Then,
assuming her gravest air, she went to give the finishing touches to
dinner.
Ten minutes later she received another surprise; for David appeared
washed, brushed, and in a suit of gray,--a personable gentleman,
quite unlike the workman in the yard.
Christie gave one look, met a pair of keen yet kind eyes with a
suppressed laugh in them, and dropped her own, to be no more lifted
up till dinner was done.
It was a very quiet meal, for no one said much; and it was evidently
the custom of the house to eat silently, only now and then saying a
few friendly words, to show that the hearts were social if the
tongues were not.
On the present occasion this suited Christie; and she ate her dinner
without making any more discoveries, except that the earth-stained
hands were very clean now, and skilfully supplied her wants before
she could make them known.
As they rose from table, Mrs. Sterling said: "Davy, does thee want
any help this afternoon?"
"I shall be very glad of some in about an hour if thee can spare it,
mother."
"I can, dear."
"Do you care for flowers?" asked David, turning to Christie,
"because if you do not, this will be a very trying place for you."
"I used to love them dearly; but I have not had any for so long I
hardly remember how they look," answered Christie with a sigh, as
she recalled Rachel's roses, dead long ago.
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