and improvin' to
the soul!'

'It's a lovely book!' said Elfie enthusiastically; 'you must know it
nearly by heart.'

The sisters smiled at each other.

'We do that,' said Deb.

'I suppose you have visitors from the village here occasionally?' asked
Gwen.

Deb frowned grimly, then looked her questioner straight in the face,
with hard-set lines about her mouth, as she replied,--

'We keeps ourselves to ourselves, miss. You are both young ladies, and
haven't lived long enough to have it cast up in your teeth that you're
not wed; but there be those who scorn us for choosin' to keep by each
other, and not do as most young maids do. Patty and me have had our
chances, but Patty's lad couldn't take us both, and 'twas the same with
my lad, and neither of us could bear to be away from the other. We've
always grown together, Patty and me--we came into the world together,
and we pray the Lord He'll take us out in the same manner; and we know
each other's ways, and when we don't agree, there's no one else to
interfere.'

'Do you ever disagree?' asked Elfie, smiling.

Patty nodded her head solemnly.

'Ay, we ain't quite the same make through and through,' she said, in
her little breathless way, 'and words run high at times. I keep to my
opinions, and Deb keeps to hers; and if we have an extra hard dispute
on, we know how to settle it!'

'How? with fists?' asked Gwen, looking from one hard-featured woman to
the other with the greatest interest.

Deb looked up grimly, and said, as she raised her hand in emphasis,--

'Patty have never had a blow from me since we were children, nor I from
her. When our tongues run away with us, one locks the t'other out, and
when we get cool again the door is opened!'

'I would rather be inside than outside on a winter's day,' said Gwen,
laughing heartily. 'Now come, Elfie, we must be off. I shall pay you
another visit before long, to learn about bee-keeping. I see your
hives are just like ours, and we know nothing about such things!'

'And I'll be very glad to tell you,' said Patty eagerly, 'for I've
tended bees since I were a child, and know all their tricks, and as to
their swarmings.'

''Tis the Lord's Day,' put in Deb grimly, and Gwen and Elfie promptly
took their leave.

'Aren't they old dears?' said Elfie enthusiastically; 'they seem to
live in quite another world. Imagine reading _The Pilgrim's Progress_
all your life, and no other book beside the Bible! Do they e