How Laurie laughed, and how he clapped his hands when one of his
grandfather's pebbles skimmed the surface of the water six times before
it disappeared amid a series of widening ripples. After this they all
were simply boys together, calling, shouting, and jesting with one
another in good-humored rivalry. What use was it then ever again to
attempt to be austere and unapproachable Fernalds? No use in the world!

Although Mr. Fernald, senior, mopped his brow and slipped back into his
coat with a shadow of surprise when he came to and realized what he had
been doing, he did not seem to mind greatly having lapsed from seventy
years to seven. The fact that he had furnished Laurie with amusement
was worth a certain loss of dignity.

Ah, it would have taken an outsider days, weeks, months, perhaps years
to have broken through the conventionalities and beheld the Fernalds as
Ted saw them that day. It was the magic of the sunshine, the sparkle of
the creeping river, the mysterious spell of the pines that had wrought
the enchantment. Perhaps, too, the memory of his Vermont boyhood had
risen freshly to Grandfather Fernald's mind.

When the shadows lengthened and the glint of gold faded from the river,
they went indoors and Mr. Laurie was wheeled about that he might
inspect every corner of the little house of which he had heard so much.
This he did with the keenest delight and it was only after both his
father and his grandfather had promised to bring him again that he
could be persuaded to be carried back to Pine Lea. As he disappeared
among the windings of the trees, he waved his hand to Ted and called:

"I'll see you some day next week, Ted. Mr. Hazen, my tutor, shall bring
me round here some afternoon when you have finished work. I suppose you
don't get through much before five, do you?"

"No, I don't."

"Oh, any time you want to see Ted I guess he can be let off early,"
cried both Mr. Fernald and Mr. Clarence in one breath.

Then as Mr. Clarence pushed the wheel-chair farther into the dusk of
the pines, Mr. Fernald turned toward Ted and added in an undertone:

"It's done the lad good to come. I haven't seen him in such high
spirits for days. We'll fix things up with Wharton so that whenever he
fancies to come here you can be on hand. The poor boy hasn't many
pleasures and he sees few persons of his own age."

CHAPTER VII

MR. LAURIE

The visits of Laurie during the following two weeks became very
frequent;