d at Mondreer for
three years, at least.

All that day Mr. Force was closeted with his overseer, in his office,
looking over the farm books and making up the accounts for the year just
closed.

Mrs. Force was merciful, and told Leonidas and Odalite to spend this last
day as they pleased.

The young couple, warmly clothed, set out through the splendid winter
sunshine and over the crisply frozen snow to walk to Greenbushes.

They went out by the north gate, through the woods, across Chincapin
Creek, and so on to the farmhouse.

They took the housekeeper by surprise indeed; but they never could take
her unprepared.

She soon laid as dainty a repast upon the table as two young people, with
healthy appetites sharpened by a brisk walk through the winter woods, ever
sat down to and enjoyed.

The two lingered over that meal, playing at housekeeping, playing at being
master and mistress at their own table.

When they were tired of that little drama they went all through the house,
Odalite seeing the improvements that had been made there during the weeks
of her absence.

"All this new furniture is to be packed up or covered over, and the rooms
are to be closed up, and only opened occasionally to be dried or aired.
And, my darling of darlings, I mean never to live in this house until I
can bring you here as its mistress. I ask no promise from you, my dear,
for I must not; but I can and will give you mine," said Leonidas,
earnestly.

"Le, dear, you do not need a promise from me, nor I from you. We know and
can trust each other, dear. And, Le, I will come over here once every week
to open and air the rooms and inspect the furniture, so that nothing shall
come to harm from ignorance or neglect. And, Le, this weekly work will be
my happiest employment, except that of writing to you."

"Dear Odalite, now I feel that you are my own again. This weekly work, as
you call it, will be a sign between us. It will be your own house you will
be watching over, darling. And when I return from this voyage, if all
should go well with us, we will settle down here, and I will never go to
sea again. We two shall not be so very old when I come home again. You
will be twenty, and I will be twenty-five."

She smiled up in his face in her old arch manner, but made no reply in
words.

When they had gone through all the rooms, as it was some time after noon,
they took leave of Greenbushes and of the old servants, and set out to
return to Mo