The young man drew himself together with a start. Suddenly he perceived that the young girl standing in the shade of the porch was not his sister, but a stranger. He looked at her with astonishment,—at the elegance of her dress, and the neatness of her small gloved hand.
"I beg your pardon, Miss, I'm sure! Did you want anything?"
The visitor laughed. "Yes, I want a good deal! I came up to see my cousins—you're my cousin—though of course you don't remember me. I thought—perhaps—you'd ask me to dinner."
The young man's yawns ceased. He stared with all his eyes, instinctively putting his hair and collar straight.
"Well, I'm afraid I don't know who you are, Miss," he said at last, putting out his hand in perplexity to meet hers. "Will you walk in?"
"Not before you know who I am!"—said Laura, still laughing—"I'm Laura
Fountain. Now do you know?"
"What—Stephen Fountain's daughter—as married Miss Helbeck?" said the young man in wonder. His face, which had been at first vague and heavy with sleep, began to recover its natural expression.
Laura surveyed him. He had a square, full chin and an upper lip slightly underhung. His straight fair hair straggled loose over his brow. He carried his head and shoulders well, and was altogether a finely built, rather magnificent young fellow, marred by a general expression that was half clumsy, half insolent.
"That's it," she said, in answer to his question—"I'm staying at
Bannisdale, and I came up to see you all.—Where's Cousin Elizabeth?"
"Mother, do you mean?—Oh! she's at church."