"Not if you loved him, and he loved you very, very dearly?" the doctor
asked, his voice low and tender in its tone.
Wholly unsuspicious of the wild storm beating in his heart, Maddy
untied her white sunbonnet, and, taking it in her lap, smoothed back
her soft hair, saying, with a long breath: "Oh! I'm so hot," and then,
as just thinking of his question, replied: "I shouldn't love him--I
couldn't. Grandma is five years younger than grandpa, mother was five
years younger than father, Mrs. Green is five years younger than Mr.
Green, and, oh! ever so many. You are warm, too; ain't you?" and she
turned her innocent eyes full upon the doctor, who was wiping from his
lips the great drops of water, induced not so much by the heat as by
the apparent hopelessness of the love he now knew was growing in his
heart for Maddy Clyde. Recurring again to Agnes, Maddy said: "I wonder
why she married that old man? It is worse than if you were to marry
Jessie."
"Money and position were the attractions, I imagine," the doctor said.
"Agnes was poor, and esteemed it a great honor to be made Mrs.
Remington."
"Poor, was she?" Maddy rejoined. "Then maybe Mr. Guy will some day
marry a poor girl. Do you think he will?"
Again Lucy Atherstone trembled on the doctor's lips, but he did not
speak of her--it was preposterous that Maddy should have any thoughts
of Guy Remington, who was quite as old as himself, besides being
engaged, and with this comforting assurance the doctor turned his
horse in the direction of the cottage, for Maddy was growing tired and
needed to be at home.
"Perhaps you'll some time change your mind about people so much older,
and if you do you'll remember our talk this morning," he said, as he
drove up at last before the gate.
Oh, yes! Maddy would never forget that morning or the nice ride they'd
had. She had enjoyed it so much, and she thanked him many times for
his kindness, as she stood waiting for him to drive away, feeling no
tremor whatever when at parting he took and held her hand, smoothing
it gently, and telling her it was growing fat and plump again. He was
a very nice doctor, much better than she had imagined, she thought, as
she went slowly to the house and entered the neat kitchen, where her
grandmother sat shelling peas for dinner, and her grandfather in his
leathern chair was whispering over his weekly paper.