stairs as if to greet some one for whom he
had a great affection, and Seth heard the little woman say to him:

"I really believe Gladys was in the right when she said I would come
to like you almost as much as if you were a cat. Do you want a saucer
of milk?"

"She won't talk so pleasantly when I get there," Seth said to himself.
"I'd rather take a sound flogging than have her look at me as if I was
a thief!"

The lad soon came to know Aunt Hannah better than to accuse her of
being cruel even in the slightest degree.

When he entered the kitchen she greeted him with a kindly smile, and
said, much as if the events of the previous night were no more than a
disagreeable dream:

"You see I'm beginning to depend on you already, Seth. Gladys isn't up
yet, and I've left White-Face in the barn thinkin' you'd take her to
the pasture. The grass is wet with dew, an' I'm gettin' so old that I
don't dare take the chances of wetting my feet."

Seth did not wait to make his toilet, but ran swiftly to the barn,
rejoicing because of the opportunity to perform some task.

When the cow had been cared for he loitered around outside, picking up
a stick here and a stone there as if it was of the highest importance
that the lawn in front of the house be freed from litter of every kind
before breakfast.

His one desire was to avoid coming face to face with Aunt Hannah until
it should be absolutely necessary, and while he was thus inventing
work Gladys came out in search of Snip.

Seth understood at once that the girl was yet ignorant of his attempt
to run away, and his heart swelled with gratitude toward the little
woman who had thus far kept secret what he would have been ashamed to
tell.

Just then Snip was of far more importance in the eyes of Aunt Hannah's
niece than was his master, and after a hasty "good-morning" she ran
away with the dog at her heels for the accustomed exercise before
breakfast.

"Come in an' wash your face, my dear. Breakfast will be cooked by the
time you are ready to eat it, and such work as you are doing may as
well be left until a more convenient season."

Seth felt forced to obey this summons promptly; but he did not dare
meet the little woman's glance. Had he observed her closely, however,
it would have been seen that she studiously avoided looking toward
him. Aunt Hannah was averse to causing pain, even to the brutes which
came in her way, and at this particular time she understood very much
of