“Well, you’ll be too busy eating in the noon-spell to notice,” Lanty called back to the unseen speaker. This, being the retort courteous, was received with applause.
“Well, I must go, girls; uncle’s back will be aching by this time toteing that bushel. I hope you’ve made heaps of good things for dinner, we’re all hungry as hunters.”
“Trust Temperance for that,” said Sidney.
“Yes, indeed,” said Lanty. “Ta-ta, girls.”
“Lanty,” said Mabella, “be careful of the belt.”
“Surely,” he said, his voice softening. The next moment his strong, lithe figure had swung jauntily through the narrow space between the broad whirling belt and the door.
“Nathan,” said Mabella, “Temperance wants you to get someone to mind the engine for ten minutes before dinner, so that you can come round and carve the meat.”
“I’ll be there,” said Nathan, then he added with an irrepressible and comical self-importance:
“Meat ain’t worth puttin’ teeth into if it ain’t cut up proper.”
“That’s very true,” said Sidney, who felt a great kindliness in his heart for this patient lover.