Chapter 20 - Page 2

had suspected the truth I had turned the tables on her, and
now she was guessing. A quick change came into her face, and, for
a moment, it gave me confidence.

'Is she pretty?' she asked very seriously as she dropped the flower
and looked down crushing it beneath her foot.

'She is very beautiful - it is you I love, Hope.'

A flood of colour came into her cheeks then, as she stood a
moment looking down at the flower in silence.

'I shall keep your secret,' she said tenderly, and hesitating as she
spoke, 'and when you are through college - and you are older - and
I am older - and you love me as you do now - I hope - I shall love
you, too - as - I do now.'

Her lips were trembling as she gave me that sweet assurance -
dearer to me - far dearer than all else I remember of that golden
time - and tears were coursing down her cheeks. For myself I was
in a worse plight of emotion. I dare say she remembered also the
look of my face in that moment.

'Do not speak of it again,' she said, as we walked away together
on the shorn sod of the orchard meadow, now sown with apple
blossoms, 'until we are older, and, if you never speak again, I shall
know you - you do not love me any longer.'

The dinner horn sounded. We turned and walked slowly back

'Do I look all right?' she asked, turning her face to me and smiling
sweetly.

'All right,' I said. 'Nobody would know that anyone loved you -
except for your beauty and that one tear track on your cheek.'

She wiped it away as she laughed.

'Mother knows anyway,' she said, 'and she has given me good
advice. Wait!' she added, stopping and turning to me. 'Your eyes
are wet!'

I felt for my handkerchief.

'Take mine,' she said.

Elder Whitmarsh was at the house and they were all sitting down to
dinner as we came in.

'Hello!' said Uncle Eb. 'Here's a good-lookin' couple. We've got a
chicken pie an' a Baptis' minister fer dinner an' both good. Take
yer pew nex' t' the minister,' he added as he held the chair for me.

Then we all bowed our heads and I felt a hearty amen for the
elder's words:

'O Lord, may all our doing and saying and eating and drinking of
this day be done, as in Thy sight, for our eternal happiness - and
for Thy glory. Amen.'