"How do you do?" seemed rather to mean,—How do you like me in my uniform?
And his uncle's cool "Very well, I thank you, Hal," disappointed him, as it seemed only to say,—Your uniform makes no difference in my opinion of you.
Even little Patty went on eating her breakfast much as usual, and talked of the pleasures of walking with her father to the Downs, and of all the little things which interested her, so that Hal's epaulettes were not the principal object of any one's imagination but his own.
"Papa," said Patty, "as we go up the hill where there is so much red mud, I must take care to pick my way nicely; and I must hold up my frock, as you desired me; and perhaps you will be so good, if I am not troublesome, as to lift me over the very bad place where there are no stepping-stones. My ankle is entirely well, and I'm glad of that, or else I should not be able to walk as far as the Downs. How good you were to me, Ben, when I was in pain, the day I sprained my ankle; you played at jackstraws, and at cat's cradle, with me—O, that puts me in mind—Here are your gloves, which I asked you that night to let me mend. I've been a great while about them, but are not they very neatly mended, papa?—Look at the sewing."
"I am not a very good judge of sewing, my dear little girl," said Mr. Gresham, examining the work with a close and scrupulous eye; "but, in my opinion, here is one stitch that is rather too long; the white teeth are not quite even."
"O, papa, I'll take out that long tooth in a minute," said Patty, laughing. "I did not think that you would have observed it so soon."
"I would not have you trust to my blindness," said her father, stroking her head fondly: "I observe every thing. I observe, for instance, that you are a grateful little girl, and that you are glad to be of use to those who have been kind to you; and for this I forgive you the long stitch."
"But it's out, it's out, Papa," said Patty; "and the next time your gloves want mending, Ben, I'll mend them better."
"They are very nice, I think," said Ben, drawing them on; "and I am much obliged to you. I was just wishing I had a pair of gloves to keep my fingers warm to-day, for I never can shoot well when my hands are numbed. Look, Hal—you know how ragged these gloves were; you said they were good for nothing but to throw away; now look, there's not a hole in them," said he, spreading his fingers.
"Now, is it not very extraordinary," said Hal to himself, "that they should go on so long talking about an old pair of gloves, without scarcely saying a word about my new uniform? Well, the young Sweepstakes and Lady Diana will talk enough about it; that's one comfort."