"Oh!" she murmured; and said no more. It was not a topic she found
easy of discussion.
"Let us go back to the cap," suggested Deborah, with another of
her fascinating smiles. "Are you going to show me one such as I
have described?"
"Let me see. A man's cap with an extra broad peak! Mrs. Scoville,
I fear that you have caught me. There are caps hanging up in
various closets, but I don't remember any with a peak beyond the
ordinary."
"Yet they are worn? You have seen such?"
A red spot sprang out on the faded cheek of the woman as she
answered impulsively:
"Oh, yes. Young Mr. Oliver Ostrander used to wear one. I wish I
had asked him for it," she pursued, naively. "I should not have
had to acknowledge defeat at your very first inquiry."
"Oh! you needn't care about that," laughed Deborah, in rather a
hard tone for her. She had made her point, but was rather more
frightened than pleased at her success. "There must be a thousand
articles you naturally would lack. I could name--"
"Don't, don't!" the little woman put in breathlessly. "I have many
odd things but of course not everything. For instance--" But here
she caught sight of the other's abstracted eye, and dropped the
subject. The sadness which now spread over the very interesting
countenance of her visitor, offered her an excuse for the
introduction of a far more momentous topic; one she had burned to
introduce but had not known how.
"Mrs. Scoville, I hear that Judge Ostrander has got your daughter
a piano.
Pages:
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154