Volume Ii Part 69 (2/2)
Come, mother.”
”He won't like it, child,--you'd better let me call him.”
”No indeed,” said Faith. ”I'll just take your arm, mother. It will do me good.”
So softly and with a little wilful pleasure on Faith's part, the stairs were descended; and not content with that, Faith went into the tea-room and began as of old to give a delicate hand to the tea-table arrangements. Then when all was done, slowly made her entrance into the other room. But there, to Faith's dismay, were two gentlemen instead of one, standing in the middle of the floor in earnest conversation. Both turned the minute she opened the door, and Squire Stoutenburgh came towards her, exclaiming, ”Why Miss Faith!--n.o.body gave me any hope of seeing you. My dear, are you as well as you look?”
Faith's instant extreme desire was to quit the field she had so rashly ventured upon. Her answer to Mr. Stoutenburgh, if made, was too unintelligible to be understood or remembered; and meanwhile she was as the Squire had hinted, looking very well, and a picture of dainty confusion. It might not help the confusion, though it did put her face more out of sight, to be rescued from the Squire's hands and placed in the easy-chair.
”No, she is not as well as she looks, Mr. Stoutenburgh, and therefore you must not keep her standing.”
”I won't keep her--nor you neither--long,” said the Squire. ”Miss Faith, I hope you'll keep _him_--standing or kneeling or something--all summer. How long are you going to stay, sure enough?”
”Till I must go.” Faith heard the smile with which it was spoken.
”Then I shall go home a happy man!” said Mr. Stoutenburgh, with a sort of earnest heartiness which became him very well. ”My dear, I'm as glad as if you were my own daughter--and you'll let me say that, because your father and I were such friends.” With which original and sincere expression of feeling the Squire went off.
”You naughty child,” Mr. Linden said, coming back to Faith's chair, ”who gave you leave to come down stairs? I shouldn't be at all surprised if you had been after cream.”
”No I haven't, Endy,”--said Faith lifting up her face which was in a sort of overwhelmed state.
”What is the matter?” he said smiling.
”Don't mind me,” said Faith pa.s.sing her hands over her face. ”I am half ashamed of myself--I shall be better in a day or two.”
”How do you feel, after your ride and your sleep?”
”O well!--nicely,”--she said in happy accents.
”What made you try to walk down stairs?”
”I thought I could do it.”
”And knew I would not let you. Will you be in a talking mood after tea?”
”I am now. I have been wanting to talk to you, Endecott, ever since you got home.”
”What about?”
”About these weeks.”
The summons to tea came then, however; but when tea was disposed of, and Faith had come back to her sofa in the sitting-room, Mr. Linden took his place at her side.
”Now I am ready for 'these weeks,'” he said.
Faith was less ready than he, though she had wished for the talk. Her face darkened to something of the weary look with which he had found her.
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