ularly good--she had better
try a cup."

Miss Danforth instituted a fierce inquiry as to the direction of the
preceding evening's walk; to which Faith gave an unsatisfactory answer.

"Did you ever look at coffee in connexion with the fatigues of life?"
pursued Mr. Linden.

"I shall, probably, in future," said Miss Danforth. "Now Mr. Linden, I
ask you; you're a nice man to give a straight answer;--where did you
and Faith go?"

"I am glad I am a nice man," said Mr. Linden, "but I can scarce give a
straight answer to that question."

"Why not, for pity's sake?"

"It must needs travel a crooked road."

"Did you?"

"It has left a meandering sort of recollection in my mind."

"Where did it lead to?"

"It led to another."

"What I want to know is," said Miss Danforth, "where did you find
yourselves when you were furthest from home."

"Let me shew you," said he. "Suppose your plate to be a rock, and this
tumbler of radishes a tree, and the table-cloth grass,--the moon over
your head, crickets under your feet. Miss Faith walks round the rock, I
follow her,--and we both follow the road. On the way, the still night
air is enlivened with owls, grasshoppers, family secrets. Our attention
is thus divided between the moon and sublunary affairs. Miss
Faith--what shall I give you?"

Miss Danforth's curiosity seemed for once willing to be satisfied with
fun; and Faith's hunger was in the same predicament.

"But child," said Mrs. Derrick, who had bent her attention upon the
diagram at the other end of the table, "I don't recollect any such
place!"

"Mother!" said Faith,--and her gravity gave way hopelessly.

"Squire Deacon sends his best compliments of the season," said Cindy
opening the door a while later, "and he says they'll be to take supper
precisely at four. I'm free to confess he don't look much sweeter than
common," added Cindy.

"Pray Miss Faith," said Mr. Linden as they left the table, "what is the
precise depth of water down at the shore?"

Faith had very near broke down again, for she laughed and blushed, a
good deal more than her wont; and at last replied that "it depended on
how far people went in--she never went very far herself."

"I was naturally curious," said he.

After a dinner somewhat more hasty than usual, Mr. Linden and two of
the ladies set off for the shore. The blackberry jam, or some other
hindering cause, kept Mrs. Derrick at home.

The country by daylight looked rich and smooth. A