Helena, at the sight of those two tears, knelt down beside the little

boy, eager to be sympathetic. But he did not notice her, and by and by

the tears dried up. After she had tried to make him talk;--of Dr.

Lavendar, of school, of his old home;--without drawing anything more

from him than "yes ma'am," or "no ma'am," she gave it up and waited

until he should be tired of the rabbits. The sun was warm, the smell

of the crushed dock leaves heavy in the sheltered corner behind the

barn; it was so silent that they could hear the nibbling of the two

prisoners, who kept glancing at them with apprehensive eyes that

gleamed with pale red fires. David sighed with joy.

"What are their names?" he said at last in a low voice.

"They haven't any names; you can name them if you like."

"I shall call them Mr. and Mrs. Smith," he said with decision. And

then fell silent again.

"You came to Old Chester in the stage with Mr. Pryor," she said after

a while; "he told me you were a very nice little boy."

"How did he know?" demanded David.

"He is very nice himself," Helena said smiling.

David meditated. "Is that gentleman my enemy?"

"Of course not! he isn't anybody's enemy," she told him reprovingly.

David turned silently to his rabbits.

"Why did you think he was your enemy?" she persisted.

"I only just hoped he wasn't; I don't want to love him."

"What!"

"If he was my enemy, I'd have to love him, you know," David explained

patiently.

Helena in her confused astonishment knew not what to reply. She

stammered something about that being wrong; of course David must love

Mr. Pryor!

"They ought to have fresh water," David interrupted thoughtfully; and

Helena had to reach into the hutch for a battered tin pan.

She watched him run to the stable and come back, holding the pan in

both hands and walking very slowly under the mottled branches of the

button-woods; at every step the water splashed over the rusty brim,

and the sunshine, catching and flickering in it, was reflected in a

rippling gleam across his serious face.

All that afternoon he permitted her to follow him about. He was gently

polite when she spoke to him but he hardly noticed her until, as they

went down through the orchard, his little hand tightened suddenly on

hers, and he pressed against her skirts.




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