In the mean time, the girls had gone upstairs together; and their

footsteps and voices, and Katherine's rippling laugh, could be heard

distinctly through the open doors. Then Madam called, "Joanna!" and the

girl came down at once. She was tying on her white apron as she entered

the room; and, at a word from her mother, she began to take from the

cupboards various Dutch dainties, and East Indian jars of fruits and

sweetmeats, and a case of crystal bottles, and some fine lemons. She was

a fair, rosy girl, with a kind, cheerful face, a pleasant voice, and a

smile that was at once innocent and bright. Her fine light hair was

rolled high and backward; and no one could have imagined a dress more

suitable to her than the trig dark bodice, the quilted skirt, and the

white apron she wore.

Her father and mother watched her with a loving satisfaction; and though

Elder Semple was discoursing on that memorable dispute between the

Caetus and Conferentie parties, which had resulted in the establishment

of a new independent Dutch church in America, he was quite sensible of

Joanna's presence, and of what she was doing.

"I was aye for the ordaining o' American ministers in America," he said,

as he touched the finger tips of his left hand with those of his right;

and then in an aside full of deep personal interest, "Joanna, my dearie,

I'll hae a Holland bloater and nae other thing. And I was a proud man

when I got the invite to be secretary to the first meeting o' the new

Caetus. Maybe it is praising green barley to say just yet that it was a

wise departure; but I think sae, I think sae."

At this point, Katherine Van Heemskirk came into the room; and the elder

slightly moved his chair, and said, "Come awa', my bonnie lassie, and

let us hae a look at you." And Katherine laughingly pushed a stool

toward the fire, and sat down between the two men on the hearthstone.

She was the daintiest little Dutch maiden that ever latched a

shoe,--very diminutive, with a complexion like a sea-shell, great blue

eyes, and such a quantity of pale yellow hair, that it made light of its

ribbon snood, and rippled over her brow and slender white neck in

bewildering curls. She dearly loved fine clothes; and she had not

removed her visiting dress of Indian silk, nor her necklace of amber

beads. And in her hands she held a great mass of lilies of the valley,

which she caressed almost as if they were living things.




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