"I should like to see him," said Faith slowly.
Aunt Alice was in the room and heard her wish.
"Then you shall see him, darling. Charity, you can call at his cottage on your way home. Ask him to come the first day he can."
So Charity and Hope called at the little cottage.
The woods were just now in their autumn colours. Blackberries were fast getting ripe, and nuts lay ready on the ground to pick up. They lingered by the way to enjoy it all, and then they found Timothy outside, getting an armful of firewood. Sandy bounded forward to meet them.
When Hope patted his head and spoke to him, he whined a little and moved away.
"He's disappointed 'tisn't Miss Faith," said Timothy; "how is the little dear?"
"She wants to see you," said Charity; "will you go and see her as soon as you can? Aunt Alice told us to ask you."
"Ay, surely I will. Bless her little heart, there's not a day but I wonders how she is. I've missed her sorely. And I'm not the only one."
"No," said Hope with an understanding nod; "it is everybody that misses Faith. We wonder why, because we thought her rather quiet and dull sometimes, but we don't now. We know how we miss her, but we don't quite understand why the village people talk about her so."