Eben's cheerful shout brought Flora out to the gate.
"It's all right, Flossy. I can't stop now to tell you, but it is all right, and I keep my place. I must get over to the Springs with this message, but I'll be home as soon as I can. I'm glad mother didn't know anything about it."
It was a joyful party that assembled to eat Flora's cake and what remained of the nice pudding, which Mrs. Antis had insisted on Mrs. Fairchild's taking home with her. At first Flora was disposed to blame Eben for being so readily "coaxed round," as she said, but she was led to see that it would have been neither right nor wise for him to quarrel with his bread and butter, and displease Mr. Francis.
"Well, I am glad he had the sense to come round at last," said she.
"I guess he had been put out about something," remarked Mrs. Fairchild. "He's quite an old gentleman now, Mr. Francis is. I remember him a young man studying law in Ithaca, when I was a little girl going to school, and his father lived in the Baldwin place, next my grandfather's. He's always been called an odd-tempered man, and was as long ago as that, but he has always had the name of being honourable and generous. I dare say he thought he'd been too hasty."
"It was all your pudding and chicken pie, ma," said Eben, laughing. "Jeduthun said he'd feel better when he had his works greased."
"Well, that shows what I've often said—that it never does any harm to be neighbourly," replied Mrs. Fairchild. "However, all's well that ends well, and I guess maybe we've all got a lesson that will be worth what it cost."
[CHAPTER X.]
EBEN GETS AN ADVANCE.
"SEEMS to me I don't see you with your big books any more," said Mary Clarke to Eben as they walked home from prayer meeting one night. Neither Flora nor Mrs. Fairchild had cared to go, and Mary and Eben were walking slowly and enjoying the beauty of the evening.