y end of
the table, I will help you out with a 'que voulez-vous, mademoiselle?'
and perhaps with a 'voulez-vous?' this or that. But after a week or
two, Miss Faith, if you go without any dinner, it will not move me in
the least."

Faith looked as if she would gladly forego her dinner to escape the
French asking for it, and yet not quite so neither. But this ordeal was
more terrible to her by far than all the rest; she could face them,
indeed, they had ceased to be anything but pleasure--or pleasure with a
spice that enhanced it; but at this she trembled. To the above
speech--or threat,--she simply answered,

"I shall be so glad to see you come home to tea, Mr. Linden!"

"And so glad to see me go away from dinner!"

"I didn't say that."

"You will--" said Mr. Linden,--"I can imagine you falling back in your
chair and exclaiming, 'Ah, quand voulez-vous partir, monsieur!'--which
of course will make it extremely difficult for me to remain a moment
longer."

"I don't think you can imagine me doing it," said Faith laughing. "I
can't imagine myself."

"That proves nothing. Only don't ever say to me, 'Monsieur! partez a
l'instant!'--because--"

"Because what, Mr. Linden?" said Faith seriously.

"Because we might disagree upon that point," he said with rather a
demure arch of his eyebrows. Faith's full silver rang out, softly.

"You see!" she said. "It's beginning already. I don't know in the least
what you are talking about!"

"No--you do not," was the laughing reply. "But Miss Faith, if I am kept
at home long enough, and society keeps at home too, instead of coming
between us and our exercises, those conversations will seem less
terrible by the time they begin. I should certainly get you a pocket
dictionary, but I prefer to be that myself. How far can you ride on
horseback at once?"

"On horseback?" said Faith, much as if those words had been also
French, or an algebraical puzzle.

"That was what I said."

"I know that was what you said--I didn't know what you meant, Mr.
Linden. I have never been really on horseback but a few times in my
life--then I rode a few miles--I don't know exactly how many."

"I wonder people don't do it more"--said Mrs. Derrick. "When I was a
girl that was the common way of getting about; and nobody ever got
thrown, neither."

"Wouldn't that be the pleasantest way of getting to Mattabeeset?" said
Mr. Linden.

An illumination answered him first; then "Oh, yes!"

"I want you to