Desire had rather liked him for
his carping, which was what he least of all deserved to be liked
for. It showed how high and pure his demands were; but his praise
and admissions were better; it is always better to discern good than
to fret at the evil.

"I shall see you every day," he said, when he shook hands at
parting; "and Helena, if you want a squirrel to keep in your pocket
next winter, I'll begin training one for you at once."

He had taken them right to himself, as if they belonged to him; he
spoke as if he were very glad that he should see them every day.

Desire whistled over her unpacking; she could not sing, but she
could whistle like a blackbird. When her father came up on Saturday
night, he said that her eyes were brighter and her cheeks were
rounder, for the country air; she would take to growing pretty
instead of strong-minded, if she didn't look out.

Kenneth came round on Monday, after tea, to ask them to go over to
Miss Waite's and make acquaintance.

"For you see," he said, "you will have to be very intimate there,
and it is time to begin. It will take one call to be introduced, and
another, at least, to get up-stairs and see that beautiful breezy
old room that can't be lived in in winter, but is to be a delicious
sort of camping-out for Dolly, all summer. It is all windows and
squirrel-holes and doors that won't shut. Everything comes in but
the rain; but the roof is tight on that corner. Even the woodbine
has got tossed in through a broken upper pane, and I wouldn't have
it mended on any account. There are swallows' nests in the chimneys,
and wrens under the gable, and humming-birds in the honeysuckle.
When Dolly gets there, it will be perfect. It just wants her to take
it all right into her heart and make one piece of it. _They_ don't
know,--the birds and the squirrels,--it takes the human. There has
to be an Adam in every garden of Eden."

Kenneth really chattered, from pure content and delight.

It did not take two visits to get up-stairs. Miss Arabel met them
heartily. She had been a shy, timid old lady, from long neglect and
humble living; but lately she had "come out in society," Delia said.
Society had come after her, and convinced her that she could make
good times for it.

She brought out currant wine and gave them, the first thing; and
when Kenneth told her that they were his and Dorris's friends, and
were coming next week to see about getting ready for her, she took
them right