"Charles twelfth has the best of it just now, Miss Faith," he said as he opened the gate for her. "Why do people build houses where they cannot see the sun!" They were met at the door by Mrs. Seacomb. "Do tell!" she said--"why if this aint you! But what made you come so late? and how slow your horse did come when he was about it. I've been watchin' you this age. Well Faith--I declare--you're as pretty as a posie! And this is the teacher I s'pose--Guess likely you haint been down this way afore, sir,--it's a good ways, and the road's lonesome, but it's a fine place when you're here--so retired and shady." All Mr. Linden's command of countenance only enabled him to answer the last remark with a strong affirmative. "Yes sir," said Mrs. Seacomb, "it is; and there's a good many of the trees is evergreens, so the shade never goes off. I do s'pose, if I could keep the children more to home they wouldn't get nigh so brown as they do; but if I was to run out in the lot and whip 'em home every half hour they'd be back again afore I could count one. Now Genevievy--she does stay round under the trees a good deal, but then she's fond of flowers. She'll be real glad to see you Faith, and so'll your mother"--and Mrs. Seacomb at last got her visiters into the parlour. The parlour was as brown as the rest of the house. The visiters had not time to remark more particularly; for their attention was claimed by a tall girl of about Faith's age, with a loosely built, strong jointed frame, in as marked contrast as possible to the clean outline and soft angles of the other. She shook hands very cordially with Faith, but made a reverence to the 'teacher.' "Won't you take a chair, sir," she said, setting one for the gentleman. "Aint it an age since we've looked at you, Faith! Your mother's been here a long spell. Ma' was proud to see her come it. You haint been here, seems to me, ever before!" "How do you do, Genevieve?" "I'm respectable well. Can't do nothin' uncommon, you know, down in this 'eclusion. I guess it's as good to see company as blackberries. We don't get it though.--I hope you don't mind a lonely sitiwation, sir?" The last words with deep gravity and a bending head. "It agrees well with a contemplative mind," replied the gentleman, resolving that the young lady should not talk 'high english' alone. "It does!" said Genevieve admiringly, taking him all in with her eyes. "There is always something to look at to make you contemplate.--Then you don't think it an objection, sir, to live so far away from society as this?" "I have lived further away from society than this," said Mr. Linden. "I have seen regions of country, Miss Seacomb, where you could not even hear of anybody but yourself." "I declare!--And war' n't it awful still, sir?" "It was beautiful, still," said Mr. Linden. "I reckon it was!" At this juncture Charles twelfth made his appearance, and Mr. Linden at once turned to him-- "Well sir--how are the Turks?"