He was never weary of wondering at Hannah and her children.  To behold his maiden aunt in the character of a wife had been a standing marvel to Ishmael.  To contemplate her now as a mother was an ever-growing delight to the genial boy.  She had lost all her old-maidish appearance.  She was fleshier, fairer, and softer to look upon.  And she wore a pretty bobbinet cap and a bright-colored calico wrapper, and she busied herself with needlework while turning the cradle with her foot, and humming a little nursery song.  As for Reuben, he arose as Ishmael sat down, stood contemplating his domestic bliss for a few minutes, and then took his hat and went out upon his afternoon rounds among the field laborers.  A happy man was Reuben Gray!

CHAPTER XLVII.

RUSHY SHORE.

  He feels, he feels within him
    That courage self-possessed,—­
  That force that ye shall win him,
    The brightest and the best,—­
  The stalwarth Saxon daring
    That steadily steps on,
  Unswerving and unsparing
    Until the goal be won!

  —­M.F.  Tupper.

The first thing Ishmael did when he found himself again settled at Woodside, and had got over the anguish of his parting with Claudia and the excitement of his removal from Tanglewood, was to walk over to Rushy Shore and inquire of Overseer Brown whether a master had yet been heard of for the little school.

“No, nor aint a-gwine to be!  There aint much temptation to anybody as knows anything about this ’ere school to take it.  The chillun as comes to it,—­well there, they are just the dullest, headstrongest, forwardest set o’ boys and gals as ever was; and their fathers and mothers, take ’em all together, are the bad-payingest!  The fact is, cansarning this school, one may say as the wexation is sartain and the wages un-sartain,” answered Brown, whom Ishmael found, as usual, sauntering through the fields with his pipe in his mouth.

“Well, then, as I am on my feet again, and no other master can be found, I will take it myself—­that is to say, if I can have it,” said Ishmael.

“Well, I reckon you can.  Mr. Middleton, he sent his lawyer down here to settle up affairs arter he had bought the property, and the lawyer, he told me, as I had been so long used to the place as I was to keep on a-managing of it for the new master; and as a-letting out of this schoolhouse was a part of my business, I do s’pose as I can let you have it, if you like to take it.”

“Yes, I should, and I engage it from the first of January.  There are now but two weeks remaining until the Christmas holidays.  So it is not worth while to open the school until these shall be over.  But meanwhile, Brown, you can let your friends and neighbors know that the schoolhouse will be ready for the reception of pupils on Monday, the third of January.”

“Very well, sir; I’ll let them all know.”