“That’s so, Benjy—and don’t it seem good!” Uncle William came to the window and patted the thin hand resting on the sill. “I’m coming right along, now, soon’s I get my apron off—” His fingers tugged at the strings of the big oil cloth pattern that encompassed him.
Benjamin’s eye waited, impatient—“You ’ll get rid of all that fuss when the new girl comes,” he said.
Uncle William’s mouth opened and looked at him. Then it closed and Uncle William shook his head. “I’d clean forgot her,” he said slowly, “and if I don’t send her word today, she can’t come for two weeks—nor four, mebbe. The boats don’t run right.” He reached up to the clock for the pen and bottle of ink that stood there.
Benjamin moved with restless indecision and Uncle William glanced at him. “You run along, Benjy,” he said kindly, “That contractor ’ll be waiting for you—”
“He’s been waiting,” said Benjy quickly, “—an hour at least.”
“Yes, yes—I know. Don’t you wait—” Uncle William’s eye was on the paper and he was mumbling words to the ink bottle.... “I’ll be—right along—Benjy—sometime—”
The tall man turned from the window and strode over the rocks.
Uncle William’s face smoothed to its genial smile as the steps died away. His fingers traced big, comfortable words on the paper and his head nodded in a kind of cheerful, all-round assent while he wrote. The clock struck ten and he looked up, blinking a little. His eyes strayed to the window and he looked out. Then he got up and went across. After a minute he took down the spy-glass and fixed it on a distant point. His face radiated in little wrinkles of interest. “I do’ ’no’s I ever see Andy run like that—and cross-lots, too—Harr’et wants suthin’—bad—like enough.... My—my! He hadn’t ought to run like that!”... He bent from the window. “Hello, Andy!—what you runnin’ for?”
Andy halted, panting—“He’s come!” he said. The words sank to a whisper and he wheeled about, glaring at a man who was coming up the path from the shore, trundling a bicycle before him. He was a young man, with keen, quick glance and a look of determination. He glanced indifferently at Andy and rapped sharply on the side of the door.
Uncle William came across with easy gait. “Good morning,” he said—looking down from his height...