Her husband listened with interest, and said he believed it was perfectly true that Seth Stanley's father had been a convict, who had died at Princetown Prison. Every one spoke well of the blacksmith, though some said he had a religious mania. On hearing that Mrs. Barton smiled involuntarily.
"What is the meaning of that smile, Mary?" her husband asked. "What are you thinking."
"That people are always ready to call those they cannot understand a little mad," she responded. "You know St. Paul had to hear the same thing said about him. You remember the remark of Festus: 'Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.' I daresay the blacksmith is no more mad than St. Paul was."
"I think you are very likely right. Anyway, I have not the least objection to the boys talking to him if they please; they will hear nothing wrong from his lips, of that I am certain."
Mrs. Barton was perfectly satisfied after that, and told Theodore and Jack that her husband had a very high opinion of the blacksmith, believing him to be a good, honest man.
For several days Theodore never mentioned the Hermit's Cave, and Jack refrained from reminding him of it, thinking that perhaps, on further consideration, his stepbrother might have come to the conclusion to let the proposed expedition drop. But he was wrong. Theodore still meant to go. He was merely waiting for settled weather, for it had been very showery during the past few days.
One morning when the boys were getting up, Theodore, looking out of the window, saw that the sky was cloudless and a faint blue mist hung over the hills—the promise of a fine day.
"I think the weather looks more settled, don't you, Jack?" he questioned eagerly.
"Yes," Jack assented. "Mr. Fry said last night he thought we were going to have a change, because the distant Tors looked so far away—that shows fine weather, he says. When you come to think of it, we have been able to see a long way off lately."
"So we have. I remember father pointing out the cattle on the sides of the hills, and he said they were miles and miles from us really. Look, Jack, you can hardly see more than a short way to-day."