dew here under the tree," returned Andrew.

"It is high bedtime. Faith is going. Come!"--peremptorily.

There were times when Primrose was fond of teasing Rachel, but she rose
now. When she had gone a step or two she turned around for a kiss.

"I am ashamed of thee!" Rachel said sharply. "Thou art a bold child to
hang around after men. Didst thou kiss him? That was shameful."

"It was not shameful. I will ask him----"

Rachel caught her arm. "Aunt Lois will be shocked! No nice little girl
does such a thing! Faith would be whipped for it. Go straight along."

She blocked the way, and Primrose, in her sweet hopefulness, thought of
to-morrow.

Aunt Lois had overheard the talk. When Rachel had mixed the bread, for
Chloe had a sore finger, the elder said gravely:

"Thy uncle goes over to Chew House to morrow, and I think Primrose had
better return home. She is too forward and light to have with Faith. I
like not city manners and freedoms. Her mother was not to my fancy. Men
are weak sometimes, but I hope ere long, Rachel, my son's fancy will be
fixed where it will afford me great satisfaction."

Rachel colored with a secret joy. She could have clasped the mother to
her heart for the admission, but she would not spoil the commendation by
any lack of discretion.

While Primrose was waiting for Uncle James in the morning she ran out to
the barn.

"Andrew, I am going. It hath been very pleasant, and I hoped thou would
have taken me. Andrew"--with a strange, new hesitation--"is it--is it
wrong to kiss thee?"

She looked up out of such clear honest eyes in all their sweet
guilelessness that he took the fair face between his hands and kissed it
again.

"Nay, there could never be a wrong thought in thy sweet young heart. And
thou art my cousin."

She wondered, as she was retracing her steps, if he kissed Faith and
Rachel, since they were cousins.

CHAPTER XI.

A RIFT OF SUSPICION.

Lois Henry had no especial fear of any serious matter with such a mere
child as Primrose, as she was far too young. But she had been trained in
a repressed, decorous fashion, and many of the Friends were as rigorous
as the Puritans. Young men were better off without caresses, even from
mother or sister. And she was compelled to acknowledge within herself
that Primrose had a large share of what she set down as carnal beauty,
the loveliness of physical coloring and symmetry. Neither of the Morgan
girls would ever be temptingly