“Isn’t faith best proved without words, dear?” he asked her. “If you have any in me, this would seem a right good time to prove it. Cease worrying. Trust me. Rest. Isn’t everything snug and au fait? You have most everything you need—even a chaperone.”
“Meaning Kicko or that hoot-owl?”
“Meaning granddad’s spirit.”
“Oh ... all right ... I’ll try.”
After a time——
“Jane, tell the truth and shame the devil—don’t you prefer me to that wall?”
“Why—why——”
“Please prefer me.”
Perhaps his arm did more than his words to persuade her. At any rate, with her head resting against his shoulder, she made admission.
“I do—prefer you to a stone wall, you know.”