"Eh, little lass, how is that? Left?" said old Hector, who was nearer than the girls thought, and whose hearing was as sharp as ever, notwithstanding his great age.
Therese turned round, blushing and smiling. She had a great reverence for the old man and always felt pleased and flattered when he talked with her, as he often did. In fact, there was a very warm friendship between the old Highlander and the little French girl, despite the difference in their ages.
"Why, yes, I suppose so," said she, doubtfully, in answer to his question.
"I would think a bit more anent that matter," said Hector. "That would be a dreary faith to sit down with, my dawtie—not much better than that of the old heathen philosophers, poor souls! But here we are at the kirk door even now. Take the thought with you, and see what you will make of it before we meet again. It is a matter worth thinking of, I can assure you, lassie."
So, you see, Marion and Therese had each her own problem to consider. But the two treated the matter very differently. Marion wondered what Uncle Duncan meant, then tossed the whole subject aside into a dark closet of her mind, and fell to thinking what a fine thing it would be to have such an income as the duke of Argyle. Some time, perhaps, she may clear out—or, as Hector would say, "redd up,"—this same dark closet, and find various matters hidden therein.
Therese, to continue the figure, laid her problem on a shelf in plain sight, that she might often turn her eyes toward it as she went about her daily toil.
There was quite an excitement when Mr. Parmalee proclaimed at the close of Sunday school that Doctor Campbell would give a missionary lecture in the church on Wednesday evening, and that Mrs. Campbell would meet the girls of the missionary band at the parsonage on Saturday afternoon at two o'clock.
"Won't it be nice?" said Therese, with sparkling eyes.
"Very," answered Marion, but she did not seem particularly interested in the matter.
"Marion has had the advantage of us," said Kitty Tremaine; "she has had the first news. Did your aunt bring us a photograph of little Rachel, Marion? She said she would if she could."