"But are you really sleepy, sir?" said Mrs. Derrick. "I'm so sorry! I thought they were doing nothing but good. I never once thought of their waking you up." Mr. Linden laughed too, a little. "I shall get waked up"--he said,--"in the course of the day. Unless somebody has drugged my coffee." "Judge Harrison was here this morning, Mr. Linden, with a message for you," said Faith. "Mother, will you tell Mr. Linden what Judge Harrison said?" "I'd rather hear you, child, by half," said her mother, with a smile whereon the house cast a little shadow. "Tell him yourself, Faith." And Mrs. Derrick sighed, and took her napkin and rubbed off a spot on the coffeepot. "Judge Harrison came--" said Faith, and paused. "And went away"--said Mr. Linden. "Yes," said Faith. "He stopped on his way somewhere, and came into the kitchen to talk to us. He said he would like, if you would like it, he would like to have a great exhibition of the boys--he knows about the school, he says, and there hasn't been such a school in Pattaquasset since he has been here himself; and he would like to shew it up to the whole town. So if Mr. Linden approved of it, Judge Harrison said, he would have a gathering of all the countryside in some nice place--the Judge has plenty of ground and can get anybody else's besides; and the boys should have a great examination, and after that there should be an entertainment under the trees, for boys and all. And he wanted mother to speak to Mr. Linden, and see whether he would like it. And mother wouldn't," said Faith as she finished. Mr. Linden raised his eyebrows slightly--then let them fall and likewise his eyes. Then sent his cup to be replenished, gravely remarking to Faith that if she had any drugs, she might put them in now! "What kind of drugs would you like, Mr. Linden?" said Faith. "Any that are deeply sedative." "Sedative?" said Faith, with that look which he often drew from her,--very earnest, half wistful, half sorrowful,--"I don't know what it means, Mr. Linden." "It means," said he, his face relaxing a little, "'such as diminish the physical energy, without destroying life,'--such in short, as might qualify a man for the situation of a tame monkey on a pole." Faith's look changed to a sort of indignant little glance, and her lips parted; but they closed again and her eyes went down to her plate. "What were you going to remark, Miss Faith?" Faith blushed a good deal, however the answer came steadily. "I don't think any drugs would do that for you." "I am in a bad way, then," said Mr. Linden with unmoved gravity. "Because if I survive this trial of what I can bear, I intend to advertise for the afore-named situation. Have you heard of any vacant pole, Miss Faith?" Faith looked at him with a grave, considering wonder, which gradually broke into a sense of fun; and then she laughed, as she did not often laugh.