Children's stories; Young women -- Juvenile fiction
Prim looked, and looked away. Her movement first was to go to
the table and take off her bonnet and lay down her shawl and right
herself a little. Yet Prim was nothing of a coquette, not the least in
the world, and never thought about her dress but to have it
respectable. Neither did she think about it now; for there was no
glass in the room, and the movement with which she pushed the
hair further back from her brow assuredly had no origin in regard
to appearances. However she came back after that and looked at
Hazel more steadily, and then sat down by Mrs. Boërresen to talk
in a soft undertone which could disturb nobody. The two girls had
scarcely seen each other since the fall before, except in the most
casual manner at church or in some chance meeting. Hazel had had
good reasons for keeping herself out of the way, and when they
met had wrapped herself in a triple veil of defences; so that it was
rather a revelation to see her as she looked now. A tired child
asleep, instead of the energetic lady of Chickaree. Her three days'
slumber had but partially done their work, and Hazel slept on now
in the profoundest way; her face and hands in rather noticeable
acceptance of the gray shawl, considering whose it was. Prim
looked, and looked, from time to time in the intervals of talking,
until the talking seemed to die away; and she sat drawn back into
herself. The light was failing now. Gyda mended her fire again,
and the heavy iron tongs slipped from her hands and fell with a
harsh clang upon the hearth. Wych Hazel awoke.
The greeting then was very affectionate.
'Wherever in the world did you come from?' said Hazel. 'Does it
take two people to keep watch of me?'
'I came here to be out of the way,' said Prim. 'Dane wanted Arthur,
or at least the hurt man wanted him. What in the world are _you_
here for, Hazel?'
'O I have been inspecting the mills,' said Hazel with a laugh; 'and
of course after such profound work I was tired. But I did not mean
to go to sleep. Has everybody else gone home?it is dinner time
this minute.'
'Nobody has gone home,' said Primrose; 'and they cannot help
about it's being dinner time, you know. Were you ever here
before?in this house, I mean.'
'YesO,' said Hazel with sudden recollection, 'has it taken all this
time to attend to that man?'
'Arthur is there.'
'Is he?that is good. But all this time!'with a shiver. 'I do not
see how I could sleep!'She stood looking grave, as if rather
disappointed in herself.
'Yes,' Primrose went on, 'Arthur and I were driving through the
Hollow, just to see the things; and Dane laid hold of Arthur and
sent me up here. He didn't tell me I should find you.' Primrose
paused, as her eye fell on Hazel's cushioned and draperied chair.
'You have changed your mind about Dane, haven't you Hazel?' she
asked abruptly. Hazel faced round upon her in undoubted surprise.
'Changed my mind!' she repeated, flushing all up,'what was my
mind?'
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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