t of abstracted silence.

"No, pretty sister, I will not. But I shall keep all those ruffles here
to finish, and Saturday Reuben Taylor shall escort them and me to
Pattaquasset."

CHAPTER XXXIX.

Things were yet in their morning light and shadow when Faith set off on
this her first real journey with Mr. Linden. She felt the strangeness
of it,--in the early breakfast, the drive alone with him to the
station,--to stand by and see him get her ticket, to sit with him alone
in the cars (there seemed to be no one else there!) were all new. The
towers of Quilipeak rose up in the soft distance, shining in the
morning sun: over meadow and hillside and Indian-named river the summer
light fell in all its beauty. Dewdrops glittered on waving grain and
mown grass; labourers in their shirt-sleeves made another gleaming line
of scythe blades, or followed the teams of red and brindled oxen that
bowed their heads to the heavy yoke. Through all this, past all this,
the Pequot train flew on towards Pattaquasset; sending whole lines of
white smoke to scour the country, despatching the shrill echoes of its
whistle in swift pursuit.

Faith saw it all with that vividness of impression which leaves
everything sun-pictured on the memory forever. In it all she felt a
strange "something new;"--which gave the sunlight such a marked
brilliancy, and made dewdrops fresher than ordinary, and bestowed on
mown grass and waving grain such rich tints and gracious motion. It was
not merely the happiness of the time;--Faith's foot had a little odd
feeling that every step was on new ground. It was a thoughtful ride to
Pattaquasset, though she was innocently busy with all pleasant things
that came in her way, and the silveriest of tones called Mr. Linden's
attention to them. He did not leave her thoughts too much chance to
muse: the country, the various towns, gave subject enough for the
varied comment and information Faith loved so much. Mr. Linden knew the
places well, and their history and legends, and the foreign scenes that
were like--or unlike--them, or perhaps a hayfield brought up stories of
foreign agriculture, or a white sailing cloud carried them both off to
castles in the air. One thing Mr. Linden might have made known more
fully than he did--and that was his companion. For several times in the
course of the morning, first in the station at Quilipeak, then in the
cars, some friend or acquaintance of his own came to greet or welcome
hi