glad to see you again."

But here Mrs. Flandin broke in. She was seated near.

"Ain't your hair a great trouble to you?"

Gertrude gave it a little toss and looked up.

"How do you get it all flying like that?"

"Everybody's hair is a trouble," said Gertrude. "This is as little as
any."

"Do you sleep with it all round your shoulders? I should think you'd be
in a net by morning."

"I suppose you would," said Gertrude.

"Is that the fashion now?"

"It is one fashion," Miss Masters responded.

"If it warn't, I reckon you'd do it up pretty quick. Dear me! what a
thing it is to be in the fashion, I do suppose."

"Don't you like it yourself, ma'am?" queried Gertrude.

"Never try. _I've_ something else to do in life."

"Well, but there's no _harm_ in being in the fashion, Mis' Flandin,"
said Miss Gunn. "The minister said he thought there warn't."

"The minister had better take care of himself," Mrs. Flandin retorted.

Whereupon they all opened upon her. And it could be seen that for the
few months during which he had been among them, the minister had made
swift progress in the regards of the people. Scarce a tongue now but
spoke in his praise or his justification, or called Mrs. Flandin to
account for her hasty remark.

"When you're all done, I'll speak," said that lady coolly. "I'm not a
man-worshipper--never was; and nobody's fit to be worshipped. _I_
should like to see the dominie put down that grey horse of his."

"Are grey horses fashionable?" inquired Mrs. Reverdy, with her little
laugh.

"What would he do without his horse?" said Mrs. Boddington. "How could
he fly round Pleasant Valley as he does?"

"He ain't bound to fly," said Mrs. Flandin.

"How's he to get round to folks, then?" said Mrs. Salter. "The houses
are pretty scattering in these parts; he'd be a spry man if he could
walk it."

"Seems to me, that 'ere grey hoss is real handy," said quiet Miss
Barry, who never contradicted anybody. "When Meliny was sick, Mr.
Masters'd be there, to our house, early in the mornin' and late at
night; and he allays had comfort with him. There! I got to set as much
by the sight o' that grey hoss, you wouldn't think; just to hear him
come gallopin' down the road did me good."

"Yes; and so it was to our house, when Liz was overturned," said Mary
Delamater. "He'd be there every day, just as punctual as could be; and
he could never have walked over. It's a cruel piece of road between our
house and his'