That's good, Mr. Stoutenburgh!" said his wife with a little clap of
her hands.

Whether Faith thought it was 'good' might be a question; her eyes fell
further, she did not offer to thank Mr. Stoutenburgh for his energetic
kindness, nor to say anything. Yet Faith had seemingly more to say, for
she made no motion to go. She sat quite still a few minutes, till
raising her eyes fully to Mr. Stoutenburgh's face she said gravely,
"Mother will feel very glad when I tell her that, sir."

"She may make herself easy But tell her, my dear," said the Squire,
again forgetting in his earnestness what ground he was on,--"tell her
she's on no account to tell Sam _why_ she wants to stay. Will you
recollect that, Miss Faith?"

Faith's eyes opened slightly. "I think he must know--or guess it, Mr.
Stoutenburgh? Mother says she could hardly bear to live in any other
house in Pattaquasset."

"My dear Miss Faith!" said Mr. Stoutenburgh,--"I mean!--why she don't
want to stay any longer. _That's_ what Sam mustn't know. I'm very
stupid about my words, always."

Faith was again obliged to wait a few minutes before she could go on.
Mrs. Stoutenburgh was the first to speak, for the Squire walked up and
down, no doubt (mentally) attacking Mr. Deacon.

"I'm so glad!" she said, with the old dance of her eyes--and yet a
little sigh too. "So glad and so happy, that I could cry,--I know I
shall when the time comes. Dear Faith, do you feel quite easy about
this other business now?"

"What, ma'am?--about Mr. Deacon?"

"Why yes!" said Mrs. Stoutenburgh laughing,--"isn't that the only one
you've been uneasy about?"

"I am not uneasy now," said Faith. "But Mr. Stoutenburgh--if Mr. Deacon
takes the farm back again, whom does the hay belong to, and the cattle,
and the tools and farm things?"

"All that's _on the land_--all that's growing on it, goes with it. All
that's under c