“Well, there’s another thing.  I kind of hate to speak about it.  Flora said I shouldn’t; but I said I would, whether or no.  I know you’d rather I would.  There’s a set of blue china dishes that Nancy, that’s Thomas’ wife, you know, always said Flora should have when she got done with them.  Thomas, he never said anything about it after Nancy died.  I didn’t know but he might make mention of it in the will.  But we all know how that was.  I ain’t findin’ no fault, an’ I ain’t begrudgin’ anything.”

“You can have the dishes jest as well as not,” returned Mrs. Field, eagerly.

“Well, I didn’t know as you’d value them much.  I s’posed you’d rather get some new ones.  You can get real handsome ones now for ten dollars.  Silsbee’s got an elegant set in his window.  Of course folks that can afford them would rather have them.  But I s’pose Flora would think considerable of that old set because it belonged to her aunt Nancy.  There’s one or two other things I was thinkin’ of, but it don’t matter about those to-day.  It’s a beautiful day, ain’t it?”

“What be they?” asked Mrs. Field.  “If there’s anything you want, you’re welcome to it.”

Mrs. Maxwell glanced at her nephew.  He was looking out of the window, with his forehead knitted and his lips compressed.  Lois had just thought how cross he looked.  “You ain’t been out to see anything of the town, have you, Lois?” asked Mrs. Maxwell, sweetly.

Lois started.  “No, ma’am,” she said, faintly.

“You ain’t been into the graveyard, I s’pose?”

“No, ma’am.”

“You’d ought to go in there an’ see the Mason monument.  Francis, don’t you want to go over there with her an’ show her the Mason monument?”

Francis rose promptly.

“I guess I’d rather not,” Lois said, hurriedly.

“Oh, you run right along!” cried Mrs. Maxwell.  “You’ll want to see the flowers on Mis’ Perry’s grave, too.  I never saw such handsome flowers as they had, an’ they carried them all to the grave.  Get your hat, and run right along, it’ll do you good.”

“You’d better,” said the young man, smiling pleasantly down at Lois.

She got up and left the room, and presently returned with her hat on.

“Don’t sit down on the damp ground,” Mrs. Field said as the two went out.  And her voice sounded more like herself than it had done since she left Green River.

Lois walked gravely down the street beside Francis Arms.  She had never had any masculine attention.  This was the first time she had ever walked alone with a young man.  She was full of that shy consciousness which comes to a young girl who has had more dreams than lovers, but her steady, sober face quite concealed it.