Faith however kept away from the crowd under the hickory tree; and went peering about under some others where the ground was beaten and the branches had been, and soon found enough spoil to be hammering away with a stone on a rock like the rest. But she couldn't escape the boys so, for little runners came to her constantly. One brought a handful of nuts, another a better stone--while a third told her of 'lots' under the other tree; and Reuben Taylor was ready to crack or climb as she chose to direct. "If you'll come down the other side, Miss. Faith," said Reuben, "down by the bank, you could see it all a great deal better." Faith seized two or three nuts and jumped up, and Reuben led the way through the leaf-strewn grass to the other side of the mob. But mobs are uncertain things! No sooner was Faith seen approaching the hickory, though yet full three feet from the utmost bound of its shadow, than a sudden pause in the great business of the day was followed by such a tumultuous shout of "Three cheers for Miss Faith Derrick!--the prettiest girl in Pattaquasset!"--that she was well nigh deafened. And promptly upon that, Joe Deacon stepped up to Reuben and whispered, "_That_'ll fetch him down!" Faith did not hear the words--she only heard Reuben's indignant, "Joe Deacon! behave yourself. What makes you always leave your manners home? that big basket of yours would have held 'em all, easy." "I didn't know but Sam might want 'em," replied the unabashed Joe, dashing back into the midst of his compardons, while Reuben at last reached the pretty look-out at the edge of the woods where Faith could see the whole meadow and its scattered trees. And having placed her there ran off again. Standing half hidden by the oaks and chestnuts, she could see the whole group clustering about the climber now, for he had come down from his high post. "Boys," he said, "I am going back to the house to dinner. Any boy who prefers nuts to dinner may stay and pick them up." A sudden recollection came over Faith that her fire was probably well down and coffee not in a state presentable. Taking a survey of the ground, and calculating that so large a company would want a little time to get under weigh, she slipped round to where her mother sat, and giving her a word, set off fleetly and skilfully under cover of some outstanding chestnuts across the fallow. If she had known it, Faith need not have shunned to shew her running, for prettier running could not be. She was soon hidden in the further woodland.