“Law, Hannah, why little Kitty and her husband couldn’t!  Why, child, it takes mints and mints of money to pay for a passage out yonder to Californy! and it takes nine months to go the v’y’ge—­they have to go all around Cape—­Cape Hoof, no, Horn—­Cape Horn!  I knowed it wor somethin’ relating to cattle.  Yes, Hannah—­hundreds of dollars and months of time do it take to go to that gold region! and so, ‘stead o’ them being able to take me out, I had to gather up all my savings to help ’em to pay their own passage.”

“Poor Reuben! poor, poor Reuben!” said Hannah, with the tears springing to her eyes.

“Thank you, thank you, dear; but I shall not be poor Reuben, if you will be mine,” whispered Gray.

“Reuben, dear, I would—­indeed I would—­if I were still young and good-looking; but I am not so, dear Reuben; I am middle-aged and plain.”

“Well, Hannah, old sweetheart, while you have been growing older, have I been going bac’ards and growing younger?  One would think so to hear you talk.  No, Hannah!  I think there is just about the same difference in our ages now as there was years ago; and besides, if you were young and handsome, Hannah, I would never do such a wrong as to ask you to be the wife of a poor old man like me!  It is the fitness of our ages and circumstances, as well as our long attachment, that gives me the courage to ask you even at this late day, old friend, to come and cheer my lonely home.  Will you do so, Hannah?”

“Reuben, do you really think that I could make you any happier than you are, or make your home any more comfortable than it is?” asked Hannah, in a low, doubting voice.

“Sartain, my dear.”

“But, Reuben, I am not good-tempered like I used to be; I am very often cross; and—­”

“That is because you have been all alone, with no one to care for you, Hannah, my dear.  You couldn’t be cross, with me to love you,” said Reuben soothingly.

“But, indeed, I fear I should; it is my infirmity; I am cross even with Ishmael, poor dear lad.”

“Well, Hannah, even if you was to be, I shouldn’t mind it much.  I don’t want to boast, but I do hope as I’ve got too much manhood to be out of patience with women; besides, I aint easy put out, you know.”

“No, you good fellow; I never saw you out of temper in my life.”

“Thank you, Hannah!  Then it’s a bargain?”

“But, Reuben! about Ishmael?”

“Lord bless you, Hannah, why, I told you years ago, when the lad was a helpless baby, that he should be as welcome to me as a son of my own; and now, Hannah, at his age, with his larnin’, he’ll be a perfect treasure to me,” said Reuben, brightening up.

“In what manner, Reuben?”

“Why, law, Hannah, you know I never could make any fist of reading, writing, and ’rithmetic; and so the keeping of the farm-books is just the one torment of my life.  Little Kitty used to keep them for me before she was married (you know I managed to give the child a bit of schooling); but since she have been gone they haven’t been half kept, and if I hadn’t a good memory of my own I shouldn’t be able to give no account of nothing.  Now, Ishmael, you know, could put all the books to rights for me, and keep them to rights.”