"I don't exactly see how that can be," answered Eben. "Suppose a law is given out to a school: isn't it given to every scholar in the school? Suppose Miss Hilliard should say, This school will have a holiday on Thursday: wouldn't that mean that every scholar should have a holiday?"
"Well, perhaps so, but according to that, all we have to do is to wait and do nothing till God sees fit to give us what we need."
"Partly right and partly wrong," said Eben. "We are to wait, but it does not follow that we are to do nothing. You waited more than an hour for Miss Barnard at the Cure the other day, but you were not doing nothing. You wore making tatting as hard as you could all the time. The tatting kept your time from being wasted, and Miss Barnard came just as soon as though you had spent your time in doing nothing but fretting. Now, the mill is my tatting."
Flora laughed. "There is no use in arguing with you, Eben. I found that out long ago. Seriously, I am glad you feel so. It must be a great comfort."
"It is," said Eben, emphatically, "the greatest comfort. I think I should have broken my heart without it at the time that I made up my mind to go to work."
"And yet you were so quiet about the matter that I almost thought at times you really did not care. I wish I was like you."
"Well, I don't know that I do. One like me seems to be about as much as I want. I like a little variety. But I do wish you saw as I do about that, because I know what a comfort it is."
"Can you always feel so, Eben?"
"I can't always feel so, but I can always know so, and that is better," said Eben. "However, I must be off, for Mr. Antis is going away to Syracuse."
Mr. Antis was very much hurried about getting away. One person after another wanted him, and he stayed for some last words, till he had barely time left to drive over to the Springs.