so much talked about among
'em."

"Wal, you see, the Gineral he sailed the next day; and Jeff he staid by
to keep watch o' things.

"Wal, the old Gineral he got over safe; for Miss Sullivan, she had a
letter from him all right. When he got away, his conscience sort o'
nagged him, and he was minded to be a good husband. At any rate, he
wrote a good loving letter to her, and sent his love to Ruth, and sent
over lots o' little keepsakes and things for her, and told her that he
left her under good protection, and wanted her to try and make up her
mind to marry Jeff, as that would keep the property together.

"Wal, now there couldn't be no sort o' sugar sweeter than Jeff was to
them lone wimmen. Jeff was one o' the sort that could be all things to
all wimmen. He waited and he tended, and he was as humble as any snake
in the grass that ever ye see and the old lady, she clean fell in with
him, but Ruth, she seemed to have a regular spite agin him. And she that
war as gentle as a lamb, that never had so much as a hard thought of a
mortal critter, and wouldn't tread on a worm, she was so set agin Jeff,
that she wouldn't so much as touch his hand when she got out o' her
kerridge.

"Wal, now comes the strange part o' my story. Ruth was one o' the kind
that _hes the gift o' seein'. She was born with a veil over her face!_"

This mysterious piece of physiological information about Ruth was given
with a look and air that announced something very profound and awful;
and we both took up the inquiry, "Born with a veil over her face? How
should _that_ make her see?"

"Wal, boys; how should I know? But the fact _is so_. There's those as is
wal known as hes the gift o' seein' what others can't see: they can see
through walls and houses; they can see people's hearts; they can
see what's to come. They don't know nothin' how 'tis, but this 'ere
knowledge comes to 'em: it's a gret gift; and that sort's born with the
veil over their faces. Ruth was o' these 'ere. Old Granny Badger she
was the knowingest old nuss in all these parts; and she was with Ruth's
mother when she was born, and she told Lady Lothrop all about it. Says
she, 'You may depend upon it that child 'll have the "second-sight"'
says she. Oh, that 'are fact was wal known! Wal, that was the reason
why Jeff Sullivan couldn't come it round Ruth tho' he was silkier than
a milkweed-pod, and jest about as patient as a spider in his hole a
watchin' to get his grip on a fly. Ruth w