'Strictly fact.' And folding her close, and watching her face, sometimes touching it, he went on,—'Something, of which it is said that "her price is far above rubies. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life." She does not exactly "seek wool and flax"—or if, it is Berlin wool, I believe; but it is certainly true that "she considereth a field, and buyeth it." And "she stretcheth out her hands to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple." I do not think she "makes fine linen;" nevertheless I hope it will be true that "she looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness." And if all her household are not "clothed in scarlet," she is very fond of wearing it herself.' Wych Hazel listened with eyes looking down, and lips that parted yet did not speak. But now they curled unmistakeably. 'Ha, ha!' she laughed. 'What a mixed piece of fact that is! past, present, and future, in one grand conglomerate. Do you suppose I shall ever _again_ have a chance to dabble in land? And I thought you had ruled out the 'silk and purple'?' 'Did you? I suppose, in Old Testament language the silk and purple means that she was suitably dressed.' 'Scarlet ditto. But I do not know what 'spoil' can mean. If it said 'supervision,' I could understand that.' 'Spoil means, profits and honours.' 'That makes no sense of the rest of the verse.' 'Excellent sense. The heart of her husband hath such a trust in her, that he can afford to dispense with what makes other men rich.' 'O—is that the way you put it. Romantic, but not practical,' said Hazel, arching her brows. 'It might be so, but he would not find it out. Now come and see the house.' 'I will go and see the house,' said Rollo, speaking with a cool business tone now. 'In fact I suppose I should like to go anywhere where you would go before and open the doors. But what is your thought, Wych?' 'Only a small ceremony of investiture. I want to take you over my haunts,—and leave you in possession—of them, and any small facts you may find there.' But taking one of her hands and holding it, Rollo neither moved towards the door himself nor let her. 'What is going to become of you,' said he, 'after you have left me in possession of your haunts?' 'I shall linger round to do all the mischief I can,—after the fashion of abdicators.' 'In that case, what is going to become of me?' said he, not changing his position. 'I have no idea! I feel fearfully like myself since I came home.' 'Do you! And what do you expect me to do with your 'small facts'? Are they kittens?' 'No. Store them up for reference when I am hard to understand.' 'I do not want any references on that chapter. What _are_ your small facts?'