“I burned it takin’ the biscuit out of the oven,” she groaned.

“Why, it’s an awful burn.  Don’t you want something on it?”

“No, I don’t mind no burns.”

Suddenly Mrs. Maxwell moved away from her nephew.  She began arranging the plates on the table.  “You go into the parlor,” said she sharply, “an’ don’t you let ’em know you didn’t know about it.  You act kind of easy an’ natural when they speak about it.  You go right in; tea won’t be ready quite yet.  I’ve got something a little extra to see about.”

Francis went into the parlor and greeted the guests, shaking hands with them rather boyishly and awkwardly.  The minister’s wife made room for him on the sofa beside her.

“I suppose you’d like to hear about your cousin’s wedding that I went to this afternoon,” said she, with a blandness that had a covert meaning to the other women, who listened eagerly.

“Yes, I would,” replied Francis, with steady gravity.

“I suppose it wasn’t such a surprise to you as it was to us?” said she directly, and the other women panted.

“No, I suppose it wasn’t,” said Francis.

Mrs. Lowe and Mrs. Robbins glanced at each other.

“He knew,” Mrs. Lowe motioned with her lips, nodding.

“She didn’t,” Mrs. Robbins motioned back, shaking her head.

Francis sat beside the minister’s wife.  She talked on about the wedding, and he listened soberly and assentingly.

“Well, it will be your turn next, Francis,” said she, with a sly graciousness, and the young man reddened, and laughed constrainedly.

Francis seldom glanced at Lois, but it was as if her little figure in the window was all he saw in the room.  She seemed so near his consciousness that she shut out all else besides.  Lois did not look at him, but once in a while she put up her hand and arranged the hair on her forehead, and after she had done so felt as if she saw herself with his eyes.  The air was growing cool; presently Lois coughed.

“You’d better come away from that window,” said Mrs. Field, speaking out suddenly.

There was no solicitude in her tone; it was more like harsh command.  Everybody looked at Lois; Francis with an anxious interest.  He partly arose as if to make room for her on the sofa, but she simply moved her chair farther back.  Presently Francis went over and shut the window.

The minister, Mr. Tuxbury, and Mrs. Robbin’s husband all arrived together shortly afterward.  Mrs. Maxwell announced that tea was ready.

“Will you please walk out to tea?” said she, standing at the door, in a ceremonious hush.  And the company arose hesitatingly, looking at one another for precedence, and straggled out.

“You sit here,” said Mrs. Maxwell to Lois, and she pointed to a chair beside Francis.

Lois sat down and fixed her eyes upon her green and white plate while the minister asked the blessing.