and I so frightened her, by telling her the plain truth in the plainest words, that she shrank from seeing her old lover any more, and begged me to send him about his business.  And I did, too, ‘with a flea in his ear,’ as the saying is; for I repeated to him every word as little Kitty had said to me, as a warning to him for the futur’ not to go tempting any more young girls to marry him for his money and then wish him dead for the enjoyment of it.”

“I hope it did him good.”

“Why, Hannah, he went right straight home, and that same day married his fat, middle-aged housekeeper, who, to tell the solemn truth, he ought to have married twenty years before!  And as for little Kitty, thank Heaven! she was soon sought as a wife by a handsome young fellow, who was suited to her in every way, and who really did love her and win her love; and they were married and went to Californy, as I told you.  Well, after I was left alone, the neighboring small farmers with unprovided daughters, seeing how comfortable I was fixed, would often say to me—­’Gray, you ought to marry.’  ‘Gray, why don’t you marry?’ ’Gray, your nice little place only needs one thing to make it perfect, a nice little wife.’  ’Why don’t you drop in and see the girls some evening, Gray?  They would always be glad to see you.’  And all that.  I understood it all, Hannah, my dear; but I didn’t want any young girls who would marry me only for a home.  And, besides, the Lord knows I never thought of any woman, young or old, except yourself, who was my first love and my only one, and whose whole life was mixed up with my own, as close as ever warp and woof was woven in your webs, Hannah.”

“You have been more faithful to me than I deserved, Reuben; but I will try to make you happy,” said Hannah, with much emotion.

“You do make me happy, dear, without trying.  And now where is Ishmael?” inquired Reuben, who never in his own content forgot the welfare of others.

Ishmael was walking slowly and thoughtfully at some distance behind them.  Reuben called after him: 

“Walk up, my lad.  We are going in to dinner now; we dine at noon, you know.”

Ishmael, who had lingered behind from the motives of delicacy that withheld him from intruding on the confidential conversation of the newly-married pair, now quickened his steps and joined them, saying, with a smile: 

“Uncle Reuben, when you advised me not to study for a whole month you did not mean to counsel me to rust in idleness for four long weeks?  I must work, and I wish you would put me to that which will be the most useful to you.”

“And most benefital to your own health, my boy!  What would you say to fishing?  Would that meet your wishes?”

“Oh, I should like that very much, if I could really be of use in that way, Uncle Reuben,” said the youth.

“Why, of course you could; now I’ll tell you what you can do; you can go this afternoon with Sam in the sailboat as far down the river as Silver Sands, where he hopes to hook some fine rock fish.  Would that meet your views?”