"Thank you; I will step in for a few minutes, I have a little business to speak of."
"It must be that he means to take Mark back into the shop," thought the widow, cheerfully.
She led the way into the plain sitting-room, and invited the village magnate to take a seat.
"Ahem! your son Mark is away?" remarked the squire, inquiringly. This confirmed Mrs. Manning in her conjecture as to the squire's errand.
"Yes," she answered; "but I think he will be at home before long. I miss him a great deal."
"I suppose he can't make a living in New York," thought the squire. Rather fortunately he didn't inquire where Mark was, since this would have embarrassed Mrs. Manning, who knew that it was a secret not to be mentioned, and yet would have been reluctant to offend the squire by withholding the information.
"Probably he will be as well off at home," said the squire. "I don't believe much in boys leaving home on wild-goose expeditions. They think it perfectly easy to earn a living elsewhere, but they are pretty apt to reap only disappointment."
"I dare say you are right, squire," said Mrs. Manning, leading up to the subject of a return to the shop; "but there didn't seem to be anything for Mark to do at home."
Squire Collins understood her object, but had no intention of offering employment to Mark. He looked at the widow with a peculiar smile, and enjoyed the disappointment which his next words were calculated to bring.
"I dare say Mark can hire out to some good farmer," he replied, indifferently. "Farming is a good healthy business."