know that, neither," said Sam. "But the fact is, Miss Faith,
he always _does_ find out things--and if it's anything he's got to do
with you may just as good tell him at once as to fuss round."

A pretty significant piece of information! Upon which Faith mused.

It was not so late when they reached Mrs. Derrick's door, that the good
lady's anxiety had got fairly under way. At that moment indeed, she had
quitted the front of the house, and gone to hurry Cindy and the
teakettle; so that Faith was in the house and her escort dismissed,
before Mrs. Derrick appeared.

"Why pretty child!" she said--"here you are! I was very near getting
worried. And I went up and asked Mr. Linden what time it was, lest the
clock shouldn't be right; but he seemed to think it wasn't worth while
to fret about you yet. You're tired to death!" she added, looking at
Faith. "You're as pale as anything, child!"

"Yes mother--I'm very tired."

And very glad to get home, she would have said, but her lips failed it.

"Well do sit down, child," said her mother, "and I'll take your things
up stairs. Tea's all ready--that'll do you good, and then you shall go
right to bed."

But that did not seem what Faith was ready to do; instead of that, she
preferred to sit down by her mother, and wrap her arms round her again
and lay her head in her mother's lap. Even then she did not sleep,
though she was by no means inclined to talk and answered Mrs. Derrick's
fond or anxious words with very few in return, low and quiet, or with
quiet caresses. And when her mother was silent, to let her sleep, Faith
was silent too.

They had sat so motionless for awhile, when Faith changed her posture.
She got up, sat down on a chair by her mother's side, laid her head in
her neck and wrapped arms round _her_ in turn.

"Mother--" she said most caressingly,--"when will you begin to follow
Christ with me?--I want that, I want that!"--

CHAPTER XXV.

While Dr. Harrison was sleeping off the effects of his exertions,
mental and physical, of the preceding day; and his horses in their
stable realized that the reaping of wild oats has its own fatigues;
Mrs. Derrick was stirring about with even unwonted activity, preparing
for that unwonted breakfast up stairs. An anxious look or two at
Faith's sleeping face had assured her mother that the fatigue there had
been nothing very serious; and Mrs. Derrick went down with a glad heart
to her preparations. There Faith joined her