table,
which began with Faith and ended with Mr. Linden, "Aint that half of
creation up to anything? I tell you what, Miss Faith, if _I_'d been in
that meadow 'tother day, I'd have made Mazeppa of the doctor in no
time,--Sam hasn't learnt to put his history in practice yet. And
besides," said the Squire, with a peculiarly slow, innocent
enunciation, "he never likes to do anything that would displease Mr.
Linden!"

"Mr. Stoutenburgh!" said his wife, though she was laughing merrily
herself, "Can't you be quiet? Faith, why don't you answer me?"

"What, Mrs. Stoutenburgh?"--Faith turned towards her a face from which,
gentle as it was, the smile had disappeared.

"You play blind man's buff, don't you, dear?"

"When I can," said Faith.

"The real question, Miss Faith," said Mr. Linden, whose grave unmoved
look--unmoved unless by a little fear that she might be annoyed--would
have been some help to her during her cross-examination if she had seen
it,--"the real question is, whether you are willing to play to-night."

"I am as willing as can be," said Faith.

"I don't know whether they'll want to play it," said Mrs. Stoutenburgh,
"but they may; and Sam's never content unless I'm in the fun, whatever
it is."

"Of course Miss Faith will play," said the Squire,--"she never refuses
to please anybody."

"Mr. Linden said he would," said Sam.

"But how shall you and I manage, Faith?" said Mrs. Stoutenburgh.
"They'd tell us in a minute by our dresses--as there are only two of
us."

Faith pondered this difficulty with an amused face.

"Sam must lend us some of his jackets or coats, Mrs. Stoutenburgh. Our
heads are the worst,--or mine is--you and Sam might be mistaken for
each other."

"But there'd be no use in Miss Faith's disguising herself," said Sam
naively, "because she's so sweet."

"You wouldn't have her disguise that, would you, Sam?" said Mr. Linden
laughing.

"What a boy!" said his mother,--"and what a reflection upon me!"

"Why I meant her flowers!" said Sam,--"you needn't all laugh so. I
don't mean either that I didn't mean--" but what more he meant Sam left
unsaid, which did not much stay the laughter.

"I will appoint two or three boys to play the part of the pigeon in
hawking," said Mr. Linden,--"Miss Faith might get tired of being
caught, if not of running away."

"How do you know that, Mr. Linden?" she said a little archly.

"Truly," he answered, "I know it not--but most things are possible,
e