He came in; and Karen's face grew bright at the sight of him. All the while she was getting the breakfast he stood talking with her; and all the while, her old face kept the broad gleam of delight that had come into it with his entering the kitchen. With what zeal that breakfast was cooked for him; with what pleasure it was served. And while they were eating it, Karen sat in the chimney corner and looked at them, and talked. "And isn't the place sold then, Governor?" "Not yet, Karen -- in a few weeks it will be." "And who's goin' to buy it?" "I don't know." "And ye ain't goin' fur to buy it yourself?" "No Karen -- I am not rich enough to keep a country house." "You had ought to have it," said Karen. "It don't belong to nobody else but you. And you don't know who's a goin' to have it, Governor?" "I don't know." "'Tain't likely they'll let the old woman stay in her corner, whoever they'll be," said Karen. "Well -- 'tain't fur now to the end, -- and then I'll get a better place where they won't turn me out. I wish I was there, Governor." "'There' will be better at the end of your way, Karen, than at any other time." "Ay -- O I know it, dear; but I get so impatient, days, -- I want to be gone. It's better waiting." "Perhaps you'll have something yet to do for us, Karen," said Winnie. "Ye're too fur off," said the old woman. "Karen's done all she can for ye when she's took care of ye this time. But I'll find what I have to do -- and I'll do it -- and then I'll go!" -- she said, with a curious modulation of the tones of her voice that came near some of the Methodist airs in which she delighted. "Governor'll take care o' you, Winnie; and the Lord'll take care o' him!" Both brother and sister smiled a little at Karen's arrangement of things; but neither contradicted her. "And how do you manage here, Karen, all alone? -- do you keep comfortable?" "I'm comfortable, Mr. Winthrop," she said with half a smile; -- "I have lived comfortable all my life. I seem to see Mis' Landholm round now, times, jus' like she used to be; and I know we'll be soon all together again. I think o' that when I'm dreary." She was a singular old figure, as she sat in the corner there with her head a little on one side, leaning her cheek on her finger, and with the quick change of energetic life and subdued patience in her manner. "Don't get any dinner for us, Karen," said Winthrop as they rose from table. "We have enough for dinner in our basket." "Ye must take it back again to Mannahatta," said Karen. "Ye'r dinner'll be ready -- roast chickens and new potatoes and huckleberry pie -- the chickens are just fat, and ye never see nicer potatoes this time o' year; and Anderese don't pick very fast, but he'll have huckleberries enough home for you to eat all the ways ye like. And milk I know ye like'm with, Governor." "Give me the basket then, Karen, and I'll furnish the huckleberries." "He'll do it -- Anderese'll get 'em, Mr. Winthrop, -- not you."