Mr. Linden accompanied the visiter to the little gate, and returning paced up and down the moonlit porch, followed only by his shadow. CHAPTER VI. While Mr. Somers was enjoying his cup of unexpected tea at Mrs. Derrick's, Squire Deacon and Miss Cilly had a sociable tête-à-tête over theirs; for Joe Deacon, who was in the full enjoyment of some fourteen years of boyhood, scarcely made a third in the conversation until his appetite was satisfied. Conversation indeed hardly existed during the first portion of the meal. Miss Cilly poured out her tea and broke her biscuit with a certain prim sort of elegance which belonged to that young lady--as at least she believed. But sipping tea and nibbling biscuit went on in company with thoughts. "Sam, what are you bothering yourself about Mr. Linden for?" "How long since you was made a trustee?" said the Squire, beginning his sentence with an untranslatable sort of grunt, and ending it in his teacup. "Give us the sugar bowl down this way, Cilly," said Joe,--"this apple sarce is as sour as sixty." "I've been your trustee ever since you was up to anything," said his sister. "Come Sam--don't you begin now. What's made you so crusty?" "It aint the worst thing to be crusty," said the Squire, while Joe started up and seized the sugar bowl. "Shews a man's more'n half baked, any how." Miss Cilly vouchsafed a rather sour smile to these manifestations of disposition on the part of both her brothers. "Well, what has he done?" "Sure enough," said the Squire, (he kept his small stock of big words for company) "what _has_ he done? That's just what I can't find out." "What do you want to find out for? What ails him?" "Suppose he hasn't done nothing"--said the Squire,--"is that the sort o' man to teach litteratur in Pattaquasset?" "Lit--_what?_" said his sister with an arch of her head. "Anything you've a mind to," said the Squire sulkily. "I wouldn't say anything against Mr. Linden's literature, if I was you; because it's my belief, Sam, it'll stand any pecking you make at it. What's given you such a spite at him? You're a goodnatured fellow enough in general." "The whole temperature of Pattaquasset's come about since _he_ come," replied the Squire comprehensively. "He's a gentleman!" said Miss Cilly bridling again. "He won't hurt anybody's manners--not the best--if they was to copy him." "He didn't hurt mine," said Joe patronizingly. "To be sure I didn't go to him long." "Do the boys like him, Joe?" "Well I daresay they wouldn't if they could help it," said Joe, "if _that's_ any comfort. Some other folks likes him too,--besides Sam." "Aint he a good teacher?" "Firstrate--" said Joe, "taught me all _I_ ever learned. I didn't go but four weeks, and Sam thought 'twarn't no use for me to hold on any longer. My! Cilly--he'd make you roll up your eyes in arithmetic!" "Now Sam Deacon, what do you expect to do by all this fuss you're making?" said his sister judicially.