, that youth's comeliness still clung to,
invited it.

"'Tis I should be the one to thank, ma'am, both for the pleasure, and
for the hearing tell of little Davy. Mother will be very content to get
a little news of the child. Oh, I can tell you she grudges her share of
Dave to anyone! If mother should take it into her head to come over and
hear some more, for herself, you will not take it amiss? It will be for
love of the child." Then, as a correction to what might have seemed a
stint of courtesy:--"And for the pleasure of a visit to you, ma'am."
Said old Maisie absently:--"I hope she will." And then Widow Thrale saw
that all this talking had been quite enough, and took her leave.

This was the second time these two had parted, in half a century. They
shook hands, this time, and there was no glimmer in the mind of either,
of who or what the other was. Each remained as unconscious of the
other's identity as that sleeping child in her crib had been, fifty
years ago, of her mother's heart-broken beauty as she tore herself away,
with the kiss on her lips that dwelt there still.

They shook hands, with affectionate cordiality, and the old lady, hoping
again that the visitor's "mother" would pay her a visit, settled back to
watching the fire creep along the lichens, one by one, on that beechen
log the squirrels had to themselves a year ago.

Unconscious Widow Thrale had much to say of the pretty old lady as she
and Mrs. Solmes walked back to the Ranger's Cottage through the
nightfall. Fancy mother taking it into her head that Dave would be the
worse by such a nice old extra Granny as that! She must be very much
alone in the world though, to judge by what little she had told of her
life in Sapps Court. No single hint of kith and kin! Had Keziah not
heard a word about her antecedents? Well--nothing to ma'ak a stowery
on't! Housekeeper Masham had expressed herself ambiguously, saying that
her yoong la'adyship had lighted down upon the old lady in stra'ange
coompany; concerning which she, Masham, not being called upon to deliver
judgment, preferred to keep her mowuth shoot. Keziah contrived to convey
that this shutting of Mrs. Masham's mouth had carried all the weight of
speech, all tending to throw doubt on Mrs. Picture, without any clue to
the special causes of offence against her.

Whatever misgivings about the old lady Widow Thrale allowed to re-enter
her mind were dispersed on arriving at the Cottage. For Toby and Seth,