I plucked up my Spirit on this; and, “Sir,” said I, “if you can tell me of any suitable Answer I can possibly make to such a Question as that, I’ll be much obliged to you for it, and will make Use of it!”
“Well!” says he, “it was a queer Question ... only, the Thing seems so wonderful to me! Such a pretty Girl as you were when I first knew you!”
“Ah, that was a long While ago, Sir,” said I, threading my Needle.
“It was!” said he, decidedly; and then looking at me in an amused Kind of Way, to see how I took it. “A long While ago, as you say, Cherry! And, do you know, I think exactly the same of you now, that I did then!”
“I am very much obliged to you, Sir,” said I; and went to make him a Bread-pudding.
Another Time, we fell to talking about the Awfulness of the Visitation, which, he said, he feared would make no lasting Impression on the People. And he spoke much about individual Sins helping to bring down national Chastisements; and individual Intercessions and Supplications inviting Forgiveness of general Transgressions; quoting Daniel, and Abraham, and Jeremiah, “Run ye to and fro through the Streets of Jerusalem, and see now and know, and seek in the broad Places thereof, if ye can find a Man that executeth Judgment, that seeketh the Truth; and I will pardon it.”
Another Time, feeling weaker than common, he began to despond about getting down to his Brother the Squire’s. I said, “Dear Sir, if you are not equal to so long a Journey, you can come, for Change of Air, to your old Quarters on the Bridge.”
“Ah, Cherry,” said he, faintly smiling, “what would Folks say if I did that?”
“Why, what should they say, Sir?” said I.
“I’m not considering what they should say,” said he; “what they would say, Cherry, would probably be, that I meant to marry you; or ought to mean it.”