“Then I will speak plainer,” said Uncle Ike.  “Don’t fall in love with my niece, Mr. Sawyer.  She is a good girl, a sweet girl, and some might call her a beautiful one, but she has her limitations.  She is not fitted to sit in a Beacon Street parlor; and your parents and sisters would not be pleased to have you place her there.  Excuse an old man, Mr. Sawyer, but you know wisdom cometh with age, although its full value is not usually appreciated by the young.”

Quincy, for the first time in his life, was entirely at a loss for a reply.  He burned to declare his love then and there; but how could he do so in the face of such a plain statement of facts?  He did the best thing possible under the circumstances; he quietly ignored Uncle Ike’s advice, and thanking him for his kindness in consenting to meet the new doctor he bade him good afternoon and went to his room.

After Quincy had gone Uncle Ike rubbed his hands together gleefully and shook with laughter.

“The sly rogue!” he said to himself.  “Wanted Uncle Ike to help him out.”  Then he laughed again.  “If he don’t love her he will take my advice, but if he does, what I told him will drive him on like spurs in the side of a horse.  He is a good fellow, a great deal better than his father and the rest of his family, for he isn’t stuck up.  I like him, but my Alice is good enough for him even if he were a good deal better than he is.  How it would tickle me to hear my niece calling the Hon. Nathaniel Sawyer papa!” And Uncle Ike laughed until his sides shook.

Monday promised to be a dull day.  ’Zekiel told Quincy at breakfast, after the others had left the table, that Alice had spoken to him about Mrs. Mason’s invitation to tea, and, of course, he was going.  Quincy said that he had accepted the invitation and would be pleased to accompany him and his sister.

After breakfast he heard Alice singing in the parlor, and joining her there told her that he had received a letter from Mr. Ernst, which he would like to read to her.  Alice was delighted with the letter, and they both laughed heartily over it, Quincy humorously apologizing for the swear word by saying that being historical it could not be profane.

Alice had in her hand the two letters that she had received on Saturday.

“Have you answered your letters?” he asked.

“No, I have not even heard them read,” she replied.  “Uncle Ike has grown tired all at once and won’t read to me nor write for me.  I don’t understand him at all.  I sent for him yesterday afternoon, after you came down, and told him what I wanted him to do.  He sent back word that he was too busy and I must get somebody else, but who can I get?  Mandy and ’Zekiel are both too much occupied with their own duties to help me.”

“If I can be of any service to you, Miss Pettengill, you know—­”

“Oh, I don’t think I should dare to let you read these letters,” interrupted Alice, laughing.  “No doubt they are from two of my lady friends, and I have always heard that men consider letters that women write to each other very silly and childish.”