Queenie wrinkled her white forehead reflectively,—poor and pretty, and with a lover laid up at a distance. This began to get interesting; she must do her best to help this unknown girl.
"Well, if I were judging for myself," she returned at last, "I should think a nice useful black silk—"
"Ah! that is just it," interrupted Caleb, enthusiastically. "I ought to have thought of that; of course, a black silk."
"And," continued Queenie, now thoroughly absorbed in a mental review of this ideal wardrobe, "a pretty spring suit,—brown, I think, if it would suit her,—and a brown hat with a pheasant wing. I think she would look nice in that."
"Brown, of course; the idea of my never thinking of brown," repeated Caleb, clapping his hands, "the very color of all others that would suit her. Go on, Miss Queenie dear."
"Well, I suppose her lover does not wish to be extravagant, it is not her trousseau, you see; some nice collars and cuffs and ties, and perhaps handkerchiefs, and some brown gloves—and, oh! she must have a box to put them in. If she be so very poor, you see, it will not do for her to dress too handsomely," observed the young girl, sententiously.
Caleb dashed down his pipe, and very nearly executed a pas de seul on the garden path; his blue eyes danced with glee.
"There now, there now; did I not say you had a wise head, Miss Queenie! The very thing of all other! a box!—and Molly and I would never have thought of it—a really good handsome box that would make the luggage porters stare, eh?" enquiring.
"Well no; a nice black leather one, like Cathy's, I think," returned Queenie, with quiet relish. During the remainder of the evening, as she sat over some plain sewing she was doing for Emmie, she thought of Caleb's friend a little enviously, and wondered how she would like the nice things. She wished Caleb would tell her a little more about her; but, to her surprise, he did not recur again to the subject.
About a fortnight after this conversation, as she returned from her usual evening visit to Mr. Calcott, she paused for a moment at the door of her room, transfixed in surprise.