"Deerskin be—" was the excited answer; "I had no time to think of it. But what a delicious valley! I never saw anything so beautiful in all my life."
"It is certainly pretty fair, but not worthy of such frantic eulogy," said Samuel.
"What a man you are!" cried Joshua; "You must always disagree with me. The moment I like a thing you must depreciate it."
"Do you then mean to make some stay in the valley?" asked Mrs. Dickson, innocently enough.
"Some stay, mistress!" cried the husband; "What are you dreaming about? I mean to take the whole valley. It belongs to no one now. It shall therefore be ours—that is, mine and my brother's."
"I want very little," said Samuel.
"You shall have your right share, no more and no less. Do you think I would cheat you?"
"Far from me be such a thought."
"But, my dear," said the wife, "pray think."
"I have thought," he replied, abruptly; "and my resolution is irrevocable. So thoroughly have I made up my mind that I have come back alone, leaving the children at work."