She stood watching him for a moment, and then she went home.
As she opened the door, her husband came forward to greet her, with a smile of love and welcome on his face. Everything was ready for her: the cloth was laid, the food was cooked, the kettle was boiling, there were fresh flowers on the table.
“Oh, Robert,” she said warmly, “and you’ve done everything for me, and you so tired with the day’s trouble.”
“Hush,” he said, smiling sadly, “the day’s trouble is past.”
CHAPTER VI
ATTRACTION AND REPULSION
THERE were three days more of incessant rain and wind, and then the storm ceased, and the sun shone brightly. On the morning of the second fine day, a waggon drove up to Hilda’s house, and Holles got off, leaving Ben in charge of the horses.
“We called in to see if we could do anything for you in the village,” he said, when Hilda opened the door to him.
“I should be ever so much obliged if you would bring me a sack of flour,” she said; “I have just come to the end of my supply. Robert did not want to send our horses in yet. He says the roads are not safe.”
“No, I don’t suppose they are,” said Holles. “But if you had been living on preserved pine-apples and empty coal-oil tins for the last week or ten days, you would be willing to risk a good deal for the sake of some flour or a piece of Porter House steak. We fellows over the river have been starving. Empty coal-oil tins and preserved pine-apples are not very fattening, are they? But there, I mustn’t grumble. We managed to get over to Ben one day, and he gave us one of his skinniest fowls in exchange for a large jar of my best marmalade. There was nothing on the fowl; but there never is anything on Ben’s fowls, so we weren’t disappointed. Only for goodness’ sake don’t tell that to him. He’s awfully touchy on the subject!”
Hilda laughed, and asked about the damages done by the storm on the other side of the river.