"No," said Faith smiling, "you couldn't do it so well as I. I wanted to say two words to him to put nonsense out of his head." "Nonsense!" said Mr. Linden, looking grave,--"I am as anxious on that point as you can be. What nonsense has he got in his head?" Faith hesitated, flushed and paled a little, and looked at her lilies. "I don't know whether I ought to speak of it," she began, with much less than her usual composure of speech. "Perhaps it is not my business. Please forgive me if I speak wrong. But I half think you ought to know it."-- "I'll try to bear the knowledge," he said smiling--"if you will promise to speak the cabalistic two words that were to have such effect upon Reuben. So you want to put nonsense into my head, Miss Faith?" "Perhaps you know it already?" said Faith. "At any rate I think I should feel better satisfied if you did know it. Mr. Linden," she said speaking low--"do you know that Squire Deacon has been trying to do you mischief?" "Just suppose for a moment that you are one of my scholars, and give me a definition of mischief." To judge by the unbent lines of Faith's brow, there was nothing very disagreeable to her in the supposition. Yet she had a look of care for the 'definition,' too. "When a man is meaning to do harm, isn't he doing mischief?" "Only to himself." "But do you mean that one _can't_ do harm to others in this world?" "You said 'when a man is _meaning_ to do harm.'" "Ah," said Faith laughing, "I should want a great deal of teaching before I could give a definition that would suit you! Well then, isn't _harm_ mischief?" "I'm afraid I must yield that point." "Then," said Faith simply, but very modestly,--"we come back to where we started from?" "What shall we do there?" said he smiling. "Nothing, perhaps," said Faith with the same simplicity. "I only thought it right to put you there, Mr. Linden." "Thank you, Miss Faith. Now will you please pronounce over me the two words intended for Reuben?" Faith laughed a little, but then said gravely, "Mr. Linden, I should be very sorry to think you needed them." "It's impossible always to avoid being very sorry: I _want_ them, at all events. Haven't you just been putting nonsense into my head?" "Have I?" said Faith. "Do you suppose there was any there before?" "I--don't--think," said Faith, surveying his face,--"there is much there now. I guess you don't need the two words, Mr. Linden. I was going to tell Reuben he was a goose for thinking that that man could hurt you." His face changed a little. "Poor Reuben!" he said--then with the former look--"On the whole, perhaps it was well he did not come back. If you put those in water they will open their eyes to-morrow. Fresh water--not salt," he added as he followed her into the house,--"they are not part of the marine Flora."