elf, not a trifle abashed before them all on
his wedding day, everything that he said seemed to be thought worth
laughing at, and there was not a shadow on any face, except the flitting
of a shadow ever and anon across Morris Kemlo's blue eyes.

The feast was ended, prayer offered by the pastor and the new home
dedicated to him who is the Father in every home where his children
dwell, and then kisses and congratulations and thanks mingled with the
tears that the mothers must need shed out of their joy and natural
regret. The mothers were both exultantly proud and sure that _her_ child
would not be the one to make the other unhappy. The carriages rolled
away, Will and Linnet to take the train to Portland, for if the wind
were fair the _Linnet_ would sail the next day for New York and thence to
Genoa. Linnet had promised to bring Marjorie some of the plastering of
the chamber in which Christopher Columbus was born, and if they went down
to Naples she would surely climb Mt. Vesuvius and bring her a branch of
mulberry.

The mothers remained to wash the dishes and pack things away, to lock up
the house, and brush the last flake of dust from any of Linnet's new
possessions; Captain Rheid called to Hollis and asked him to walk over
the farm with him and see where everything was planted. Hollis was to
remain over night, but Morris was to take a late train to join the
_Linnet's_ crew, it being his first voyage as second mate.

The mothers took off their kitchen aprons, washed their hands at Linnet's
new sink, and gave Morris the key of the front door to hang up in an
out-of-the-way corner of the wood shed.

"It may better be here," said Mrs. Rheid, "and then any of us can get in
at any time to see how things are without troubling anybody to find the
key. The captain will see that every door and window is safe and as we
have the silver I don't believe anybody will think of troubling the
house."

"Oh, dear no," replied Mrs. West. "I always leave my clothes out on the
line and we never think of locking a door at night."

"Our kitchen windows look over this way and I shall always be looking
over. Now come home with me and see that quilt I haven't got finished
yet for them. I told your husband to come to our house for you, for you
would surely be there. I suppose Marjorie and Morris will walk back; we
wouldn't have minded it, either, on our eighteenth birthday."

"Come, Marjorie, come see where I hang the key," said Morris.