At this moment the door leading to the parlor opened and Deacon Mason
entered, accompanied by his wife. They were greeted with shouts of
laughter. Quincy looked at them with astonishment, and had it not been
for their familiar faces, which they had not tried to disguise, he would
not have recognized them.
Out of compliment to their guests, the Deacon and his wife had gone back
to the days of their youth. Probably from some old chest in the garret
each had resurrected a costume of fifty years before. They advanced into
the room, smiling and bowing to the delighted spectators on either side.
They went directly to Abner, and the latter bent over to hear what the
Deacon whispered in his ear. The Deacon then went to Strout and
whispered something to him.
Strout nodded, and turning to the company said, "As it's now half past
'leven and most time for honest folks to be abed and rogues a runnin',
out of compliment to Miss Huldy's grandpa and grandma, who have honored
us with their presence this evenin', we will close these festivities
with a good old-fashioned heel and toe Virginia reel.
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