They went back to the kitchen, and he fetched the coal and kindlings and cleared out the stove for her, while she brought in the milk and the cold remains of the meat-pie.  When warmth began to radiate from the stove, and the first ray of sunlight lay on the kitchen floor, Ethan’s dark thoughts melted in the mellower air.  The sight of Mattie going about her work as he had seen her on so many mornings made it seem impossible that she should ever cease to be a part of the scene.  He said to himself that he had doubtless exaggerated the significance of Zeena’s threats, and that she too, with the return of daylight, would come to a saner mood.

He went up to Mattie as she bent above the stove, and laid his hand on her arm.  “I don’t want you should trouble either,” he said, looking down into her eyes with a smile.

She flushed up warmly and whispered back:  “No, Ethan, I ain’t going to trouble.”

“I guess things’ll straighten out,” he added.

There was no answer but a quick throb of her lids, and he went on:  “She ain’t said anything this morning?”

“No.  I haven’t seen her yet.”

“Don’t you take any notice when you do.”

With this injunction he left her and went out to the cow-barn.  He saw Jotham Powell walking up the hill through the morning mist, and the familiar sight added to his growing conviction of security.

As the two men were clearing out the stalls Jotham rested on his pitch-fork to say:  “Dan’l Byrne’s goin’ over to the Flats to-day noon, an’ he c’d take Mattie’s trunk along, and make it easier ridin’ when I take her over in the sleigh.”

Ethan looked at him blankly, and he continued:  “Mis’ Frome said the new girl’d be at the Flats at five, and I was to take Mattie then, so’s ’t she could ketch the six o’clock train for Stamford.”

Ethan felt the blood drumming in his temples.  He had to wait a moment before he could find voice to say:  “Oh, it ain’t so sure about Mattie’s going-”

“That so?” said Jotham indifferently; and they went on with their work.

When they returned to the kitchen the two women were already at breakfast.  Zeena had an air of unusual alertness and activity.  She drank two cups of coffee and fed the cat with the scraps left in the pie-dish; then she rose from her seat and, walking over to the window, snipped two or three yellow leaves from the geraniums.  “Aunt Martha’s ain’t got a faded leaf on ’em; but they pine away when they ain’t cared for,” she said reflectively.  Then she turned to Jotham and asked:  “What time’d you say Dan’l Byrne’d be along?”

The hired man threw a hesitating glance at Ethan.

“Round about noon,” he said.

Zeena turned to Mattie.  “That trunk of yours is too heavy for the sleigh, and Dan’l Byrne’ll be round to take it over to the Flats,” she said.

“I’m much obliged to you, Zeena,” said Mattie.

“I’d like to go over things with you first,” Zeena continued in an unperturbed voice.  “I know there’s a huckabuck towel missing; and I can’t take out what you done with that match-safe ’t used to stand behind the stuffed owl in the parlour.”