"

"Thank you, sir, but the house is very comfortable."

She soon took her leave.

"When did you buy that house, Colonel Preston?" asked his wife.

"A month since."

"You didn't say anything about it to me."

"Nor to anyone else, except those with whom I did the business."

Mrs. Preston would like to have said more, but she did not think it
expedient, remembering what she had brought upon herself before.

CHAPTER XXIV
ANDY'S JOURNEY

Toward the first of April of the succeeding year, Miss Sophia Grant
took a severe cold, not serious, indeed, but such as to make it
prudent for her to remain indoors. This occasioned a little
derangement of her sister's plans; for both sisters were in the habit,
about the first of April and of October, of taking a journey to
Boston--partly for a change, and partly because at these times certain
banks in which they owned stock declared dividends, which they took
the opportunity to collect. But this spring it seemed doubtful if they
could go. Yet they wanted the money--a part of it, at least.

"Send Andrew," suggested Miss Sophia, after her sister had stated the
difficulty.

In general Miss Priscilla did not approve Sophia's suggestions, but
this struck her more favorably.

"I don't know but we might," she said, slowly. "He is a boy to be
trusted."

"Just so."

"And I think he is a smart boy."

"Just so."

"He can take care of himself. You remember how he saved Colonel
Preston from the robber?"

"Just so."

"Then, on the other hand, he has never been to Boston."

"He could ask."

"I don't suppose there would be any particular difficulty. I could
give him all the necessary directions."

"Just so."

"I'll propose it to him."

So, after supper, as Andy was going out into the woodshed for an
armful of wood, Miss Priscilla stopped him.

"Were you ever in Boston, Andy?" asked she.

"No, ma'am."

"I wish you had been."

"Why, ma'am?"

"Because I should like to send you there on some business."

"I'll go, ma'am," said Andy, eagerly.

Like most boys of his age, no proposition could have been more
agreeable.

"Do you think you could find your way there, and around the city?"

"No fear of that, ma'am," said Andy, confidently.

"We generally go ourselves, as you know, but my sister is sick, and I
don't like to leave her."

"Of course not, ma'am," said Andy, quite approving any plan that
opened the way for a journey to him.

"We own bank stock, a