“Yes,” he said, “I can work with tools; I will do these things for you.”
“Then you'll stay,” said the woman.
“I am sorry,” replied the man, “but I cannot stay.”
The woman sat down in her chair.
“How you'll git on with ole Nicholas, I don't see,” she said.
“He will not be there,” said the man.
“Not be there!” the woman repeated.
“No,” replied the man, “he is going away.”
The woman's face became, on the instant, incredulous.
The little girl, standing beside the man, saw it and shook her head. The woman, her mouth open, her chin lifted, marked the signal and respected it. She dropped her hands into her lap.