Then he led the way back into the keeping-room, and opened a second door, while Martha's quick eyes were taking in everything, not an article of furniture escaping her gaze; not that she was admiring or calculating their quality or value, but as if she were in search of some particular thing that so far she had found absent; this object being a spot of dirt. "This here's the dairy," said Brother William, entering, and holding open the double doors of the cool, dark, shady place--brick-floored, like the washhouse, but with a broad erection of red-brick all round like a rough dresser, upon which stood rows of white-lined pans, with a large white table in the middle, and the churn, scales, and beaters, and other utensils used in the preparation of the butter, along with the milk-pails at one end. Martha's wandering eyes were as badly off as Noah's dove in the early days after the flood; they could find no place to rest, for everything was scrupulously clean. The cream looked thick and heavy and almost tawny in its yellowness; and upon two large dishes were a couple of dozen rolls of delicious-looking butter, reposing beneath a piece of while muslin, ready for taking to market on the following day. "Myste and cool, isn't it?" said Brother William. "You see it's torst the north, and I've got elder-trees to shade the window as well." Martha nodded, and continued her search for that spot of dirt which her reason told her must be somewhere; but certainly it was not hiding there. "There's four cows in full milk now, Martha. Cream's rich; isn't it? Wait a moment." "Where do you get your hot-water to scald the churn and things?" said Martha sharply, checking Brother William as he was moving towards the open door. "There's a big byler in the kitchen," said Brother William, eager to make the best of things; and then, as Martha said no more, but went on with her dirt quest, he left the dairy, and came back directly after with an old-fashioned, much worn, silver tablespoon. "I thought you wouldn't mind tasting the cream, Martha. This here is 'bout the freshest," he said, going to one of the broad shallow pans, inserting the spoon, which, Martha had seen at a glance, was beautifully clean, and gently drawing the cream sidewise, so that it crinkled all over, so thick was it and rich, and the spoon came out piled up as it were with the luscious produce of the little farm. Martha's face was perfectly solemn, as she watched Brother William's acts, and she did not move a muscle till he spoke. "Open your mouth," he said seriously--"Wide." Martha obeyed, and did open her mouth--wide, for it was rather a large mouth; but the lips were well shaped and red, and the teeth within were even and white.