"What is the matter?" she asked curiously. "Why don't you drink your tea?" "It all seems as strange and beautiful as a fairy tale," he said, looking at her earnestly. Her hearty laugh and matter-of-fact tone dispelled his illusion, as she said: "It's all dreadfully real to me. I feel as if I had done more work to-day than in all my life before, and we have only made a beginning. I want to ask you about the place and the garden, and how to get things done," and she plied him well with the most practical questions. Sometimes he answered a little incoherently, for through them all he saw a face full of strange weird beauty, as the firelight flickered upon it, and gave a star-like lustre to the large dark eyes. Hannibal, in the background, grinned and chuckled silently, as he saw Arden's dazed, wondering admiration, saying to himself, "Dey ain't used to such young ladies as mine, up here--it kind o' dazzles 'em." At last, as if breaking away from the influence of a spell, Arden suddenly rose, turning upon Edith one of those warm, bright looks that he sometimes gave his mother, and said, "You have been very kind; good-night," and was gone in a moment. But the night was luminous about him. Along the muddy road, in the old barn as he cared for his horses, in his poor little room at home, to which he soon retired, he saw only the fair face of Edith, with the firelight playing upon it, with the vividness of one looking directly upon an exquisite cabinet picture, and before that picture his heart was inclined to bow, in the most devoted homage. Edith's only comment was, "He is 'quar,' Hannibal, as you said." Wearied with the long day's work, she soon found welcome and dreamless rest. CHAPTER XI MRS. ALLEN'S POLICY True to her promise, Rose helped Edith all the next day, and while she worked, the frank-hearted girl poured out the story of her troubles, and Edith came to have a greater respect and sympathy for her "kind and humble neighbors" as she characterized them in her own mind. Still with her familiarity with the farming class, kept up since her summer in the country as a child, she made a broad distinction between them and the mere laborer. Moreover, the practical girl wished to conciliate the Laceys and every one else she could, for she had a presentiment that there were many trials before them, and that they would need friends. She said in answer to Rose: "I never realized before that the world was so full of trouble. We have seen plenty of late." "One can bear any kind of trouble better than a daily shame," said Rose bitterly. For some unexplained reason Edith thought of Zell and Mr. Van Dam with a sudden pang. Arden brought his last load and watched eagerly for her appearance, fearing that there might be some great falling off in the vision of the past evening.