'Quite. One should be, with perfection,' said the doctor. 'If Prim will kindly let me arrange my own closets.' Prim was silent, and what she was thinking of, this story does not tell; but her next words made rather a bound from these. 'Dane,' she said suddenly, 'is there any necessity for your going down to the mills to-night unless you are sent for?' 'I think it would be proper,' said Dane, making his notes. 'Then you will go?' 'I suppose so.' 'But if you had set men to watch, I should think they might have prevented all the trouble.' 'I did not want to prevent it.' '_Not?_ Why, Duke?' 'If it is to come, I would rather it should come now, when I am here and expecting it.' 'Is there danger of any rough work?' 'Among the men? I cannot tell.' 'O Duke! if you had set men to watch, I should think they could have put out a fire without you.' Hazel roused up suddenly. 'Prim, how can you talk so?' she said with quick emphasis. 'Of course he must go!' Dr. Arthur smiled. 'I do not see the must,' Primrose answered. 'You don't know what a mill-fight is, Hazel.' The girl shrank back among her cushions. 'But he must go—' she repeated, half to herself. 'I do not expect to hear of many more mill-fights in Morton Hollow,' said Dane very calmly. 'What is it, Gyda? Supper? Well, some of our friends here will be very glad of it.' There was porridge and cream and flad-brod, of course; there was hung beef and honey; altogether it was rather a sumptuous meal. Rollo attended to the coffee on the hearth, and made the tea; as usual did half of the serving himself, and took care that his old nurse should not exert her strength beyond very gentle limits. They voted to disregard the table and keep their places round the fire. So in grand red illumination from the blaze they took their cups of coffee, which Dane filled from the pot on the hearth; and handled their plates of porridge and cream; and but for the night's work in prospect, would have regarded it as a piece of grand fun. To the young men indeed that circumstance was not enough to make it any less than fun, and to one of them it was much more. Gyda, whose little black eyes watched them all keenly, found it a pleasant sight; for the smile on her old lips was as sweet as May. Though indeed Gyda's smile was quite wont to be that. She sat where Rollo placed her and suffered him to attend to her wants; but she said never a word unless spoken to. It was still not far on in the evening when the supper was disposed of and the room was again in company order. The little circle gathered somewhat closer together. They had been talking gaily, yet something in the social atmosphere hindered conversation from the buoyancy natural to it in happy circumstances; it acted like a wreath of chimney smoke in a damp morning. In a pause which had come, no one knew why, Primrose remarked, 'I wish you would sing something, Duke.' 'Why?' 'Why, because I like to hear you.'