springing up; 'shall we go down to the
Place and see if the cow that was ill is any better? There's time
before supper.' So the aunts and the nephew strolled down the road
together, forgetting, for the present, the subject of Godfrey's future
profession. And none of them guessed how much that Sunday afternoon
call would do towards deciding it. When they reached the gate of
Oakfield Place, Nancy came running to meet them, brimful of news as
usual.

'Oh, please, Miss Angelica, oh, please, Miss Elizabeth,' she began--for
though Godfrey wouldn't use his aunts' long names himself, Peter always
strictly obeyed Betty's wishes and made Nancy do the same--'oh, please,
Uncle Kiah's come. He came last night, and the Frenchmen have got his
leg and two of his fingers, and the captain is going to get him some
money from the King and he's to live here always; and he'd have been at
church this morning only he isn't just right used to his new leg, and
he was afraid he'd tumble down before all the folks in church and give
the parson a start, so he thought he'd wait till next Sunday.'

'Do you mean your sailor uncle, Nancy?' asked Betty eagerly as Nancy
paused for breath.

'Yes, miss, Uncle Hezekiah Parker; please come in, miss, he tells such
rare stories, miss.'

'But, Nancy, perhaps your mother won't want us to-day, just now when
your uncle's come home,' said Angel.

'Oh, yes, miss, she will, please Miss Angel--Miss Angelica--and so will
Uncle Kiah too. He's here, miss,' and Nancy ushered her visitors to
the back of the house, where the kitchen and store-room windows looked
out. There was quite a Sunday air about the place; William Rogers and
Pete, in their best clothes, were looking at the cows in the orchard,
while Patty was gathering some cabbages to feed them. Martha was
moving about in the kitchen and singing a quiet, sleepy psalm tune to
herself, and on the sunny bench under the window sat a brisk-looking,
white-haired old man with a wooden leg, beating time to the psalm tune
with the stick in his hand. When he caught sight of the young ladies
he jumped up directly and made quite a grand bow, though Angel almost
caught hold of him, she was so afraid he would tumble over.

'How do you do, Hezekiah?' she said; 'we're so glad to see you. We've
been so sorry to hear about your--about your--misfortunes.'

'None at all, missy, none at all worth speaking of,' said the old
sailor cheerily, balancing himself with his stic