New England -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction; Women -- New England -- Fiction
Within the house about this time, at one of the two lower front
windows, a little woman stood looking out and speculating on the
extreme solitariness of the situation. She had nobody to communicate
her sentiments to, or she could have been eloquent on the subject. The
golden glow and shimmer of the setting sun all over the wide landscape,
it may be said with truth, she did not see; to her it was nothing but
"sunshine," a natural and necessary accessory of the sun's presence,
when clouds did not happen to come over the sky. I think she really saw
nothing but the extreme emptiness of the picture before her; just that
one fact, that there was nothing to see. Therefore it was on various
accounts an event when the rockaway hove in sight, and the grey horse
stopped before the gate. It did not occur to Miss Collins then to go
out to the carriage to receive bundles or baskets or render help
generally; she had got something to look at, and she looked. Only when
the minister, having tied Saladin's head, came leading the way through
the little courtyard to the front door, did it occur to his "help" to
open the same. There she stood, smiling the blankest of smiles, which
made Diana want to get rid of her on the instant.
"Well, of all things!" was her salutation uttered in a high key. "If it
ain't you! I never was so beat. Why, I didn't look for ye this long
spell yet."
"Won't you let us come in, Miss Collins, seeing we are here?"
"La! I'm glad to see ye, fust-rate," was the answer as she stepped
back; and stepping further back as Mr. Masters advanced, at last she
pushed open the door of her kitchen, which was the front room on that
side, and backed in, followed by the minister and, at a little
interval, by his wife. Miss Collins went on talking. "How do, Mis'
Masters? I speck I can't be under no mistake as to the personality,
though I hain't had the pleasure o' a introduction. But I thought
honeymoon folks allays make it last as long as they could?" she went
on, turning her eyes from Diana to the minister again; "and you hain't
been no time at all."
"What have you got in the house, Miss Collins? anything for supper? I
am hungry," said the latter.
"Wall--happiness makes some folks hungry,--and some, they say, it feeds
'em," Miss Collins returned. "Folks is so unlike! But if you're hungry,
Mr. Masters, you'll have to have sun'thin."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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