I come home ahead of you and get supper.
I'll take to-day's eggs to father's store on the way and ask him if he
minds our having a little walk. I've an errand at Aunt Abby's that would
take me down to the bridge anyway."

"Very well," said Patty, somewhat apathetically. "I always like a walk
with you, but I don't care what becomes of me this afternoon if I can't
go to Ellen's party."

The excursion took place according to Waitstill's plan, and at four
o'clock she sped back to her night work and preparations for supper,
leaving Patty with a great bunch of early wildflowers for Ivory's
mother. Patty had left them at the Boyntons' door with Rodman, who was
picking up chips and volunteered to take the nosegay into the house at
once.

"Won't you step inside?" the boy asked shyly, wishing to be polite,
but conscious that visitors, from the village very seldom crossed the
threshold.

"I'd like to, but I can't this afternoon, thank you. I must run all the
way down the hill now, or I shan't be in time to supper."

"Do you eat meals together over to your house?" asked the boy.

"We're all three at the table if that means together."

"We never are. Ivory goes off early and takes lunch in a pail. So do
I when I go to school. Aunt Boynton never sits down to eat; she just
stands at the window and takes a bite of something now 'and then. You
haven't got any mother, have you?"

"No, Rodman."

"Neither have I, nor any father, nor any relations but Aunt Boynton
and Ivory. Ivory is very good to me, and when he's at home I'm never
lonesome."

"I wish you could come over and eat with sister and me," said Patty
gently. "Perhaps sometime, when my father is away buying goods and we
are left alone, you could join us in the woods, and we would have
a picnic? We would bring enough for you; all sorts of good things;
hard-boiled eggs, doughnuts, apple-turnovers, and bread spread with
jelly."

"I'd like it fine!" exclaimed Rodman, his big dark eyes sparkling with
anticipation. "I don't have many boys to play with, and I never went to
a picnic Aunt Boynton watches for uncle 'most all the time; she doesn't
know he has been away for years and years. When she doesn't watch, she
prays. Sometimes she wants me to pray with her, but praying don't come
easy to me."

"Neither does it to me," said Patty.

"I'm good at marbles and checkers and back-gammon and jack-straws,
though."

"So am I," said Patty, laughing, "so we should be good frien