a little while ago pain had been. Faith could hardly
see the picture for a long time; she called herself foolish, but she
cried and laughed the harder for joy; she reproached herself for past
ungratefulness and motions of discontent, which made her not deserve
this treasure; and the joy and the tears were but enhanced that way.
Faith could hardly believe her eyes, when they were clear enough to
see; it seemed,--what they looked at,--too good to be true; too
precious to be hers. But at last she was fain to believe it; and with
blushes that nobody saw, and a tiny smile that it was a pity somebody
_didn't_ see, she put the blue ribband round her neck and hid the
locket where she knew it was expected to find its place. But Faith
forgot her work, and her mother found her sitting there doing nothing,
looking with dreamy happy thoughtfulness into distance, or into
herself; all Miss Bezac's silks and stuffs neglected around her.

And work, diligent, happy, contented, continued, was the order of the
day, and of many days and weeks after. Miss Bezac giving out that she
would take as much work as was offered her, she and Faith soon had both
their hands completely full. The taste and skill of the little
dressmaker were so well acknowledged that even from Pequot there was
now many an application for her services; and many a lady from there
and from Pattaquasset, came driven in a wagon or a sleigh to Miss
Bezac's cottage door.

CHAPTER XXXVI.

It was the month

"When beechen buds begin to swell,
And woods the blue bird's warble know,"--

the month of the unbending of Nature--of softening skies and swelling
streams and much underground spring work. As for instance, by the
daffodils; which by some unknown machinery pushed their soft, pliant
leaves up through frozen clods into the sunshine. Blue birds fluttered
their wings and trilled their voices through the air, song sparrows
sang from morning to night, and waxwings whistled for cherries in the
bare tree tops. There the wind whistled too, "whiles," with the fall
approbation of snow birds and chickadees,--the three going out of
fashion together.

It was a busy month at Miss Bezac's--two weddings at Pequot and one in
Pattaquasset kept her hands full,--and Faith's too. Just now the great
point of interest was the outfit of Miss Maria Davids--the wedding
dress, especially, being of the most complicate and ornamented
description. Miss Bezac and Faith needed their hea