ike it is to-day; that ain't my way. But Josh says she's
goin' round groanin' at sun'thin'--and that ain't _her_ way, nother.
Mind you, it ain't when anybody's by; I warrant you, she don't give no
sign _then_ that anythin's botherin' her; Josh says it's when she's
alone. I didn't ask him how he come to know so much, and so little; but
I wisht I had," Joe finished his speech laughing.

Diana took her hat, kissed the old woman, and went out to her husband,
who was waiting for her. And some miles of the drive were made in
silence. Then as the old brown house came in sight, with the weeping
elms over the gate, Diana asked her husband to stop for a minute or
two. He reined up under the elm trees and helped Diana out, letting
her, however, go in alone.

Diana was not often here, naturally; between her and her mother, who
never in the best of times had stood near together or shared each
other's deeper sympathies, a gulf had opened. Besides, the place was
painful to Diana on other accounts. It was full of memories and
associations; she always seemed to herself when there as a dead person
might on revisiting the place where once he had lived; she felt dead to
all but pain, and the impression came back with sharp torture that once
she used to be alive. So as the shadow of the elm branches fell over
her now, it hurt her inexpressibly. She was alive when she had dwelt
under them; yes, she and Evan too. She hurried her steps and went in at
the lean-to door.

It was now long past mid-day. The noon meal was over, apparently, and
every sign of it cleared away. The kitchen was in spotless order; but
beside the table sat Mrs. Starling, doing nothing; an unheard-of state
of affairs. Diana came farther in.

"Mother"--

"Well, Diana,"--said Mrs. Starling, looking up. "What's brought you
now?"

"I've been down to see Mrs. Bartlett--she sent for me--and I thought I
would stop in as I went by. Mr. Masters is outside."

"Well, I've no objection," said Mrs. Starling ambiguously.

"How do you do?"

"Middling."

"Is all getting on well with the farm and the dairy?"

"I don't let it be no other way."

Diana saw that something was wrong, but knew also that if she were to
find it out it would be by indirect ways.

"May I go into the pantry and get some milk? I've been a good while
from home, and I'm hungry."

"Go along," said her mother ungraciously. "I should think likely, if
_you_ are hungry, your baby is too. That's a new way of