"I'm sure the rest of us could have stood it, if you _had_ come when she was gone, Miss Faith," said the Squire gallantly. "Seems to me we haven't seen you down to our house for an age of Sundays." "I will try to come of a week day," said Faith. "I think you never saw me there Sunday, Mr. Deacon." "I suppose an age of Sundays must be seven times as long as any other age," said Mr. Linden. "Isn't that the origin of the phrase, Squire Deacon?" "Very like," said the Squire--who didn't care to be interrupted. "I don't know much about originals,--when a man has a position to fill, sir, he can't study knick-knacks. What a handsome book, Miss Faith! such a becoming colour." "Don't you like the inside of books too, Mr. Deacon?" said Faith. "I daresay I should that one," said the Squire,--"the outside's like a picture--or a view, as some people call it. Looks just like a grain field in spring. What's the name of it, Miss Faith?" Half prudently, half wickedly, Faith without answering took the book from the table and put it in Mr. Deacon's hand. The Squire's face looked like anything but a grain field in spring then--it was more like a stubble in November; for opening the book midway and finding no help there, he turned to the title page and found the only English words in the book, in very legible black ink. "So!" he said--"it's his'n, is it!" "Yes, it is mine," said Mr. Linden,--"almost any man may have so much of a library as that." The Squire glanced suspiciously at Faith, as if he still believed she had something to do with it; but he did not dare press the matter. "Miss Faith," he said, calling up a smile that was meant to do retrospective work, "have you heard tell of the queer things they've found down to Mattabeeset?" "What things, Mr. Deacon?" "Some sort o' bird's been makin' tracks down there," said the Squire leaning back in his chair, with the look of one who has now got the game in his own hands; "makin' tracks criss-cross round; and they do say the size on 'em might have come out of the ark, for wonder." "How large are they, Mr. Deacon? and what sort of bird is it?" "Well if I was a descendant of Noah, I s'pose I could tell you," said the Squire with increased satisfaction,--"I'm sorry I can't, as it is. But if you're curious, Miss Faith (and ladies always is in my experience) I'll drive you down there any day or any time of day. I want to see 'em myself, that's a fact, and so does Cilly. Now Miss Faith, name the day!" The shortest possible smile on Mr. Linden's face at this sudden and earnest request, did not help Faith to an answer; but the Squire was happily forgetful for the moment that there were more than two people in the room, and leaning towards Faith he repeated, "The sooner the quicker, always, in such cases! because folks can never tell what may happen."