It was the day on which her father's remains had been consigned to their last resting place in a secluded part of his grounds, beside the grave of her mother, that Little Wolf sat alone by her upper window looking sadly out towards the burial spot, which she had left only a few hours previously. The Squire and Mrs. Tinknor were in the parlor below, engaged in conversation concerning the events of the past few days, and Tom Tinknor, to whom the solemnities of the occasion had been extremely irksome, was wandering aimlessly about the house with hands in his pockets, occasionally checking himself in the very act of whistling away the oppressive silence. The sudden opening of a door gave him quite a start, and turning quickly, he saw Daddy, who said good naturedly, "I guess ye're skeered ain't ye? 'Tween you an' me I've felt ruther shaky myself lately in this ere great big house, where there is so much spare room, fur ghosts and sperits of pussens is apt fur to hang around the house where they die." "O, that's all nonsense, Daddy," said Tom, "I thought you knew too much to believe in such things." "Wall, I don't really believe in 'em, but I did feel kinder queer like, last night when I went through that are long hall to the Honey's room, but I never hev really seen a sperit yet, but I've seen shaders that looked mighty like 'em, and I ain't no doubt, if there is any, I shell see 'em, fur the Honey says I'm uncommon sharp that are way. Laws, she ain't afeared of nothin: why, she went inter the doctor's room, the next day after he was laid out, and stayed thar ever so long all alone, and wouldn't even come out fur to see Mr. Sherman, 'Tween you an' me, I guess the Honey is throwin off on that are Sherman, fur ye see I hed to go right inter the ball-room fur her, the night the doctor died, and I see her, with my own eyes, draw away from him as if he had hurt her, and I kinder hed a inklin that may be he'd been drinking a leetle too much, fur, to my sartin knowledge, she ain't 'lowed him fur to come nigh her sence. But I guess its affectin' her serious, fur she does 'pear to feel the wust she ever did, and I used to say, sometimes, when the doctor was brung hum dead drunk, she couldn't feel no wuss if he was really dead; but them times was nothin' to the way she broke down the night he died. 'Tween you an' me," said Daddy, as if suddenly recollecting himself, "it wouldn't be best fur to say nothin' about this to nobody, fur the Honey likes to keep her own affairs strict." "Certainly not," said Tom, and he walked straight to the parlor, and repeated to his parents every word he had heard. "She certainly grieves more than is natural considering the circumstances," said the Squire, "and if the old man's conjectures are correct, you are here just in the nick of time, Tom." "I don't know about that," said Tom, rather dubiously, "she will have to change wonderfully if she gives a fellow a chance to see or speak to her while we stay."