k dress," said Ishmael, as he put the chain around Mrs.
Gray's neck and contemplated the effect.

"What a good boy you are!" said Hannah; but she would not have been a
woman if she had not been pleased with the decoration.

Reuben Gray came in, arrayed in his Sunday suit, and smiled to see how
splendid Hannah was, and then drawing his wife's arm proudly within his
own, and calling Ishmael to accompany them, set off to walk a mile
farther up the river and spend a festive evening with his brother
overseer. They had a pleasant afternoon stroll along the pebbly beach of
the broad waters. They sauntered at their leisure, watching the ships
sail up or down the river; looking at the sea-fowl dart up from the
reeds and float far away; glancing at the little fish leaping up and
disappearing in the waves; and pausing once in a while to pick up a
pretty shell or stone; and so at last they reached the cottage of the
overseer Brown, which stood just upon the point of a little promontory
that jutted out into the river.

They spent a social evening with the overseer and his wife and their
half a dozen buxom boys and girls. And about ten o'clock they walked
home by starlight.

Twice a week Reuben Gray went up the river to a little waterside hamlet
called Shelton to meet the mail. Reuben's only correspondent was his
master, who wrote occasionally to make inquiries or to give orders. The
day after his evening out was the regular day for Reuben to go to the
post office.

So immediately after breakfast Reuben mounted the white cob which he
usually rode and set out for Shelton.

He was gone about two hours, and returned with a most perplexed
countenance. Now "the master's" correspondence had always been a great
bother to Reuben. It took him a long time to spell out the letters and a
longer time to indite the answers. So the arrival of a letter was always
sure to unsettle him for a day or two. Still, that fact did not account
for the great disturbance of mind in which he reached home and entered
the family sitting-room.

"What's the matter, Reuben? Any bad news?" anxiously inquired Hannah.

"N-n-o, not exactly bad news; but a very bad bother," said Gray, sitting
down in the big arm-chair and wiping the perspiration from his heated
face.

"What is it, Reuben?" pursued Hannah.

"Where's Ishmael?" inquired Gray, without attempting to answer her
question.

"Working in the garden, of course. But why can't you tell me what's the
mat