Margaret Maliphant

								

detract from your powers of nursing. We all have heard how wonderful
they are."
Mr. Hoad smiled at mother, but she did not smile back again. There were
people whom she kept at arm's-length, even though carefully civil to
them. I don't suppose she knew this, for she was a shy woman, but I
recollect it well.
"We can all nurse those we are fond of," she said. "I'm sure I'm very
pleased to think you should find Mr. Maliphant looking better."
"Better! Nonsense!" exclaimed father. "I'm as well as I ever was in my
life. Don't let's hear any more about that, wife, there's a dear soul."
"Nay, you shall hear no more about it than need be from me, Laban, I
can promise you that," smiled mother, pouring out the tea, while Joyce,
from the opposite side of the table, where she was cutting up the
seed-cake that she had made with her own hands the day before, asked
the guest after his two daughters.
"They are very busy," answered Mr. Hoad. "A large acquaintance, you
know--it involves a great deal of calling. I'm afraid they have been
remiss here."
"Oh, I pray, don't mention such a thing, Mr. Hoad," exclaimed mother,
hastily. "We don't pay calls ourselves. We are plain folk, and don't
hold with fashionable ways."
Mr. Hoad smiled rather uncomfortably.
"And we have not much to amuse them with," I put in. "We do nothing
that young ladies do."
I saw mother purse up her lips at this, and I was vexed that I
had said it, but father laughed and said: "No, Hoad, my girls are
simple farmer's daughters, and have learned more about gardening and
house-keeping than they have about French and piano-playing, though Meg
can sing a ballad when she chooses as well as I want to hear it."
I declared my voice was nothing to Miss Hoad's; and Joyce, always
gracious, looked across to Mr. Hoad and said: "I wonder whether Miss
Jessie would sing something for us at our village concert?"
"I'll ask her," said Mr. Hoad, a little diffidently. "I'm never sure
about my daughters' engagements. They have so many engagements."
"We shall be very pleased to see them here any afternoon for a
practice, sha'n't we, mother?" added Joyce.
"The young ladies will always be welcome," replied mother, a little
stiffly; and I hastened to add, I fear less graciously:
"But pray don't let them break any engagements for us."
Mr. Hoad smiled again, and then father turned to him and they took up
the thread of their own talk where they had left it.
"You certainly ought to know that young fellow I was speaking of,"
Mr. Hoad began. "I was struck with him at once. A wonderful gift of
expressing himself, and just that kind of way with him that always wins
people--one can't explain it. Handsome, too, and full of enthusiasm."
"Enthusiasm don't always carry weight," objected father. "It's rather
apt to fly too high."
"Bound to fly high when you have got to get over the heads of other
folks," laughed Mr. Hoad.