“The squire and Miss Elizabeth have come home, and they have company at Jacob’s—friends of Mr Maxwell’s, they say; but it is likely they would be staying at the parsonage if they were. They have come at a good time. They’ll see folks enough in their meeting-clothes for once.”
Davie had come home to put on his own “meeting-clothes,” and declined his dinner in his hurry to get away again. Katie took it more quietly. In her joy at the prospect of seeing Miss Elizabeth again, the prospect of seeing so many people “in their meeting-clothes” seemed a secondary matter, and this was too openly acknowledged to please her brother.
“Katie,” said he discontentedly, “I think the less we have to do with the Holts to-day the better.”
“Jacob and his wife, you mean,” said Katie, laughing. “Oh, I shall have nothing in the world to do with them.”
“I mean Jacob and his wife and all the rest of them. However, there will be so many there to-day for Clif to show his fine clothes and his fine manners to, that he’ll have no time for the like of you.”
“But I’ll see his fine clothes and his fine manners too, as well as the rest. And there are some things that look best a little way off, you know.”
“That’s so. And if it’s Holts you want, you’d better stick to Betsey.”
“Yes, and Ben,” said Katie, laughing.
“Bairns,” said grannie gravely, “you’re no quarrelling, I hope. Are you ready, Katie? And, Davie lad, are you sure it’s quite safe for your sister to go over the river on your raft? And will she no’ be in danger of wetting her clean frock? It would save her a long walk, and the day is warm, if you are sure it’s safe.”
“It has carried me safe enough, grannie dear, and Ben Holt and more of us. I ken Katie’s precious gear beside me, to say nothing of her frock. But it’s safe enough.”