"Well; she got well?"' said Dr. Lavendar.

"Got well? She'd have got well if he hadn't gone near her." Martha

began to stroke the gathers on a bit of cambric with a precise needle

that suddenly trembled. "The woman herself was not to blame it's only

just to say that--And there's one thing about me, Dr, Lavendar; I may

not be perfect, but I am always just. No, she was not to blame; it was

Mrs. Richie who sent for William. She is the most helpless woman I

ever saw, for her years;--she is at least forty, though she uses

sachet-powders, and wears undersleeves all trimmed with lace, as if

she were six teen! I don't want to find fault, Dr, Lavendar, but I

must say that I wouldn't have trusted that little boy to her."

"Oh," said Dr, Lavendar, "I trusted her to the little boy! She'll be

so busy looking after his sleeves, she'll forget her own."

Mrs. King sniffed, doubtfully. "I'm sure I hope you are right; but in

my opinion, she's a very helpless and foolish woman;--if nothing

worse. Though according to my ideas, the way she lets Sam Wright's Sam

behave is worse!"

Dr. Lavendar was suddenly attentive, "How does she let him behave?"

"Well, he is so daft over--her that he neglects his work at the bank

to write verses. Why doesn't she stop it?'"

"Because," said William King, appearing in the doorway, smelling

honestly of the barn and picking off a straw here and there from his

sleeve; "she knows nothing about it," Dr. Lavendar and Martha both looked up, startled at his tone.

"Women," said the doctor, "would gossip about a--a clam!"

"I am not gossiping?" Martha defended herself; but Dr. Lavendar

interrupted her, cheerfully, "Well, I am, I came over to gossip with William on this very

subject.--Martha, will you let him put a match to that grate? I declare,

the seasons are changing. When I was your age it wasn't cold enough

to have a fire in May.--Look here, Willy, what do you mean by saying

Mrs. Richie doesn't know Sam's sentiments?"

"I mean that women like Mrs. Richie are so unconscious, they don't see

things like that. She's as unconscious as a girl."

"Tck!" said Martha.

"A girl!" said Dr, Lavendar.--"Say a tree, or a boy but don't say a

girl. Why, William, everybody sees it. Even Benjamin Wright. Of course

she knows it."




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