“My heart has gone out to him without any will of my own.  I feel that he has the makin’ of a noble man in him.”

And I sez, “I guess he’s made about all he can be on this spear.”  But seein’ her mournful looks I added, “You’re a clever critter, Blandina, that’s what’s the matter with you, you’re so good hearted you mistake good nater and pity for love more’n half the time.  I don’t believe,” sez I feelin’ly, “I ever see a cleverer creeter than you are.”  And I meant it, every word I said.

But she repeated agin, “I love him, Aunt Samantha, with a pure, deep devotion.”

“Well,” sez I, “if I wuz in your place I would take a little catnip tea and go to bed.  I’ll steep some for you over my alcohol lamp.”  I knowed it wuz her good nater and her nerves that wuz wrought up instead of her heart, though catnip is good for the heart for all I know.  She’d got all nerved up readin’ them dretful things and felt queer, I wuz sorry for Blandina to think she wuz so very sensitive to masculine influence.  She refused the catnip tea but took the other half of my advice and went to bed, and I sez to myself, I declare I don’t know what the good nater of that creeter will lead her into and I most wished she wuz back in Jonesville where that trait of hern wouldn’t have so much room for showin’ off and so many objects to practice on, but I felt safe about grandpa Huff, for I knowed that even if he’d been strong enough to stand up to be married, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren wouldn’t let him.

Well, the next morning Molly come, havin’ arrived on a sleeper.  I welcomed her warmly.  She’s a sweet girl, with big eyes soft and brown as the shallers in our trout brook and a shadder in ’em now some like the dark places where the deep water is.  Hair about the same color, done up in a shinin’ coil on the top of her head, but where it would git loose a little kinder curlin’ and crinklin’ about her white forward and round white neck.  A sweet sad expression on her lips, cheeks white as snow now but meant to be pink and a pretty plump figger.  She wuz very beautiful and called so by good judges.

And I wuzn’t surprised that Billy Huff fell immegiately and voylently in love with her to his own discomfiture and the great enrichment of them that sold perfumery and hair-oil.  But I knowed it wouldn’t hurt him any, it wuz only a new face to hang up for the present in the gallery of a boy’s Fancy.  Aunt Tryphena fairly worshipped her.  She immegiately rose to the top place in her gallery of perfect beings.  Nothing wuz too good for her, no service she could render her wuz too hard, she almost soared up to that pinnacle on which her Prince Arthur dwelt.  Dotie became her willin’ adorer and Miss Huff couldn’t do enough for her.