would not so much as glance in his direction
so far as he could see, but her features were entirely hidden by the
cottage bonnet.

"I trust you will find a item or two as will be of interest," he said,
after a lengthy pause. Rachel contented herself with an emphatic-seeming
little nod at the flower-bed. "Good-day, Miss Blythe."

"Good-day, Mr. Gold, and thank you very much for being so good as to
think of me."

They did not encounter again until the following Sunday morning, when
the banns between Ruth and Reuben were called a second time. The
ringers were at work again when Ezra and Rachel met in the porch as the
church-goers streamed slowly away, and the two shook hands mutely. They
walked on side by side until Ezra's house was reached, and neither spoke
until then. Pausing before the door, Miss Blythe put out her hand.

"If I might be allowed to go a little farther, Miss Blythe," said Ezra,
gently. Rachel withdrew her hand and said nothing. So once more they
walked, apart from other home-going worshippers, down the lane that led
to Rachel's cottage.

"Did you," began Ezra, pausing to cough behind his hand--"did you tek
a look at the paper, Miss Blythe?" He received a nod for sole answer,
unless the pinching of the lips and an unconsciously affected maiden
drooping of the eyelids might be supposed to add to it. "Did you happen
to read a particular item," said Ezra, pausing to cough behind his hand
again, "a item in the letter from Paris?"

"Really, Mr. Gold," said Rachel, marching on with exceeding stateliness,
and looking straight before her, "at our ages that piece of news would
offer a very frivolous theme for conversation."

"Might we not talk of it without being frivolous, Miss Blythe?" asked
Ezra.

"Decidedly not, in my opinion," Miss Blythe responded.

"To talk of love," pursued Ezra, glancing at her now and then, "in the
sense young people use the word, between persons of the ages of that
lady and gentleman, 'ud be frivolous indeed. But I persoom, Miss Blythe,
they did not talk so."

"I should think not, indeed," said Rachel, with decision. "I should hope
not."

"But to talk of love as love is betwixt the elderly--to talk of
companionship--to talk of shelterin' one another again the loneliness of
late old age--to talk of each one tekin' up the little remnant of
life as was left to 'em and putting it i' the other's hands for kindly
keepin'! Should you think as that was ridiculous, Rachel?"

"I