“I do not believe that he ever asked her,” said Susan, who could not conceive of any one refusing a minister.

“Well, nobody knows anything about that.  But one thing is certain, he doesn’t go there any longer.  And Rosemary didn’t look well all the spring.  I hope her visit to Kingsport will do her good.  She’s been gone for a month and will stay another month, I understand.  I can’t remember when Rosemary was away from home before.  She and Ellen could never bear to be parted.  But I understand Ellen insisted on her going this time.  And meanwhile Ellen and Norman Douglas are warming up the old soup.”

“Is that really so?” asked Anne, laughing.  “I heard a rumour of it, but I hardly believed it.”

“Believe it!  You may believe it all right, Anne, dearie.  Nobody is in ignorance of it.  Norman Douglas never left anybody in doubt as to his intentions in regard to anything.  He always did his courting before the public.  He told Marshall that he hadn’t thought about Ellen for years, but the first time he went to church last fall he saw her and fell in love with her all over again.  He said he’d clean forgot how handsome she was.  He hadn’t seen her for twenty years, if you can believe it.  Of course he never went to church, and Ellen never went anywhere else round here.  Oh, we all know what Norman means, but what Ellen means is a different matter.  I shan’t take it upon me to predict whether it will be a match or not.”

“He jilted her once—­but it seems that does not count with some people, Mrs. Dr. dear,” Susan remarked rather acidly.

“He jilted her in a fit of temper and repented it all his life,” said Miss Cornelia.  “That is different from a cold-blooded jilting.  For my part, I never detested Norman as some folks do.  He could never over-crow me.  I do wonder what started him coming to church.  I have never been able to believe Mrs. Wilsons’s story that Faith Meredith went there and bullied him into it.  I’ve always intended to ask Faith herself, but I’ve never happened to think of it just when I saw her.  What influence could she have over Norman Douglas?  He was in the store when I left, bellowing with laughter over that scandalous letter.  You could have heard him at Four Winds Point.  ’The greatest girl in the world,’ he was shouting.  ’She’s that full of spunk she’s bursting with it.  And all the old grannies want to tame her, darn them.  But they’ll never be able to do it—­never!  They might as well try to drown a fish.  Boyd, see that you put more fertilizer on your potatoes next year.  Ho, ho, ho!’ And then he laughed till the roof shook.”

“Mr. Douglas pays well to the salary, at least,” remarked Susan.