I'm glad, child--it seems as if he'd been gone
a month. Do you think he'll come to morrow? Maybe he meant you should
send your work down to him."

"I sha'n't do that," said Faith, as she gave her mother at last a cup
of tea that was to be drunk. But she had poured out none for herself.
She sat before the tea-tray, still and pale. Her mother looked at her.

"You must take some, child."

"I don't want it, mother."--And she brought everything that was on the
table round her mother's plate.

"You must--" Mrs Derrick repeated. "I sha'n't, if you don't,--or else
I'll get you a glass of wine. Why child," she said, with a half sober,
half smiling look, which Faith for once did not read,--"he's better.
You ought to eat and be thankful."

"I am thankful,"--Faith said, her head sinking for a moment.

Mrs Derrick deliberately got up, went to the pantry, and fetching
thence a tiny cup and plate set them before Faith.

"Eat, pretty child!" she said. "You know I'm right. If you don't look
out, Mr. Linden 'll be worse scared when he comes home than he's been
to-day, I guess."

Faith gave her a look, both grateful and appealing, and very innocent
of belief in her statement;--and did honour the little cup so far as to
fill it with tea which she swallowed. But the plate she left clean.

"I can't to-night, mother," she said in answer to Mrs. Derrick's look.
"I'll eat breakfast."

CHAPTER XIX.

It cannot be said that sleep came to Faith's eyes unbidden,--yet once
come, sleep rested there sweetly, even beyond her usual time; and the
first disturbing sound, in that misty Sunday morning, was the stopping
of a wagon at the front door. But if Faith ran to the window with any
special expectations, they were disappointed,--there was nothing at the
door but Crab, his companion the little wagon, and Mrs. Derrick
composedly getting out of the same. Which was at least surprising
enough. The good lady's next appearance was a very noiseless one in
Faith's room.

"Dear mother! where have you been?"

"Why I've been trying to get ahead of Dr. Harrison," said her mother
sitting down; "and I did it too. I should have been home before if I
hadn't been afraid of meeting him--so I had to take a cross road." Mrs.
Derrick seemed tired.

"You needn't look at me so, child," she said, taking off her bonnet.
"It's enough to see one pale face in a morning. I did see him, Faith,
though I didn't speak to him."

"How did he look, mother?"

"