es; and now
Evan's got home, I s'pose there'll be no holding 'em in. There ain't, I
guess, by the looks."

"What'll he do now? stay to hum and help his gran'ther?"

"La! no. He's home just for a visit. He's got through his education at
the Military Academy, and now he's an officer; out in the world; but
he'll have to go somewhere and do his work."

"I wonder what work they do hev' to do?" said Mrs. Salter; "there ain't
nobody to fight now, is there?"

"Fight the Injuns," said Mrs. Boddington; "or the Mexicans; or the
English may be; anything that comes handy."

"But we hain't no quarrel with the English, nor nobody, hev' we? I
thought we was done fightin' for the present," said Miss Barry in a
disturbed tone of voice.

"Well, suppos'n we be," said Mrs. Boddington; "somebody might give us a
slap, you know, when we don't expect it, and it's best to be ready; and
so, Evan Knowlton'll be one o' them that has to stand somewhere with
his musket to his shoulder, and look after a lot o' powder behind him
all the while."

"Du tell! if it takes four years to learn 'em to du that," said Miss
Babbage, the doctor's sister.

"The Knowltons is a very fine family," remarked Miss Gunn.

"If the outside made it," said Mrs. Boddington. "Don't they cut a shine
when they come into meetin', though! They _think_ they do."

"It takes all the boys' attention off everything," said Mrs. Flandin,
who was an elderly lady herself.

"And the girls"--added Mrs. Starling. But what more might have been
said was cut short by Miss Barry's crying out that here was the
minister coming.

CHAPTER II.

THE NEW MINISTER.

The little stir and buzz which went round the assembly at this news was
delightful. Not one but moved excitedly on her seat, and then settled
herself for an unwonted good time. For the new minister was
undiscovered ground; an unexamined possession; unexplored treasure. One
Sunday and two sermons had done no more than whet the appetite of the
curious. Nobody had made up his mind, or her mind, on the subject, in
regard to any of its points. So there were eyes enough that from Mrs.
Starling's windows watched the minister as he dismounted and tied his
horse to the fence, and then opened the little gate and came up to the
house. Diana had returned to the room to bid the company out to supper;
but finding all heads turned one way, and necks craned over, and eyes
on the stretch, she paused and waited for a more auspicio